Former The Rolling Stones guitarist Mick Taylor lost out on a job as Jethro Tull’s guitarist to Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi, who himself didn’t keep the gig. Martin Barre told the story on BBC Radio. Mick Jagger ‘Can’t Sing’ Surprising Songs.
“Yeah, well, we met, Jethro Tull and my band met in ’68 in a club near here where I lived, near Plymouth in the UK. And we had a lot in common because me and Mick [Abrahams, the original Tull guitarist] got on really well – Mick’s a great player, I was a big fan of his playing. And then my flute playing and Ian’s flute playing was both in the role, so we had a lot in common.
When Mick left the band two or three months later, they remembered me and asked me to audition, I got shortlisted with Tony Iommi and Mick Taylor. They chose Tony at first. Tony didn’t particularly like the music, so I was next on the list, and here I am.”
He said playing the flute did not help him get the gig, “It was my introduction because me and Ian were the only two guys in the UK playing blues flute, really, so we met and they remembered me from that meeting. So it was the backdoor opened because of my flute playing, they remembered my guitar playing as well.”
