Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull is known for playing the flute. His expressive flute work became one of the defining sounds of the British progressive-rock band and helped make the instrument unusually prominent in rock music.
Anderson began as a guitarist and harmonica player, but he turned toward the flute after hearing Eric Clapton and deciding he was unlikely to become a great blues guitarist. He initially struggled to produce a note, then learned that the player blows across the opening rather than directly into it. Within a short time, he was using the flute in live blues performances.
His playing became especially recognizable because he often performed standing on one leg, a theatrical pose that became closely associated with Jethro Tull. Anderson also sings and plays acoustic and electric guitar, but the flute remains his signature instrument. Jethro Tull formed in the late 1960s and rose to international success through albums including “Aqualung” and “Thick as a Brick.”