# Martin Barre
**Martin Barre** is an English rock guitarist, best known as the lead guitarist of the progressive rock band [Jethro Tull](https://www.edgepedia.org/jethro-tull-band), which he joined in late 1968 and served for more than four decades. Born in 1946 in Kings Heath, Birmingham, he played on every Jethro Tull album from *Stand Up* (1969) to *The Jethro Tull Christmas Album* (2003) and became the band's longest-serving member after frontman [Ian Anderson](https://www.edgepedia.org/ian-anderson).[1](https://jethrotull.com/band-member/martin-barre/) Since the end of his time with Tull he has led the Martin Barre Band, releasing solo albums and performing classic Tull material worldwide.[1](https://jethrotull.com/band-member/martin-barre/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1946, Kings Heath, Birmingham, England[1](https://jethrotull.com/band-member/martin-barre/) |
| Jethro Tull tenure | Lead guitarist 1968–2011 per the band's own site; other accounts date the end of the partnership to around 2012[1](https://jethrotull.com/band-member/martin-barre/) • [2](https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/martin-barre-wanted-to-quit-jethro-tull) |
| Albums with Tull | Every album from *Stand Up* (1969) to *The Jethro Tull Christmas Album* (2003)[1](https://jethrotull.com/band-member/martin-barre/) |
| Signature solo | His "Aqualung" (1971) solo was voted 25th best ever in the USA and 20th best in the UK[3](https://martinbarre.com/) |
| Grammy | Jethro Tull won the 1989 Grammy for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance Vocal Or Instrumental for *Crest Of A Knave*, beating Metallica's *...And Justice for All*[4](https://www.grammy.com/awards/categories/best-hard-rock-metal-performance-vocal-or-instrumental/) |
| Tull album sales | Exceeded 60 million units[3](https://martinbarre.com/) |
| Solo albums | *A Trick of Memory* (1994), *The Meeting* (1996), *Stage Left* (2003), *Away With Words* (2013), *Back to Steel* (2015), *Roads Less Travelled* (2018), among others[1](https://jethrotull.com/band-member/martin-barre/) |
## Early career and joining Jethro Tull
Barre began as a saxophone player with The Moonrakers in the early 1960s, then joined The Noblemen in 1966, a band that evolved into The Motivation and supported acts such as [The Coasters](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-coasters) and Cream. By 1967 the group had become The Penny Peeps, releasing two singles on Liberty Records; his guitar solo on "Model Village" became a collectors' favorite. In 1968 the band turned into the blues band [Gethsemane](https://www.edgepedia.org/gethsemane), which broke up over financial struggles.[1](https://jethrotull.com/band-member/martin-barre/)
After a brief stint with Fat Mattress alongside [Noel Redding](https://www.edgepedia.org/noel-redding), Barre auditioned for Jethro Tull in late 1968. The first audition went badly, hampered by nerves and a lack of equipment, but Ian Anderson approved him as the permanent guitarist, replacing Mick Abrahams.[1](https://jethrotull.com/band-member/martin-barre/) A short spell by [Tony Iommi](https://www.edgepedia.org/tony-iommi), later of [Black Sabbath](https://www.edgepedia.org/black-sabbath), had intervened between Abrahams and Barre.[5](https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bands/martin-barre-the-making-of-jethro-tull-benefit) Barre's first album with the band, *Stand Up* (1969), marked a turn away from blues toward the flute-led, progressive direction that defined Tull, and its riffs stood alongside the work of contemporaries such as Tony Iommi, Ritchie Blackmore, and Jimmy Page.[5](https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bands/martin-barre-the-making-of-jethro-tull-benefit)
## Years with Jethro Tull
Barre played on every Jethro Tull album from *Stand Up* (1969) to *The Jethro Tull Christmas Album* (2003), contributing guitar work influenced by Leslie West of [Mountain](https://www.edgepedia.org/mountain-band), and he also played flute and mandolin with the band.[1](https://jethrotull.com/band-member/martin-barre/) His early years were, in his own account, a "baptism by fire," touring with [Jimi Hendrix](https://www.edgepedia.org/jimi-hendrix) and [Led Zeppelin](https://www.edgepedia.org/led-zeppelin) and shaping a versatile style across blues, folk, prog, and electronic rock.[1](https://jethrotull.com/band-member/martin-barre/) During his tenure the band sold more than 60 million albums.[3](https://martinbarre.com/)
