A short-lived music career became an unforgettable part of progressive rock history.
Jeffrey Hammond, the former bassist for Jethro Tull, celebrates his 80th birthday on July 30. Although he spent only five years with the group, Hammond played on several of its most important albums and brought an unmistakable personality to its classic '70s lineup.
Born in Blackpool, England, in 1946, Hammond met future Jethro Tull members Ian Anderson, John Evan and Barriemore Barlow while attending school. The young musicians played together in the Blades, though Hammond eventually stepped away from music to study painting.
His friendship with Anderson continued, and Hammond inspired several early Jethro Tull songs before formally joining the group. "A Song for Jeffrey," "Jeffrey Goes to Leicester Square" and "For Michael Collins, Jeffrey and Me" were all written before he became Jethro Tull's bassist.
Anderson persuaded Hammond to join the group in January 1971, despite his limited professional experience. He replaced Glenn Cornick and immediately took part in one of the strongest periods of Jethro Tull's career.
Hammond appeared on Aqualung, released in 1971, followed by Thick as a Brick, A Passion Play, War Child and Minstrel in the Gallery. Thick as a Brick reached No. 5 on the U.K. albums chart and became one of the group's best-known releases.
His contributions also went beyond bass. Hammond narrated "The Story of the Hare Who Lost His Spectacles" on A Passion Play and shared writing credit on the piece with Anderson and Evan. Onstage, he became recognizable for wearing a black-and-white striped suit while playing a matching bass guitar.
Hammond left Jethro Tull in 1975 and returned to painting, a decision that ultimately ended his career as a performing musician. Looking back decades later, he said touring had been "fabulously exciting," but his desire to pursue art never disappeared.
"I enjoyed it for five years, but inside I knew I wanted to paint, to learn to paint," Hammond recalled. "And that's what I have been doing all these years. Learning."
Hammond has since lived quietly as an artist in Blackpool, making only occasional non-performing appearances connected to Jethro Tull. As he turns 80, his work remains preserved across a run of albums that helped secure the group's place among the most distinctive rock acts of the '70s.
Related: '60s Rock Legend, Named 'Best Guitar Player Alive,' Turns 90
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