What is Ian Anderson’s net worth?

Ian Anderson, a Scottish singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and businessman, has a net worth of $100 million. He is best known as the leader and flutist of Jethro Tull, a band he has fronted for 44 years. Alongside his success with Jethro Tull, Ian has had a thriving solo career. He has sold over 60 million albums worldwide. Ian has invested in various businesses and real estate ventures outside of music.

Ian Anderson’s Early Life

Ian Anderson was born on August 10, 1947 in Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland. His father, James Anderson, ran the RSA Boiler Fluid Company in East Port; he spent his youngest years in Edinburgh, Scotland.

The family moved to Blackpool, England, in 1959 and Ian attended Blackpool Grammar School. As a teenager he had a job as a sales assistant at Lewis’ department store in Blackpool then later as a vendor at a newsstand. He studied fine art at Blackpool College of Art from 1964-1966.

Jethro Tull’s Early Years

In 1963, Ian Anderson formed The Blades, a soul and blues band, where he served as the vocalist and harmonica player. John Evan, Jeffrey Hammon, and Barriemore Barlow were also members of the band, and they eventually became part of Jethro Tull. They played their first show at the Holy Family Church Hall in North Shore, England before moving to London and basing themselves in Luton.

In 1967, Anderson gave up his ambition of playing the electric guitar and started playing the flute, which he had only been playing for a few months when the band recorded their first album. “This Was,” released in 1968, received favorable reviews but only modest commercial success. The band achieved real success in 1969 with their album “Stand Up,” which reached No. 1 in the UK, leading to extensive tours in the UK and the US. Their musical style shifted towards progressive rock throughout the 1970s.

Ian Anderson’s Solo Career and Jethro Tull

In 1980, Ian Anderson planned to start a solo career, but Jethro Tull decided to take a break after the death of a band member. Anderson released his first album, “Walk into the Light” in 1983, while Jethro Tull reunited and continued making albums and touring. Anderson experimented with bamboo flutes in the ’90s and released his second solo album, “Divinities: Twelve Dances with God,” in 1995. He released “Griminelli’s Lament” in 2003 and a new album, “Homo Erraticus,” in 2014, which was his most successful solo album. He has released six studio albums and two live albums as a solo artist.

The reformed Jethro Tull is now billed as “Ian Anderson and the Jethro Tull band” and still performs live. They have canceled 2020 tour dates due to the COVID-19 global pandemic and announced tour dates into 2021. Jethro Tull has sold 60 million albums worldwide, with 11 gold and five platinum albums. They have released 21 studio albums and nine live albums.

Music Career Highlights

Ian Anderson produced Steeleye Span’s 1974 album “Now We Are Six.” He also recorded the album “A Classic Case” with the London Symphony Orchestra in 1984, featuring music from Jethro Tull. Anderson was a DJ on radio station Planet Rock and presented his own two-hour show “Under the Influence.” He played flute on the Men Without Hats song “On Tuesday” and the 1988 Roy Harper album “The Dream Society.” Anderson appeared in two Uriah Heep live albums in 2001 and performed a flute duet with astronaut Cady Coleman in 2011. In 2005, he sang lead vocals on a version of “The Thin Ice” for the all-star tribute album “Back Against the Wall,” covering Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” in its entirety.

Honors and Awards

Jethro Tull won its only Grammy Award with the 1987 album “Crest of a Knave.” Anderson appeared on the cover of Time magazine in 1973. He received the Ivor Novello Award for International Achievement and an honorary Doctorate of Literature at Heriot-Watt University in 2006. Anderson was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire in the 2008 New Year Honours for services to music. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate (Doctor of Letters) from Abertay University in 2011. Anderson was presented with the “Prog God” award at the 2013 Progressive Music Awards.

Personal Life and Health

Anderson was married to photographer Jennie Franks from 1970-1974, who contributed to the lyrics for Jethro Tull’s famous song “Aqualung.” He has been married to Shona Learoyd since 1976 and they have two children, James Duncan Anderson and Gael Anderson. Gael is married to actor Andrew Lincoln.

Anderson is a survivor of deep vein thrombosis and advocates for awareness of the disease. He also revealed in a 2020 interview that he suffers from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), an incurable condition. In addition to his music career, Anderson is a businessman who owns and operates salmon farms in New England.

Ian Anderson’s Real Estate Investments

In the 1970s, Ian bought a home in Regent’s Park area of London for 90,000 pounds but sold it at a loss of 20,000 pounds after just two years. In 1978, he purchased Straithaird, a 50,000-acre estate on the Isle of Skye for 150,000 pounds, where he launched and ran a fish farm and invested in nine more fish farms on the island. Though the business made north of 10 million pounds per year in revenue and employed 400 people, Ian admitted it was not very profitable. He sold Straithaird in 1994 for 1 million pounds, claiming to have “not made a bean of profit” during his ownership. Ian and his wife Shona then bought a 12-acre estate in Wiltshire, England, which has now expanded to 400 acres. They also own a home in Montreux, Switzerland.

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