**The Aqualung solo.** The title track of *Aqualung* (1971) carries the solo for which Barre is best known; polls rated it the 25th best guitar solo of all time in the USA and 20th in the UK.[3](https://martinbarre.com/) Barre has recalled that the album was recorded in trying conditions in a Paris studio the band remembered as "Chateau Disaster."[6](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Australian-Musican/Australian-Musician-2005-Winter.pdf)
**The 1989 Grammy.** *Crest of a Knave* (1987) won the Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance Vocal Or Instrumental at the 31st Annual Grammy Awards in 1989, beating Metallica's *...And Justice for All*, AC/DC's *Blow Up Your Video*, Iggy Pop's "Cold Metal," and [Jane's Addiction](https://www.edgepedia.org/janes-addiction)'s *Nothing's Shocking*.[4](https://www.grammy.com/awards/categories/best-hard-rock-metal-performance-vocal-or-instrumental/) The result was considered so unlikely that the band did not attend the ceremony; Barre has said the record label declined to fly the band over because it expected [Metallica](https://www.edgepedia.org/metallica) to win, and he learned of the victory by phone call at home.[7](https://pocketmags.com/prog-magazine/issue-166/articles/martin-barre) • [8](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/martin-barre-revisiting-jethro-tull-093302960.html) Barre later said he viewed the award as recognition for the band's career as a whole rather than for one album.[9](https://loudwire.com/jethro-tull-martin-barre-regret-beat-metallica-grammys/)
**Departure.** Barre tried to leave the band in 1980, but Anderson persuaded him to stay; Barre later said he never felt good about remaining.[2](https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/martin-barre-wanted-to-quit-jethro-tull) The sources disagree on when the partnership ended: the band's own site lists his tenure as 1968–2011 and says the band dissolved in 2011,[1](https://jethrotull.com/band-member/martin-barre/) while Barre himself has described the end as around 2012, when Anderson decided to go in a different direction.[2](https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/martin-barre-wanted-to-quit-jethro-tull) Barre said he and Anderson essentially agreed that Jethro Tull was done, and that Anderson later began releasing music under the name after a 50th anniversary tour without inviting him to play.[10](https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2024-10-17/after-jethro-tull-guitarist-martin-barre-went-back-to-square-one-but-he-brought-50-years-of-music-with-him)
## Solo career
Barre's solo work was confined to his home studio until he assembled a band for charity gigs in the early 1990s.[11](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/martin-barre-mn0000373049) His solo albums include *A Summer Band* (1992), *A Trick of Memory* (1994), *The Meeting* (1996), *Stage Left* (2003), *Away With Words* (2013), *Back to Steel* (2015), and *Roads Less Travelled* (2018), blending rock, blues, folk, and ambient styles.[1](https://jethrotull.com/band-member/martin-barre/) After Tull ended, he released three solo albums in two years, and called *Back to Steel* "the most important work in my career as a musician" because it consisted largely of his own songs.[12](https://www.loudersound.com/music/albums/martin-barre-back-to-steel)
In 2012 he formed his own band featuring former Tull bassist Jonathan Noyce and drummer Geoff Dunn to perform classic Tull songs and new material, with tours such as *A Brief History of Tull* and *Martin Barre Unplugged: Tull Tales*.[1](https://jethrotull.com/band-member/martin-barre/) His regular bandmates include Dan Crisp on vocals and Alan Thomson on bass, with drummers varying at times to include ex-Tull drummer Clive Bunker.[1](https://jethrotull.com/band-member/martin-barre/) • [3](https://martinbarre.com/) He has also worked with Pentangle and with artists including [Paul McCartney](https://www.edgepedia.org/paul-mccartney), Phil Collins, Gary Moore, Joe Bonamassa, and Chris Thompson.[1](https://jethrotull.com/band-member/martin-barre/) • [3](https://martinbarre.com/)
