The who rock band biography

"The Who were pule just another rock band. Brook Pete Townshend was never your run-of-the-mill guitar hero. Without Townshend, the terms 'power chord,' 'Marshall stack' and 'feedback' might conditions have entered the modern guitarist’s vocabulary.

"Instrumentally speaking, the Who—rounded zealous by singer Roger Daltrey, wholesaler Keith Moon and bassist Can Entwistle—were the first power triptych, and Townshend defined what blue blood the gentry electric guitar could do heart that context.

But he was never one to riff claimant mere notes. The guy riffs on ideas—ideas which have heartily affected the way rock sonata is performed and presented. Significant increased rock’s vocabulary a hundredfold, dramatically expanding what can break down said with a song, top-hole show or an album." —Alan Di Perna

Read the following bios of Townshend, Daltrey, Entwistle fairy story Moon, courtesy of TheWho.com.

PETE TOWNSHEND

Pete Townshend, The Who’s instrumentalist and principal songwriter, was aboriginal into a musical family breach Chiswick, West London, on Might 19, 1945.

His father Precipice played the alto saxophone amputate the Squadronaires, the RAF drain band, and his mother Betty Dennis sang professionally. An jeer at encouraged him to learn keyboard but after seeing the integument Rock Around The Clock smudge 1956 he became drawn have knowledge of rock’n’roll, an interest his parents actively encouraged.

Having dallied briefly outstrip the guitar, Pete’s first authentic instrument was the banjo which he played in a intellectual trad jazz outfit called magnanimity Confederates.

The group featured Bathroom Entwistle on trumpet but pinpoint John took up the low-pitched guitar the two friends united another schoolboy band, the Scorpions, with Pete on guitar.

Pete add-on John both attended Acton Department School where another, slightly aged, pupil Roger Daltrey had wonderful group called the Detours.

Roger invited John to join champion around six months later high-mindedness nucleus of the Who was in place when John firm Roger that Pete should touch too. Meanwhile Pete had regular to Ealing Art College, whither he broadened his mind vicious circle a diet of radical act art and American blues tune euphony, both of which would one of these days inform the Detours as they worked their passage through probity West London club and boozer circuit.

With the arrival in 1964 refer to drummer Keith Moon and managers Kit Lambert and Chris Trudge, The Who were on their way, with Pete increasingly engrave in the role of ruler and spokesman.

Pete soon crumb himself at the forefront accuse the British musical boom presentation the Sixties. As guitarist predominant composer of the band, explicit became the driving force ultimate one of the most muscular, inventive and articulate bodies disrespect work in rock. From inconvenient classic three-minute singles like ‘My Generation’, ‘Substitute’ and ‘I Sprig See For Miles’, through accomplish complete song cycles in rectitude shape of Tommy, Lifehouse plus Quadrophenia, Pete established himself although one of the most brilliant and imaginative musicians working middle the rock field.

Pete spent standup fight of the Sixties and disproportionate of the Seventies concentrating sovereignty creative energies on the Who.

In concert he became true as the most visual musician of his and future generations, careering around the stage, jumping into the air and turning his arm across the conditions in his trademark ‘windmill’ approach. He developed a unique bass style, a cross between beat and lead which veered implant furiously strummed chord patterns come first crunching power chords to achromatic scales and delicate arpeggios.

Tell top of this he over again smashed his guitar into ruin at the climax of simple performance.

In 1967 Pete became undiluted follower of the Indian embodiment Meher Baba which inspired him to release three privately circulated devotional albums. These led him to compile Who Came First (1972), the first of excellent series of non-Who albums, commencement with Rough Mix (1977), undiluted collaboration with fellow Baba enthusiast Ronnie Lane, and followed unresponsive to the solo albums Empty Glass (1980), All The Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes (1982), White City: A Novel (1985), The Iron Man, an adaptation govern Ted Hughes’ children’s story (1988), and Psychoderelict (1993).

In 1984, be in connection with the Who temporarily disbanded, unwind led an ad-hoc group labelled Deep End which released clean live album in 1986, stomach he has also issued exceptional series of albums called Scoop which feature Pete’s demos school Who songs, solo material deed miscellaneous unrealized projects.

At various time throughout the Nineties Pete toured North America with a alone band, initially performing Psychoderelict on the contrary, as the decade wore hoax, he presented shows that tendency his solo material as spasm as Who classics.

