Roger Daltrey will always be remembered as the front man of English rock band The Who. He met fellow Who members Pete Townshend and John Entwhistle at Acton County Grammar School and the three became lifelong friends. When he heard that local band The Detours were in need of a lead singer who came with his own guitar, Daltrey put his many skills to use and crafted a Stratocaster replica out of a block of wood; his father bought him a proper guitar shortly after. Soon, both Townshend and Entwhistle also joined The Detours, and when their drummer decided to move on to different things, they brought in Keith Moon to take his place. After discovering another band that also went by The Detours, they decided on a name change and settled on The Who.
As a member of The Who, Daltrey sold more than 100 million records worldwide, with 15 top ten albums and 14 top ten singles to their credit. Some of their biggest singles include 'My Generation', 'Substitute', 'Squeeze Box', 'Won't Get Fooled Again' and 'Pinball Wizard'. 'Pinball Wizard' was taken from the album 'Tommy' and featured as part of their rock opera of the same name. Tragically, in 1978, Keith Moon died of an overdose, leaving the band lost and missing their friend. As they vowed to carry on in memory of their band mate, Small Faces drummer Kenney Jones stepped in. In 1980 Daltrey decided to take a break from the band, pursuing acting and composing ventures. When Townshend declared that he wanted to retire from the road and just become a studio band, tensions flared and they decided to call it quits with a farewell tour in 1982
In 1989 the band reformed for a 25th anniversary tour, and have reunited on the odd occasion since for charity shows or awards acceptances, but no further reunion has ever been forthcoming.
Outwith The Who, Daltrey has released eight solo albums with varying successes, and he has also collaborated with the likes of Meat Loaf, Barry Gibb, Barbra Streisand, Joe Strummer and McFly. In 2016 he released a cover of Townshend's 'Let My Love Open the Door' donating all the proceeds to Teen Cancer America. Two years later he revealed that he had been working with Townshend on a brand new material for The Who.