## Recognition and later activity
Barre has been cited as an influence by guitarists including [Steve Vai](https://www.edgepedia.org/steve-vai), Joe Satriani, Eric Johnson, and [Joe Bonamassa](https://www.edgepedia.org/joe-bonamassa).[13](https://australianmusician.com.au/martin-barre-australian-solo-tour-interview/) He has consistently rejected the "underrated" label applied to him by fans, saying he does not consider himself as good as he wants to be.[14](https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/martin-barre-ego) In November 2025 he published his autobiography, *A Trick Of The Memory: The Autobiography Of Jethro Tull's Guitarist*, through McNidder & Grace.[15](https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/biographies/martin-barre-announces-uk-book-tour-dates-for-november-and-december) He continues to tour with his band, including the electric show *Plugged In And Ready!* and performances of the *Aqualung* album in full.[3](https://martinbarre.com/) • [16](https://gearstrings.com/guitars/interview-martin-barre-taking-aqualung-on-the-road)
## References
1. [Martin Barre, Jethro Tull official site](https://jethrotull.com/band-member/martin-barre/)
2. ["I said, 'Just start again. It would be good for you.' He persuaded me to stay. I never felt good about it": Martin Barre tried to quit Jethro Tull in 1980, Louder](https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/martin-barre-wanted-to-quit-jethro-tull)
3. [Martin Barre official site](https://martinbarre.com/)
4. [Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance Vocal Or Instrumental Grammy Award Winners & Nominees, Grammy.com](https://www.grammy.com/awards/categories/best-hard-rock-metal-performance-vocal-or-instrumental/)
5. [Martin Barre on the making of Jethro Tull's *Benefit*, Guitar World](https://www.guitarworld.com/artists/bands/martin-barre-the-making-of-jethro-tull-benefit)
6. [Australian Musician, Winter 2005 interview with Martin Barre](https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Australian-Musican/Australian-Musician-2005-Winter.pdf)
7. [Martin Barre, Prog Issue 166](https://pocketmags.com/prog-magazine/issue-166/articles/martin-barre)
8. [Martin Barre on revisiting Jethro Tull, Leslie West, Yahoo Entertainment](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/martin-barre-revisiting-jethro-tull-093302960.html)
9. [Jethro Tull Guitarist's Regret About Beating Metallica at Grammys, Loudwire](https://loudwire.com/jethro-tull-martin-barre-regret-beat-metallica-grammys/)
10. [After Jethro Tull, guitarist Martin Barre went back to square one, WGLT](https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2024-10-17/after-jethro-tull-guitarist-martin-barre-went-back-to-square-one-but-he-brought-50-years-of-music-with-him)
11. [Martin Barre, AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/martin-barre-mn0000373049)
12. [How Martin Barre bounced back from Jethro Tull's shutdown, Louder](https://www.loudersound.com/music/albums/martin-barre-back-to-steel)
13. [Martin Barre: Australian solo tour interview, Australian Musician Magazine](https://australianmusician.com.au/martin-barre-australian-solo-tour-interview/)
14. [Jethro Tull ex Martin Barre insists he's not underrated, Louder](https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/martin-barre-ego)
15. [Martin Barre announces UK book tour dates, Louder](https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/biographies/martin-barre-announces-uk-book-tour-dates-for-november-and-december)
16. [Interview: Martin Barre Takes Aqualung On The Road, GearStrings](https://gearstrings.com/guitars/interview-martin-barre-taking-aqualung-on-the-road)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Individual musical biographies › Rock, metal, and popular-band musicians › Progressive and art rock › Classic prog and art rock pioneers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license