# John Evan > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/John_Evan > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/John_Evan.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Evan > Source revision: 1352779949 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) British musician and composer For other people named John Evans, see [John Evans (disambiguation)](/source/John_Evans_(disambiguation)). This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentially libelous. Find sources: "John Evan" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (April 2010) (Learn how and when to remove this message) John Evan John Evan in concert with Jethro Tull in 1973 Background information Also known as John Evans Born John Spencer Evans (1948-03-28) 28 March 1948 (age 78) Blackpool, Lancashire, England Genres Progressive rock Occupations Musician songwriter record producer Instrument Keyboards Years active 1960s–present Labels Chrysalis Records, A New Day Records Formerly of Jethro Tull Musical artist **John Evan** (born **John Spencer Evans**; born 28 March 1948, in [Derby](/source/Derby), Derbyshire) is a British musician and composer. He is best known as the keyboardist for [Jethro Tull](/source/Jethro_Tull_(band)) from April 1970 to June 1980.[1] ## Early life Evans' father was headmaster at a Derbyshire village school and his mother was a local concert pianist and piano teacher. The family moved to Blackpool, Lancashire in October 1949. Evans was educated at Blackpool Grammar School, where he met [Ian Anderson](/source/Ian_Anderson) and [Jeffrey Hammond](/source/Jeffrey_Hammond), and at Chelsea College, now [King's College London](/source/King's_College_London). ## Career Evans changed his name when his first band, The Blades, changed their name to The John Evan Band. [Jeffrey Hammond](/source/Jeffrey_Hammond) apparently thought 'The John Evan Band' sounded better than 'The John Evans Band'. He participated in the Blackpool musical scene, with most of the musicians that would become Jethro Tull, including [Barrie Barlow](/source/Barriemore_Barlow), [Jeffrey Hammond](/source/Jeffrey_Hammond), [Glenn Cornick](/source/Glenn_Cornick) and [Ian Anderson](/source/Ian_Anderson). Later on, Evan was attending college when he happened to recognize his then future bandmates on the radio with the song "[Living in the Past](/source/Living_in_the_Past_(song))", remarking years later that it stood out to him because of its quite unusual time signature for a pop song ([**5** **4**](/source/Quintuple_meter)). ### Jethro Tull In 1970, he played as a session musician on Jethro Tull's *[Benefit](/source/Benefit_(album))* album (where his acknowledgement reads: "...and John Evan, who played keyboards for our 'benefit'"), and was eventually convinced by [Ian Anderson](/source/Ian_Anderson_(musician)) to leave school to become a full-fledged member of the band. In addition to his many distinctive contributions to the group's overall musical sound and stage personality, it is also notable that Evan composed the memorable piano introduction to "[Locomotive Breath](/source/Locomotive_Breath)", having achieved this task in the studio while some of the other band members were out to lunch. Whilst with Jethro Tull, Evan had a penchant for wearing his trademark white suit, along with a yellow shirt underneath and a pink-and-yellow [polka-dot](/source/Polka-dot) tie. Evan can be seen wearing this outfit in photographs on the album *[War Child](/source/War_Child_(album))*, and the live album *[Bursting Out](/source/Bursting_Out)*, while a painted version of him is seen wearing the suit and tie on the inside cover of the *[Aqualung](/source/Aqualung_(Jethro_Tull_album))* album. During concerts, Evan's wildly rendered pantomime gestures would conjure visions for audiences of a cross between [Harpo Marx](/source/Harpo_Marx) and [The Hatter](/source/Mad_Hatter) from *[Alice's Adventures in Wonderland](/source/Alice's_Adventures_in_Wonderland)* (sans the hat). Because of the familiar white suit, Anderson was known to jokingly refer to Evan (during band member introductions) as "everyone's favourite ice cream salesman".[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] ## After Jethro Tull Evan departed Jethro Tull in July 1980, with the "Big Split" of the band. He then went on to form [Tallis](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tallis_(band)&action=edit&redlink=1) with fellow departing Tull member, [Dee Palmer](/source/Dee_Palmer).[2] He appeared in the 2004 DVD *Jethro Tull – A New Day Yesterday: The 25th Anniversary Collection (1969–1994)* (originally released in 1994 on VHS), the 2008 DVD *Jethro Tull – Their Fully Authorised Story (1968–2008)*, and the 2009 CD/DVD combo *Jethro Tull – Live at Madison Square Garden (1978)*. In 2018, Evan appeared in a video segment, dressed as a flower, during Ian Anderson's Jethro Tull 50th Anniversary tour.[3] In his middle years Evan started a construction company and enjoyed long-distance bicycle touring and rallies in many parts of the world. Now he makes his home in Melbourne where he sings in local choirs but due to bicycle injuries to his hands can't play the piano.