The Who Portrait

The Who Portrait, illustrated here in 1971 with their classic line-up consisting of guitarist and singer Pete Townshend age 26, drummer Keith Moon age 25, lead singer Roger Daltrey age 27 and bass guitarist John Entwistle age 27.

The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964. The founding members of The Who, Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend and John Entwistle, grew up in Acton, London and went to Acton County Grammar School.

After Daltrey recruited them to join his group The Detours, they eventually changed their name to The Who, which was more fitted to the Pop and Mod Scene that was the rage in England.
During a gig with a stand-in drummer in late April at the Oldfield, the band first met Keith Moon. Moon grew up in Wembley, and had been drumming in bands since 1961. He was performing with a semi-professional band called the Beachcombers, and wanted to play full-time. Moon played a few songs with the group, breaking a bass drum pedal and tearing a drum skin. The band were impressed with his energy and enthusiasm, and offered him the job.

In June 1964, during a performance at the “Railway”, Townshend accidentally broke the head of his guitar on the low ceiling of the stage. Angered by the audience’s laughter, he smashed the instrument on the stage, then picked up another guitar and continued the show. The following week, the audience were keen to see a repeat of the event. Moon obliged by kicking his drum kit over, and auto-destructive art became a feature of The Who’s live set.

Their first single as the Who, “I Can’t Explain”, reached the UK top ten, followed by a string of singles including “My Generation”, “Substitute” and “Happy Jack”. In 1967, they performed at the Monterey Pop Festival and released the US top ten single “I Can See for Miles”, while touring extensively. The group’s fourth album, 1969’s rock opera “Tommy”, included the single “Pinball Wizard” and was a critical and commercial success. Live appearances at Woodstock and the Isle of Wight Festival, along with the live album “Live at Leeds”, cemented their reputation as a respected rock act.

Along came 1971’s “Who’s Next”, which included the hit “Won’t Get Fooled Again”. The group released the album “Quadrophenia” in 1973 as a celebration of their mod roots, and oversaw the film adaptation of “Tommy” in 1975. They continued to tour to large audiences before semi-retiring from live performances at the end of 1976. The release of “Who Are You” in 1978 was overshadowed by the death of Moon shortly after.

The Who’s major contributions to rock music include the development of the Marshall stack, large PA systems, use of the synthesizer, Entwistle and Moon’s lead playing styles, Townshend’s feedback and power chord guitar technique, and the development of the rock opera.

They are considered one of the most influential rock bands of the 20th century, selling over 100 million records worldwide.

The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 where their display describes them as “prime contenders, in the minds of many, for the title of “World’s Greatest Rock Band”.

Keith Moon died from an overdose of clomethiazole tablets on September 7, 1978 at age 32.
John Entwistle died from a heart attack induced by an undetermined amount of cocaine on June 27, 2002 at age 57.

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