1960s

Organ/drum duo from Sweden, Hansson & Karlsson were early jazz-rock pioneers. Despite having Jimi Hendrix as fan and jam partner, recordings were near-impossible to find outside their native country. Hansson would later achieve international success as a solo artist.

Founded: 1966

Location: Stockholm, Sweden

Founded: 1946

Location: Bournemouth, Dorset

Website: Gordon Haskell

Fronted by Mike Heron and Robin Williamson, The Incredible String Band were one of the earliest folk bands to incorporate psychedelic music into their sound. Massively influential, the band were a major live attraction.

Founded: 1966

Location: Edinburgh, Scotland

Website: Official Mike Heron

Led by Ian Anderson, Jethro Tull was the first group from the progressive era to score resounding chart success. Originally their music was based in rhythm and blues, but punctuated with Anderson's flute playing and larger-than-life stage persona. By Thick As A Brick, the band would provide the ultimate concept album: one song spread over both sides of the album, housed in a newspaper-facsimile record jacket. By the mid-70s, the bands work become more formulaic, but fan favorites were just around the corner, as the folk-roots of Songs For The Wood would attest.

Founded: 1967

Location: London, England

Website: Jethro Tull