Pete Townshend

Singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer Pete Townshend – born in Chiswick, England, on May 19, 1945 - rose to worldwide fame in the 1960s with The Who, one of the top bands of the era. He learned to play guitar when he was young and played banjo in traditional jazz band The Confederates with future Who member John Entwistle. He went to art college and in 1961, Entwistle joined Roger Daltrey’s skiffle group The Detours. Once he had joined the group, Entwistle recommended bringing in Pete Townshend as an extra guitarist and, after several more lineup changes, they changed their name to The Who in 1964. With new drummer Keith Moon, the band’s first single “Zoot Suit” was credited as The High Numbers. That same year, they released “I Can’t Explain,” their first single under name The Who. Alongside The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and The Kinks, The Who became one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s, releasing a series of hit albums including the groundbreaking rock operas Tommy (1969) and Quadrophenia (1973) and classic rock albums including My Generation (1966), A Quick One / Happy Jack (1968), The Who Sell Out (1967), Who’s Next (1971), and Who Are You (1978). Drummer Keith Moon’s death on September 7, 1978, threw the band into disarray and they went on a brief hiatus. Pete Townshend, who had written the majority of the band’s songs, had already started a solo career with the release of Who Came First (1972) and Rough Mix with Ronnie Lane (1976). After Moon’s death and the future of The Who in doubt, he returned to his solo career with 1980’s Empty Glass to critical acclaim and commercial success. The Who returned with Face Dances in 1981, but Pete Townshend’s attention was more focused on his solo career. The next year brought The Who’s final album, It’s Hard, as well as his next solo release, All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes. Reaching into his vault of unreleased demo recordings, he released the critically lauded Scoop in 1983 (the album spawned two sequels: 1987’s Another Scoop and 2001’s Scoop 3). In 1985, he released the modern concept album White City: A Novel, which helped to introduce him to a new generation of fans. His next two albums – The Iron Man: The Musical by Pete Townshend (1989) and Psychoderelict (1993) – didn’t connect with a wider audience like his earlier albums although they were embraced by his established fanbase. The Who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990. Three years later, Pete Townshend won a Tony Award for Best Original Score for the Broadway production of The Who's Tommy. While focusing on his solo career, Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey, and John Entwistle reunited several times for special appearances and short tours but didn’t record new studio material. John Entwistle died of a heart attack on June 27, 2002, bringing The Who to a halt again. Pete Townshend worked on many projects including his autobiography, compiling a box set based upon his legendary Lifehouse recording project (which eventually became Who’s Next), and reuniting with Roger Daltrey for occasional Who tours and two more studio albums: Endless Wire (2006) and Who (2019). In 2024, Pete Townshend announced the release of Live: In Concert 1985-2001, a massive 14CD box set compiling his limited live releases into one package.