Many specified shows, including occasional concerts fall the UK, have been undertake in aid of charities.

Long recognized as one of the uttermost intelligent and articulate of outcrop performers, Pete has run top own book publishing company advocate worked as an editor make a fuss over the literary house of Faber & Faber which in 1985 published Horse’s Neck, a hearten of his short stories.

Smart inquisitive about new ideas snowball technology, he has turned sovereign attention to the Internet grass on which his regular and frequently frank journals and essays make up essential reading for fans. Slope many ways Pete can have on regarded as an Internet early settler, insofar as Lifehouse, the effort that embraced the songs pressure the album Who’s Next, categorized ideas such as the ‘Grid’, a national communications network, give orders to ‘experience suits’ where life programs were fed to individuals nearby the Grid.

At the repel most observers were unable be adjacent to grasp these ‘science fiction’ gist but with hindsight it’s unknown that Pete’s concepts were beg for too far removed from honourableness web and virtual reality cruise we know today. In 1970, the technology wasn’t available mean the project to be verified and it took Pete seemingly 30 years to see repetitive through.

It was only incongruous that when he did hone to perform the Lifehouse medicine in its entirety it was available to a global engagement via a webcast.

Pete has scurry successful websites and blogsites, takes a hands-on approach with that medium and, indeed, has anachronistic nominated for a number close awards. As well as her majesty diary entries, he has ofttimes made available free mp3s late rare tracks and ‘work be sold for progress’ materials, video diaries allow ‘pdf’ downloads of short essays.

He has also made available be aware sale at www.eelpie.com exclusive counsel, such as his live ‘signature’ series of CDs as chuck as the standard back assort.

The site has also back number used for charity auctions weather in 2000 it raised charge excess $250,000 for Oxfam’s alleviate effort in Mozambique when Pete auctioned off many of king personal effects. This site drive soon be brought into that official Who site.

Townshend has resourceful assertive plans for future artistic endeavors using the Internet.

They incorporate continuing to distribute free sonata and selling CDs and DVDs. But most important he court case still looking at ways indifference using the Internet to put down to musico-dramatic works (musicals, light operas) with a degree of meeting interactivity akin to that enjoyed at live concerts.

In the wait Pete continues to write viewpoint perform with The Who, alight 2006 saw the release loom Endless Wire, the band’s cheeriness new album in 24 geezerhood.

He is presently working grade an autobiography due for proclamation in 2010.

ROGER DALTREY

If any combine member of The Who peep at be said to be rank group’s founding member it job singer Roger Daltrey, who was born in the West Author suburb of Shepherd’s Bush fracas March 1, 1944.

Roger cap assembled the group that would become the Who in 1961 while at Acton County Institution, recruiting John Entwistle and consequently agreeing to John’s proposal ditch Pete Townshend should join. Livestock those days Roger, whose working day age job was in a contour sheet metal factory, even made excellence band’s guitars, and it was his energy and ambition walk drove the group during their formative years.

That same force, coupled with his unwavering tell off, has sustained the group over periods of uncertainty ever since.

Roger’s earliest tastes in music ran to the blues and R&B which formed the setlist close their early years as goodness Detours, as well as Midfifties rock’n’roll, which is reflected make out his outstanding interpretations of much noted Who covers as ‘Summertime Blues’ and ‘Shakin’ All Over’.

In surrendering his leadership leave undone the band to Pete while in the manner tha the latter became the group’s songwriter, Roger became the spokesman for Pete’s lyrics and matter. At the same time take action contributed to the group’s perception of showmanship by developing sovereign unique skill at twirling queen microphone lead around like natty lasso and, by the adjourn of Tommy in 1969, comely one of rock’s most iconic sex symbols with his halcyon curls, bare chest and laciniate suede coats.

In this respect Roger became Tommy, the deaf tongue-tied and blind boy of Pete’s imagination, and it was so only natural that he assume the role in Acquaintance Russell’s movie adaptation of loftiness rock opera in 1975, provision which he received a Flourishing Globe nomination.

This in rotate led Roger to develop deft concurrent career as a release actor while continuing to pretension with the Who. Other single credits over the years contain Ken Russell’s Lizstomania, the honour role in McVicar, Lightning Gonfalon with Paul Hogan, Teen Agent, and numerous roles in Boob tube dramas.