[4] ## Album discography ### With The John Evan Band - *Live 1966* (A New Day Records)[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] ### With Jethro Tull **Studio albums** - *[Benefit](/source/Benefit_(album))* (1970 - as [session musician](/source/Session_musician)) - *[Aqualung](/source/Aqualung_(Jethro_Tull_album))* (1971) - *[Thick as a Brick](/source/Thick_as_a_Brick)* (1972) - *[A Passion Play](/source/A_Passion_Play)* (1973) - *[War Child](/source/War_Child_(album))* (1974) - *[Minstrel in the Gallery](/source/Minstrel_in_the_Gallery)* (1975) - *[Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young to Die!](/source/Too_Old_to_Rock_'n'_Roll%3A_Too_Young_to_Die!)* (1976) - *[Songs from the Wood](/source/Songs_from_the_Wood)* (1977) - *[Heavy Horses](/source/Heavy_Horses)* (1978) - *[Stormwatch](/source/Stormwatch_(album))* (1979) **Compilations** - *[Living in the Past](/source/Living_in_the_Past_(album))* (1972) - *[20 Years of Jethro Tull](/source/20_Years_of_Jethro_Tull)* - *[25th Anniversary Box Set](/source/25th_Anniversary_Box_Set)* - *[Nightcap](/source/Nightcap_(album))* **Live albums** - *[Bursting Out](/source/Bursting_Out)* (1978) - *[Nothing Is Easy: Live at the Isle of Wight 1970](/source/Nothing_Is_Easy%3A_Live_at_the_Isle_of_Wight_1970)* (as session musician, released in 2004) - *[Live at Carnegie Hall 1970](/source/Live_at_Carnegie_Hall_1970_(Jethro_Tull))* (as session musician, released in 2015) - *[Live at Madison Square Garden 1978](/source/Live_at_Madison_Square_Garden_1978)* ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Hill, Gary. ["Biography: John Evan"](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p74580). *[AllMusic](/source/AllMusic)*. Retrieved 14 April 2010. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-NME_Rock_'N'_Roll_Years_2-0)** Tobler, John (1992). *NME Rock 'N' Roll Years* (1st ed.). London: Reed International Books Ltd. p. 344. CN 5585. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Kluft, Alex (7 June 2018). ["Ian Anderson Presents Jethro Tull 50th Anniversary"](http://www.musicconnection.com/jethro-tull-50th-anniversary/). *Musicconnection.com*. Retrieved 18 June 2018. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["John Evan"](https://jethrotull.com/the-attic/past-band-members-and-guests/john-evan/). *Jethro Tull*. Retrieved 11 April 2025. ## External links - [Biography on official Jethro Tull website](http://jethrotull.com/the-attic/past-band-members-and-guests/john-evan/) - [John Evan](https://www.discogs.com/artist/447337) discography at [Discogs](/source/Discogs) v t e Jethro Tull Ian Anderson David Goodier John O'Hara Scott Hammond Jack Clark Mick Abrahams Clive Bunker Glenn Cornick Tony Iommi Martin Barre John Evan Jeffrey Hammond Barriemore Barlow John Glascock Dee Palmer Dave Pegg Mark Craney Eddie Jobson Gerry Conway Peter-John Vettese Paul Burgess Doane Perry Don Airey Maartin Allcock Andrew Giddings Dave Mattacks Jonathan Noyce Florian Opahle Joe Parrish Studio albums This Was Stand Up Benefit Aqualung Thick as a Brick A Passion Play War Child Minstrel in the Gallery Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young to Die! Songs from the Wood Heavy Horses Stormwatch A The Broadsword and the Beast Under Wraps Crest of a Knave Rock Island Catfish Rising Roots to Branches J-Tull Dot Com The Jethro Tull Christmas Album The Zealot Gene RökFlöte Curious Ruminant Live albums Bursting Out Live at Hammersmith '84 A Little Light Music Jethro Tull in Concert Living with the Past Nothing Is Easy: Live at the Isle of Wight 1970 Aqualung Live Live at Montreux 2003 Live at Madison Square Garden 1978 Live at Carnegie Hall 1970 Compilations Living in the Past M.U. – The Best of Jethro Tull Repeat – The Best of Jethro Tull – Vol II Original Masters 20 Years of Jethro Tull: Highlights Nightcap The Best of Jethro Tull – The Anniversary Collection Through the Years The Very Best Of The Best of Acoustic Jethro Tull The Essential 50 for 50 Boxed sets 20 Years of Jethro Tull 25th Anniversary Box Set Videos Slipstream 20 Years of Jethro Tull 25th Anniversary Video Living with the Past A New Day Yesterday Nothing Is Easy: Live at the Isle of Wight 1970 Live at Montreux 2003 Jack in the Green Live at Madison Square Garden 1978 Live at AVO Session Basel Around the World Live Songs "Sunshine Day" "A Song for Jeffrey" "Love Story" "Living in the Past" "Bourée" "Sweet Dream" "The Witch's Promise" "Teacher" "Aqualung" "Cross-Eyed Mary" "Mother Goose" "Hymn 43" "Locomotive Breath" "Life Is a Long Song" "Bungle in the Jungle" "Skating Away on the Thin Ice of the New Day" "Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young to Die" "The Whistler" "Songs from the Wood" "Heavy Horses" "Dun Ringill" Related Discography Members A Billion Hands Concert The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus A Classic Case Thick as a Brick 2 Jethro Tull – The String Quartets Category Authority control databases International ISNI VIAF National United States Czech Republic Artists MusicBrainz --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [John Evan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Evan) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Evan?action=history)). 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