| THE WHO (ARTIST
BIOGRAPHY) The Who are an English
hard rock rock band that formed in Shepherd’s Bush, West London,
England, in 1964 and grew to be considered one of the greatest and
most influential bands in the world. They are also famed for their
prowess as a live band - winning awards and being described as
“possibly the greatest live band ever.” The primary lineup consisted
of Pete Townshend (lead guitar, vocals), Roger Daltrey (lead vocals),
John Entwistle (bass, vocals) and Keith Moon (drums, vocals).
The Who rose to fame in the United Kingdom with a pioneering
instrument destruction stage show, as well as a series of top ten
hit singles (including the celebrated My Generation) and top five
albums, beginning in 1965 with their first single release I Can’t
Explain. They first hit the top ten in the USA in 1967 with I Can
See for Miles. The 1969 release of Tommy was the first in a series
of top five albums for the group in the USA, followed by Live at
Leeds(1970), Who’s Next (1971), Quadrophenia (1973), and Who Are You
(1978) among others. Live at Leeds along with Deep Purple’s ‘In
Rock’ Black Sabbaths Self Titled and Led Zeppelin’s ‘Led Zeppelin II’
was one of the albums that brought hard rock into the mainstream
during the early 70’s after the flowery acid infused rock of the mid
60’s.
Keith Moon passed away three weeks after the release of Who Are You
on 7th September from overdose. Kenney Jones of The Small Faces and
Faces took over on drums after Moon’s death. The band would release
two more studio album:, the top five Face Dances in 1981 and the top
ten It’s Hard in 1982, before officially disbanding in 1983. They
reformed on several occasions to perform at special events such as
Live Aid and for reunion tours such as their 25th anniversary tour
(1989) and the Quadrophenia revival tours of 1996 and 1997. In 2000,
the three surviving original members began to discuss the
possibility of recording an album of new material. These plans were
delayed following the death of John Entwistle in 2002 from a cocaine
induced heart attack. Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey continue to
perform as The Who. In 2006 they released the studio album Endless
Wire, which reached the top ten in the USA and UK. |
