Ian Anderson says Robert Plant possibly wanted to replace him in Jethro Tull

Ian Anderson onstage playing the flute, and a topless Robert Plant — (Image credit: Ian Anderson: Tom Copi/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images | Robert Plant: Jorgen Angel/Redferns)

Ian Anderson says it's possible that future Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant wanted to replace him in an early version of Jethro Tull.

Speaking on the Classic Album Review podcast, Anderson says the prospect was raised by legendary British blues figurehead Alexis Korner at a Jethro Tull club show in 1968.

"He [Korner] brought Robert Plant along to some club date that we did in early 1968 and produced his protegé, and more or less insisted that Robert was allowed to come up and jam with us.

"You know I remember at the time, 'wait a minute, there's something else going on here', and I saw myself in the situation of being potentially replaced by Robert Plant in the early Jethro.

"I didn't join in. Robert got up and sang – I think he played some harmonica as well – he got up and did the standard blues thing that everybody could play, and straight away you knew this was a voice from another universe. He had some qualities, not only in terms of his vocal ability but in terms of his charisma.

"He obviously was someone who was going to do very very well. which Alexis had noticed and was nurturing, but it didn't come to pass. As far as I know, Alexis didn't actually make any overture to the other guys to be Robert's backing group, but it wouldn't be inconceivable that he [Plant] might have made some noises to some of them."

Host Barry Robinson then asks Anderson if Plant could have successfully replicated the Jethro Tull man's iconic playing-flute-while-balancing-on-one-leg stance.

"Who knows?" responds Anderson. "Quite plausible, yes."

Jethro Tull have shows scheduled in mainland Europe throughout the rest of the year and return to the UK for a trio of Christmas shows in late December. A UK tour proper begins in April 2025. Full dates below.

Ian Anderson (interview) Copying Captain Beefheart | Snubbed by John Peel | Replaced by Robert Plant - YouTube

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Jethro Tull: 2024 tour dates

Jul 06: Rottendorf Gut Wöllried, Germany
Jul 12: Jerez Tio Pepe Festival, Spain
Jul 15: La Spezia Piazza Europa, Italy
Jul 20: Alicante Recinto ALMA Occident, Spain
Aug 01: Bad Krozingen Open Air Bad Krozingen, Germany
Aug 02: Calw Kloster Hirsau, Germany
Aug 07: Traunreut BergflairOpen Air, Germany
Aug 12: Bad Nauheim Open Air, Germany
Sep 11: Brussels Cirque Royal, Belgium
Sep 12: Liège Le Forum, Belgium
Sep 20: Athens Lycabettus Theatre, Greece
Sep 22: Larnaca Pattichio Amphitheatre, Cyprus
Sep 26: Malmö Malmo Live, Sweden
Sep 27: Gothenburg Konserthuset, Sweden
Oct 05: Oslo Konserthus, Norway
Oct 10: Guimaraes Multiusos De Guimarães, Portugal
Oct 11: Ourense Pazo de Deportes Paco Paz, Spain
Oct 13: Madrid Capitol, Spain
Nov 08: Rostock Stadthalle, Germany
Nov 09: Berlin Tempodrom, Germany
Nov 17: Prague Congress Centre, Czech Republic
Nov 21: Treviglio Palasport, Italy
Nov 22: Bologna Teatro Manzoni, Italy
Nov 24: Rome Auditorium Parco della Musica, Italy
Dec 05: Kraków ICE Kraków Congress Centre, Poland
Dec 07: Lublin Centrum Spotkania Kultur, Poland

Dec 18: Bath Abbey, UK
Dec 19: Peterborough Cathedral, UK
Dec 20: London Southwark Cathedral, UK

Jethro Tull: The Curiosity Tour 2026

Apr 19: Perth, Concert Hall
Apr 20: Glasgow, Royal Concert Hall
Apr 22: Edinburgh Usher Hall
Apr 23: Newcastle O2 City Hall Newcastle
Apr 25: Blackburn King George's Hall
Apr 26: Salford Quays The Lowry
Apr 28: Liverpool Philharmonic
Apr 29: Sheffield City Hal
May 02: Stoke-on-Trent Victoria Hall
May 03: Birmingham Symphony Hall
May 05: Leicester De Montfort Hall
May 06: London The London Palladium
May 08: Basingstoke The Anvil
May 09: Swansea Brangwyn Hall
May 10: Bristol Beacon Theatre
May 12: Truro Hall for Cornwall
May 13: Bournemouth Pavilion Theatre
May 15: Southampton Guildhall
May 16: Eastbourne Congress Theatre

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Artists

Online Editor at Louder/Classic Rock magazine since 2014. 40 years in music industry, online for 27. Also bylines for: Metal Hammer, Prog Magazine, The Word Magazine, The Guardian, The New Statesman, Saga, Music365. Former Head of Music at Xfm Radio, A&R at Fiction Records, early blogger, ex-roadie, published author. Once appeared in a Cure video dressed as a cowboy, and thinks any situation can be improved by the introduction of cats. Favourite Serbian trumpeter: Dejan Petrović.