Most recently he developed in the US CBS Boob tube show C.S.I. – which uses Who songs as theme medicine - as five separate, or else made-up characters, one of them a middle-aged African-American woman. Blot US TV appearances include Lois & Clarke (Superman), Midnight Guest, William Tell, Sliders and Highlander as well as Leprechauns target Celtic Leprechaun Ltd and The Bill, the long running UK TV police drama.

He has also narrated a series apportion the History Channel, undergoing exceptional hardships similar to those palpable by pioneering settlers in Usa and elsewhere.

Roger has also elegant a singing career outside infer The Who, beginning in 1973 when he found himself on the BBC’s Top Of High-mindedness Pops, the UK’s then head chart TV show, promoting probity single ‘Giving It All Away’ which reached number five follow the UK charts.

It was a track from his be foremost solo album Daltrey, released dump same year, which he followed up with the albums Ride A Rock Horse (1975), One Of The Boys (1977), honourableness soundtrack to McVicar (1980), sit After The Fire (1985).

Roger has appeared on stage away punishment the Who on many occasions, and his 1994 solo take the trouble at New York’s Carnegie Porch, with The Juillard Orchestra, was the fastest selling event pimple the venue’s history.

The shadowing year he appeared on page as The Tin Man shore a production of The Shaman Of Oz at The Lawyer Centre, and in 1998 subside starred as Scrooge in A Christmas Carol at Madison Equilateral Garden. He has also model with his friends The Chieftains, the traditional Irish band, endure toured the world with high-mindedness British Rock Symphony interpreting exceptional variety of rock classics.

Since 2000 he has been a advertiser of the Teenage Cancer Assign, a charity that builds differentiated wards for teenagers with person in the UK.

That period Roger had the idea strip off setting up the first radio show at the Royal Albert Passage by ‘The Who & Friends’, with ticket sales and existing from a DVD and Dossier raising over £1.2 million, stomach as a result Roger was given a Humanitarian Award hard cash 2003 from Time magazine. Interpretation actual amount Roger has embossed to date from the Albert Hall shows has meant stray two new TCT units be blessed with been built.

Donations to Goodness Teenage Cancer Trust can do an impression of given through their website www.teencancer.org.In February 2005 Roger was awarded a CBE by the Empress at Buckingham Palace for jurisdiction services to music and fair to middling causes.

Whatever extra-curricular activities have tempted Roger away from The Who, the group he began formulation at a Shepherd’s Bush Childhood Club at the age keep in good condition 16 will always be ruler first love.

Even more ahead of his colleagues, it has back number Roger who has done monarch best to keep The Who's flag flying during those periods when Pete felt the have need of to seek creative outlets away from home, and the respect he has earned from Who fans pass for a result is something significant cherishes deeply.

This was never many apparent than when, in 1995, Roger took the trouble face generously assemble a band decide appear at the first Brits Who Convention, organized by Who fans for Who fans, inspect Shepherd's Bush, the area be fitting of London where he was exclusive which has become synonymous corresponding the band.

As the ad-hoc group, which included John Entwistle and Pete Townshend's brother Dramatist, left the stage, Roger gazed over the sea of grimace. “Thank you,” he said, factually moved by the occasion. “You've given us a wonderful life.”

JOHN ENTWISTLE

John Entwistle, The Who’s latest bass player, was born gauzy London on October 9, 1944, and his natural talent brand a musician formed the spinal column to many of the Who’s most memorable recordings.

He was nicknamed “The Ox”, as spasm as “Thunderfingers” - because fillet digits became a blur farm cart the four-string fretboard – esoteric in a poll at greatness end of the 20th 100 was voted ‘Bassist of rectitude Millennium’ in Musician magazine.

Born drawn a musical family in Chiswick, West London, John was a-ok formally trained musician who influenced the French horn in rank Middlesex Youth Orchestra.

He became a fan of Duane Swirl, the US guitarist whose drum singles featured a guitar spurious in a low register. Makeover a teenager he abandoned coronet trumpet for a home-made part guitar, and played in academy groups The Confederates and Greatness Scorpions with his friend Pete Townshend. In 1961, he was approached to join fellow Acton County Grammar school pupil Roger Daltrey’s group, The Detours.

Outrage months later, John persuaded Roger to let Townshend join, become more intense in 1964 they became Greatness Who.

John contributed to The Who’s distinctive sound by cultivating smart lead style of bass, counterfeit Pete’s more rhythmic style second guitar playing with inventive runs in a higher register better most bass players, while horizontal the same time keeping integrity group’s timing rigid during Keith’s volatile thrashings.

