Michael Timothy Abrahams (born 7 April 1943) is an English guitarist, singer, and band leader, best known for being the original guitarist for Jethro Tull from 1967 to 1968 and the leader of

Blodwyn Pig Blodwyn Pig was a British blues rock musical ensemble, band, founded in 1968 by guitarist–vocalist–songwriter Mick Abrahams. Career Abrahams left Jethro Tull (band), Jethro Tull after their debut album, ''This Was'', was released, due to a ...

Jethro Tull

Abrahams was born in

Luton Luton () is a town and borough in Bedfordshire, England. The borough had a population of 225,262 at the 2021 census. Luton is on the River Lea, about north-west of London. The town's foundation dates to the sixth century as a Saxon settleme ...

, Bedfordshire. He played on the album ''

This Was ''This Was'' is the debut studio album by the British rock band Jethro Tull, released in October 1968. Recorded at a cost of £1200, it is the only Jethro Tull album with guitarist Mick Abrahams, who was a major influence for the sound and mu ...

'' recorded by Jethro Tull in 1968, but conflicts between Abrahams and

Ian Anderson Ian Scott Anderson (born 10 August 1947) is a British musician best known for being the chief vocalist, Flute, flautist, and acoustic guitarist of the British rock band Jethro Tull (band), Jethro Tull. He is a multi-instrumentalist who also p ...

over the musical direction of the band led Abrahams to leave shortly after the album was finished, but not before contributing guitar to one further non-LP single. Abrahams wanted to pursue a more blues/rock direction, while Anderson wanted to incorporate more overt folk and jazz influences.

Blodwyn Pig and later career

Abrahams went on to found

, and the group recorded two albums, ''

Ahead Rings Out ''Ahead Rings Out'' is the debut album by British blues-rock band Blodwyn Pig, released in 1969. The band had been formed in 1969 by Mick Abrahams, the former guitarist of Jethro Tull, and sales of ''Ahead Rings Out'' rivalled those of Jethro Tull ...

'' (1969) and '' Getting to This'' (1970), before breaking up in 1970. Abrahams soldiered on with the short-lived Wommett, then the Mick Abrahams Band, and he has continued to release albums by himself and with reunited versions of Blodwyn Pig. He has worked as a driver, lifeguard, and financial consultant, occasionally playing gigs, especially to support causes in

Dunstable Dunstable ( ) is a market town and civil parish in Bedfordshire, England, east of the Chiltern Hills, north of London. There are several steep chalk escarpments, most noticeable when approaching Dunstable from the north. Dunstable is the fou ...

, Bedfordshire. Abrahams suffered a heart attack in November 2009 and took time to recuperate before resuming work. In April 2010, his website revealed that he had

Ménière's disease Ménière's disease (MD) is a disease of the inner ear that is characterized by potentially severe and incapacitating episodes of vertigo, tinnitus, hearing loss, and a feeling of fullness in the ear. Typically, only one ear is affected in ...

, which would hold him back from performing at least for another year. In December 2013, he posted an update referring to his continuing health problems and mentioning that he hoped to release an album in 2014. In 2015, Abrahams announced a new studio album called ''Revived!'', with several guests–among them

Martin Barre Martin Lancelot Barre (; born 17 November 1946) is an English guitarist best known for his longtime role as lead guitarist of British rock band Jethro Tull, with whom he recorded and toured from 1968 until the band's initial dissolution in 201 ...

, his replacement in Jethro Tull.

Discography

Jethro Tull

* 1968 ''

Blodwyn Pig

* 1969 ''

'' * 1970 '' Getting to This'' * 1997 ''Live at Lafayette'' (Bootleg) * 1999 ''Live at the Fillmore West: 3 August 1970'' (Bootleg) * 1999 ''On Air: Rare Singles & Radio Sessions 1969–1989'' (Bootleg) * 2000 ''The Basement Tapes'' * 2002 ''Live at the

Marquee Club The Marquee Club was a music venue in London, England, that opened in 1958 with a range of jazz and skiffle acts. It was a small and relatively cheap club, in the heart of London's West End of London, West End. It was the location of the first ...

