"Personable, thorough and lively, Martin Barre’s memoir is the perfect gift for prog-rock fans."
Certainly a must-read for fans of Jethro Tull, Martin Barre’s A Trick of Memory memoir covers his forty-plus years in the music business, plotting his path from growing up in Birmingham, through to how he developed an iconic, influential style of play that saw him garner Grammy Awards, and his blossoming as a solo artist — at the time of writing, late-October 2025, Barre is about to embark on a UK tour.
Beginning at the beginning, in Birmingham, where Barre was born in 1946, there’s fascinating context on his family background, such as his dad’s love of jazz and his French violin-playing grandfather, along with a few intriguing skeletons in cupboards. As Barre moves through recounting his life story, the detail on Birmingham’s burgeoning music scene in the sixties is fascinating. In Barre’s words, “Birmingham was changing. The interest in rock ’n’ roll was gaining ground; it was carried on the late-night airwaves from Radio Luxembourg and the growing number of pirate radio stations around the UK coast. The local pubs and clubs were filling with kids like me, hungry for something different, something electric”.
Into this, Barre bought his first guitar, joined his first band, and the rest is history. Well, almost — the road to musical success rarely runs straight or smooth as Barre reveals, noting, “I think my sheer determination drowned my shyness, thank goodness, and maybe that insecurity later stopped me becoming the ego monster that a lot of musicians become”. This refreshing lack of pretension and ego also rings through Barre’s memoir, for A Trick of Memory is delivered in an engagingly affable style.
| Primary Genre | Biographies & Autobiographies |
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Martin Barre, the legendary guitarist of Jethro Tull, tells his story for the first time in A Trick of Memory. For more than four decades, Barre’s guitar defined the sound of one of rock’s most enduring bands, from the iconic riff in Aqualung to Grammy Award–winning performances. His unique style made him a driving force in progressive rock and an influence on generations of guitarists.
This autobiography traces Barre’s journey from his early days in Birmingham, playing flute and saxophone before discovering his true voice on guitar, through worldwide tours and classic albums with Jethro Tull. Along the way, he offers candid reflections on life on the road, the highs and lows of the music industry, and the creativity behind some of rock’s most memorable moments.
Now leading his own band, Barre continues to tour internationally. Published in November 2025 to coincide with his UK and US tours — including the Louder Than Words Festival in Manchester — this is the essential memoir for fans of Jethro Tull, classic rock, progressive rock, unforgettable guitar legends and the untold history of one of Britain’s most iconic musicians.
A Trick of Memory - The Autobiography of Jethro Tull’s Guitarist features in the following genres: Biographies & Autobiographies, Biography: arts and entertainment, The Arts, Music, Biography, Literature and Literary studies, Biography: general
A Trick of Memory - The Autobiography of Jethro Tull’s Guitarist is available in Hardback
A Trick of Memory - The Autobiography of Jethro Tull’s Guitarist was written by Martin Barre and published by McNidder & Grace
A Trick of Memory - The Autobiography of Jethro Tull’s Guitarist has 244 pages
£22.50