The Who’s third one and only, ‘My Generation’, featured a noticeable bass solo by Entwistle, character first of its kind revive a rock record, but ill-matched his colleagues John remained all but motionless on stage, quietly examination – and underpinning - authority reckless styles of Pete lecture Keith and Roger’s up-front approach.

While Pete emerged as The Who’s songwriter-in-chief, John began making focused, macabre contributions to The Who’s catalog, beginning with ‘Whisky Man’ and the imperishable ‘Boris Depiction Spider’ on the A Good-natured One album in 1966, eternal with ‘Doctor, Doctor’ and ‘Someone’s Coming’ (1967), ‘Silas Stingy’ (from 1967’s The Who Sell Out), ‘Dr.

Jekyll & Mr. Hyde’ (1968), ‘Heaven And Hell’ mess about with which The Who opened their formidable live shows between 1968 and 1970. John wrote ‘Cousin Kevin’ and ‘Fiddle About’ fancy The Who’s 1969 magnum work Tommy because Pete specifically without delay John to write “nasty songs” that he felt uncomfortable check on.

‘My Wife’, John’s hilarious control about marital strife from 1971’s Who’s Next, also became regular popular stage number.

When The Who’s success enabled the other human resources of the group to proceed out of London, John remained true to his West Writer roots. He married his youth sweetheart Alison Wise in 1967 and bought a large semi-detached home in Acton, filling be patient with all sorts of unusual artifacts, ranging from suits try to be like armor to a tarantula indisposition.

His eccentricity and taste optimism the bizarre was to behind with him throughout his duration, and when he finally counterfeit out of the city secure Stowe-on-the-Wold in Gloucestershire in 1975, his 17-bedroom mansion Quarwood resembled a major museum. It likewise housed one of the richest guitar collections belonging to band rock musician.

John’s impressive musicianship lengthened apace and his work be next door to ‘The Real Me’ (from Quadrophenia) and ‘Dreaming From The Waist’ (from 1975’s The Who Bypass Numbers) was particularly memorable.

Inferior the meantime, John sought idea outlet for his backlog prepare songs, and in 1971 became the first member to help a solo album, Smash Your Head Against The Wall, which earned him a cult shadowing in the US for fans of his brand of sooty humor. Other solo studio albums followed: Whistle Rymes (1972), Rigor Mortis Sets In (1973), Mad Dog (1975), Too Late Righteousness Hero (1981) and The Boulder (1996).

John also compiled uncut Who leftovers collection Odds & Sods in 1974 and letter The Who resting in 1975, went out on the byroad with his own band, Baffle. He also fronted the Gents Entwistle Band on US bludgeon tours during the 1990s, don appeared with former Beatle Ringo Starr’s All Starr Band, involve 1995.

A talented artist, Closet held exhibitions of his paintings, many of them featuring Probity Who, on a regular basis.

By the end of the millenary, a stripped down version assault The Who – consisting magnetize Pete, Roger, John, keyboard entertainer John ‘Rabbit’ Bundrick, and Ringo Starr’s son, Zak Starkey (who had drummed in John’s works class band) – were touring bone up, amply demonstrating to original fans and a new generation do paperwork musicians just how they abstruse established their original credentials.

Have confidence in these later tours John would perform an extraordinary bass 1 on ‘5.15’.

John died from clean up heart attack on June 27, 2002, in Las Vegas delicate the eve of an Land Who tour which carried tie up with a hastily recruited Pino Palladino playing bass.

KEITH MOON

Keith Follower, The Who’s celebrated original forwarder, was born in Wembley amuse yourself August 23, 1946, and equitable widely acclaimed as the maximum drummer in the history look up to rock.

Brashly confident, he high-sounding quite differently to his nobility, turning his massive kit sift a lead instrument, and climax up-front technique was crucial strike home establishing the Who’s passionate enhance. His playing ushered in be over era wherein the drums became far more than simply deft means of keeping the smite, and much of his filmed legacy from 1965–73 has precise timeless quality that has under no circumstances been repeated, let alone bettered.

In this respect Keith Satellite was to the drums what Jimi Hendrix was to ethics guitar – a complete earliest - and as such subside was probably the most winning drummer the rock world has ever seen.

There was nothing reclaim Keith’s humble background to advocate the extraordinary turn of doings his life would take.

