Who, The, English
rock music group formed in 1964. The members were Peter Dennis
Blanford Townshend, 1945–, Chiswick, London, U.K., guitar,
synthesizer, vocals; Roger Harry Daltrey, 1944–, East
Acton, London, U.K., lead vocals; John Alec Entwistle
1944–2002, Chiswick, London, U.K., bass guitar, vocals; and
Keith John Moon, 1946–1978, Wembley, London, U.K.,
drums.
Townshend, Entwistle, and Daltrey attended Acton County grammar school where
Daltrey formed a rock band called The Detours in 1959; two years later, he
enlisted the other two into the group. In 1964, drummer Keith Moon joined
them, and they issued their first single under the name The High Numbers.
Soon after, they became the Who, focusing on R&B music. Townshend began
writing original songs for the group, and they scored early hits in England
with their singles "I Can’t Explain" (1964) and the anthemic "My
Generation" (1965; #2 on the U.K. charts). The group became known for their
powerful onstage performances, including Daltrey’s intense vocals and
Townshend smashing his guitar at the end of each set. Townshend composed his
first longer suite of songs, "A Quick One, While He’s Away" in 1966.
In 1967, they made their U.S. concert debut at the Monterey Pop Festival,
which was followed by their first top-ten U.S. charting single, "I Can See
For Miles" and the concept album The Who Sell Out
(rereleased in an expanded edition in 2021). Their greatest
achievement came with the rock opera, Tommy (1969; film
version, 1975; Broadway production, 1992), which was a critical and
commercial success. They returned to their hard-rock roots with
Who’s Next (1970; #1 U.K.; #4 U.S.), featuring
the hit song "Won’t Get Fooled Again." Their next album,
Quadrophenia (1973; film version 1979), was another
rock opera. In 1978, they released the album Who Are You,
their best-selling release to date, but it marked the end of Keith
Moon’s time with the band; he died shortly after its release. Moon
was replaced by drummer Kenney Jones, who had played with the Faces. In
1979, they released the documentary, The Kids Are Alright,
documenting the band’s entire career. At the end of that year, the
group’s appearance in Cincinnati spawned a tragedy when waiting fans
rushed the venue’s gates before they were opened, leading to several
deaths. The group’s next two albums, Face Dances
(1981; with the hit single "You Better You Bet") and It’s
Hard (1982) sold well, The band officially broke up at the end
of 1983, but the remaining members reunited for tours and occasional
recordings over the following decades. Entwistle died in 2002. The group was
inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990. Townshend and Daltrey
released new material as the Who in 2006 and 2020.
See Pete Townshend’s memoir (2012) and Roger Daltrey’s memoir
(2018); G. Guiliano, Behind Blue Eyes: The Life of Pete
Townshend (1996), T. Fletcher, Dear Boy: The Life of
Keith Moon (3rd. rev. ed., 2010), T. Ewbank and S. Hildred,
Roger Daltrey: The Biography (2004), P. Rees,
The Ox: The Authorized Biography of The Who’s John
Entwistle (2020).
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Music: Popular and Jazz
