The life and music of Jethro Tull and Blodwyn Pig guitarist Mick Abrahams was celebrated on the Dec. 22 edition of The Devo Rock Show. Abrahams passed away Dec. 19 at the age 82.
If you missed it, here’s the archive.
Born in Luton, Bedfordshire, UK, he and Ian Anderson, along with drummer Clive Bunker and bassist Glen Cornick formed Jethro Tull and began playing the London club scene. Abrahams appeared on their 1968 debut album, This Was.
This version of Jethro Tull leaned more into blues and jazz, but after a falling out with Anderson, Abrahams left the band and formed Blodwyn Pig.
Blodwyn Pig’s debut, Ahead Rings Out, came out in 1969. It featured Jack Landcaster (sax), Andy Pyle (bass) and Ron Berg (drums). It was followed in 1970 with Getting To This which continued the band’s more experimental and jazz-oriented approach to blues rock. Both albums reached the top 10 in the UK album charts and also charted in the United States.
The band broke up later in 1970 with Pyle joining Savoy Brown and Lancaster becoming a record producer.
Abrahams would front various revamped Blodwyn Pig lineups over the years as well as leading the Mick Abrahams Band. In addition to releasing numerous albums with each outfit, he also had prodigious solo recording career, albeit one that never saw the charts.