Jethro Tull’s Martin Barre was born on this day in 1946 in Birmingham. Ironically, the future lead guitarist for the flute fronted Jethro Tull, started out as a flute player but took up guitar soon after.  Barre then learned to play tenor saxophone in just a couple of days of intense practice in order to audition for a sax opening in an early 60's band in London known as the Noblemen. He got the gig. Two name and genre changes later, Barre was playing guitar and flute in the band doing blues based sets under the group name Gethesmane.  They shared a bill with Jethro Tull that ended up fortuitous a few months later when Tull's manager invited Barre to audition to become the lead guitarist of Ian Anderson's band.

 

He remained with Tull from the Stand Up album in 1969 until Anderson decided to reconstitute Tull without Barre and other members in 2012.  The split was difficult to comprehend for Barre, others in the group and fans, as well.  Martin calls Anderson's decision to dissolve the musical relationship the two had forged, "probably the worst decision that Ian's ever made in his life".  

 

Other Noteworthy Classic Rock events on November 17 include...

 

1944 Gene Clark of the Byrds born.

 

1966 Jeff Buckley born.

 

1970 Elton John records 11/17/70 at WPLJ-FM in New York.

 

1971 Faces release "A Nod's As Good As A Wink To A Blind Horse.

 

1978 An American Prayer, an album featuring Doors music and recordings of poetry Jim Morrison recorded in 1970 is released.

 

1978 Rod Stewart releases Blondes Have More Fun.

 

1978 Alice Cooper releases From The Inside.

 

1979 Jethro Tull’s John Glascock dies following heart surgery.

 

1986 Kinks release Think Visual.

 

1980 John Lennon & Yoko Ono release Double Fantasy.

 

1990 David Crosby breaks leg, ankle and shoulder in motorcycle crash.

 

1993 Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam and Chicago White Sox pitcher Jack McDowell arrested for public drunkenness in New Orleans.

 

1994 Bob Dylan shoots his MTV Unplugged set.

 

2003 Meat Loaf hospitalized for exhaustion and a viral infection after collapsing during a London concert.

 

2006 Peter Gabriel given Man Of Peace award by Gorbachev Foundation in Rome.

 

2006 Bono & The Edge jam with Pearl Jam on Rockin’ In The Free World during Melbourne, Australia concert.

 

2009 Warren Haynes does encore with Deep Purple at Heineken Hall in Amsterdam.

 

2009 Paul McCartney releases Goodnight, New York (CitiField concert).

 

2010 Bruce Springsteen does full hour on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon.

 

2017 Bob Seger releases I Knew You When...