Noteworthy became a surf music supporter as a schoolboy, took inauspicious lessons on drums as expert teenager and played with leash local bands in his abundance Wembley in north west Author, The Escorts, Mark Twain & the Strangers, and The Beachcombers, before joining The Who anxiety the spring of 1964. In a minute after Keith’s recruitment, The Who became managed by Kit Conductor and Chris Stamp whose force and ambition focused the group.

Moon announced his arrival in impressive fashion on the Who’s labour real single ‘I Can’t Explain’ (1965) on which his rifle-shot snare preempted Roger Daltrey’s jump into the chorus.

Mostly, hunt through, his foil was Pete Townshend with whom he developed untainted uncanny musical relationship, the goods of which became one comment The Who’s great trademarks: rectitude chiming, bell-like, open-stringed power harmonize, cross cut against pounding drums and bass and allowed relate to feedback on itself and muttering into a wall of electronic discord.

Moon’s drumming is outstanding all through the group’s debut album My Generation and on several Decennary singles, most notably ‘Happy Jack’ (1966) and ‘I Can Musical For Miles’ (1967), but bust is on the double medium Tommy (1969) that his know-how are best utilized.

On Townshend’s celebrated rock opera he becomes an orchestra within himself, purposeful the band along with high-rise intelligence and sureness of handle that defies analysis. On Who’s Next (1971) Moon is reined in somewhat but his in concert on the bridge on ‘Behind Blue Eyes’ and throughout both ‘Bargain’ and ‘Won’t Get Fooled Again’ ranks with anything oversight ever did.

The Who’s greatest implementation, though, was in concert take by the end of probity Sixties they were justifiably charge themselves as "the most heady rock band in the world".

To this Moon contributed prominence almost superhuman energy, his industry and feet battering his equipment into submission night after cimmerian dark, the relentless power of Dignity Who in full flight spiral out from his arms refuse legs.

Moon's kit was the utter in rock, at one level boasting at least 10 tom-toms, twin bass drums, twin kettle, snare, half-a-dozen cymbals and uncomplicated gong.

With this vast tidy of percussion at his ability, he adopted a peculiar design wherein he pointed his boonies downwards and, as John Enwtistle once remarked: "He didn't physical activity from left to right main right to left, he'd guide forwards. I've never seen equal play like that before be a sign of since." Keith was also practised virtuoso showman, twiddling his drumsticks between his fingers and garishly tossing them into the unbiased and, occasionally, catching them during the time that they fell.

He developed lever on-stage image as a wise-cracker and often ad-libbed comical asides between numbers, and like Pete he took an almost not all there delight in wrecking his squeeze at the close of marvellous concert, especially in the group's early days.

At the same securely Keith was rock’s wildest gut feeling in the Sixties and Decennary, an unapologetic freewheeling hedonist whose lifestyle became synonymous with significance mad, carefree image of position rock star at large.

Significant courted the press and became notorious as ‘Moon The Loon’, the incorrigible clown who fine no authority whatsoever and conditions knew the meaning of character word embarrassment. As the Who became massively popular worldwide, deadpan Keith Moon became a renown, not just as a travelling salesman, but as the mad humorist to rock’s high court whose exploits included cross-dressing, elaborate common jokes and a much-publicized event when he and his acceptable friend Vivian Stanshall of birth Bonzo Dog Band visited spiffy tidy up London beerkeller dressed in Socialism SS uniforms.

Keith’s Chertsey people, Tara House, became the site for many memorable parties, call least the 1971 launch rob Who’s Next.

When The Who slowed down and Pete Townshend hunted creative outlets elsewhere, Keith counterfeit to California and took linocut roles in several movies, nearly notably in That’ll Be Prestige Day (1973) and its continuation Stardust (1974), as the tycoon in a fictitious rock zipper led by David Essex.

Purify also completed a solo scrap book, Two Sides Of The Month (1975). He moved back ruin the UK in 1977 abide by play on Who Are You, his last recorded work industrial action The Who.

Keith died on Sep 7, 1978, from an fracture overdose of the prescription painkiller Heminevrin, prescribed to combat intemperance.

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He labour in the same flat nonthreatening person Curzon Place in London’s Mayfair (belonging to Harry Nilsson) delay Mama Cass had passed not allow in during 1974. On distinction eve of his death, Satellite had been at a interlock of The Buddy Holly Story during the Paul McCartney-sponsored, once a year Buddy Holly week.

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