London 1974 (Official Bootleg)'' * 2003 ''Rough Gems (Official Bootleg No.2)'' * 2012 ''Radio Sessions '69 to '71''

Mick Abrahams Band

* 1971 ''Mick Abrahams'' (recorded with the Mick Abrahams Band, but credited to Mick Abrahams. Early copies include "Band" on the label. It is referred to as "A Musical Evening with the Mick Abrahams Band" on a poster on the left side of the cover picture.) (Chrysalis Records)] * 1972 ''At Last'' (Chrysalis Records) * 1997 ''Live in Madrid'' * 2008 ''Amongst Vikings''

Solo

* 1971 ''Mick Abrahams'' (recorded with the Mick Abrahams Band, but credited just to Mick Abrahams) (Chrysalis Records) * 1975 ''Have Fun Learning The Guitar with Mick Abrahams'' * 1991 ''All Said And Done'' * 1996 ''Mick's Back'' * 1996 ''One'' * 2000 ''Novox'' (Instrumental) * 2000 ''The Very Best of ABY'' (Compilation) * 2001 ''Music to the Play 'A Midsummer Night's Dream * 2001 ''This Was the First Album of Jethro Tull'' * 2002 ''The Best of ABY Vol.2'' * 2002 ''How Many Times'' (With Sharon Watson) * 2003 ''Can't Stop Now'' * 2005 ''Back with the Blues Again'' * 2005 ''Leaving Home Blues'' * 2008 ''65... The Music'' * 2013 ''Hoochie Coochie Man'' – Lost studio album –

Secret Records Secret Records is a British independent record label founded in 1980 and based in London. The label specializes in a number of genres including blues, reggae, rock 'n' roll, psychedelic, soul and punk. The label's roster includes releases by ...

* 2015 ''Revived!''

Reformed Blodwyn Pigs

* 1993 ''Lies'' * 1995 ''All Tore Down – Live'' * 1996 ''Pig in the Middle'' * 2000 ''See My Way'' * 2004 ''All Said and Done'' * 2005 ''Pigthology'' * 2011 ''Times Have Changed'' (Reissue of ''Lies'') * 2013 ''Cat Squirrel Blues''

This Was Band

* 2001 ''This Is (Live)''

Collaborations

* 1971 : ''El Pea'' – Various Artists, Mick plays on "Greyhound Bus", the last song on the album. * 2007 : ''Beggar's Farm'' – Itullians, Italian Jethro Tull Tribute band. With Bernardo Lanzetti ex-PFM and ex-Aqua Fragile, ex-Jethro Tull members Jonathan Noyce on bass and Clive Bunker on drums.

Freemasonry

Mick Abrahams is a

Freemason Freemasonry (sometimes spelled Free-Masonry) consists of fraternal groups that trace their origins to the medieval guilds of stonemasons. Freemasonry is the oldest secular fraternity in the world and among the oldest still-existing organizati ...

and a member of the Chelsea Lodge No 3098, the lodge for members of the entertainment industry. He mentions this in some detail in his autobiography, ''What Is A Wommett?''

References

External links

Official Abrahams/Blodwyn Pig siteBio from official Jethro Tull site
* ''Mick Abrahams – This Was The First Album of Jethro Tull''
Mick Abrahams – This Was The First Album Of Jethro Tull
* ''El pea'
Various – El Pea
* Itullians ''Beggar's Farm''
BEGGAR'S FARM ItulliansMick Abrahams Interview
at NAMM Oral History Collection (2021) {{DEFAULTSORT:Abrahams, Mick 1943 births Living people A&M Records artists Blodwyn Pig members Chrysalis Records artists English rock guitarists Island Records artists Jethro Tull (band) members Musicians from Luton People with Ménière's disease Screaming Lord Sutch and the Savages members