The Who

Formed in Shepherd's Bush in 1964, The Who evolved out of local youth club band called The Detours. Townshend, Daltrey and Entwistle founded the band, and having jettisoned Colin Dawson (vocals) and Doug Sanden (drums), recruited Keith Moon as a replacement for the latter.

The restructured quartet was adopted by manager Peter Meaden, who changed their name to The High Numbers, dressed them in stylish clothes from Carnaby Street, had their hair styled by Robert James, and courted a Mod audience.  Their sole single, I'm The Face, proclaimed this allegiance although Meaden shamelessly nicked its melody from Slim Harpo 's Got Love If You Want It.

Two budding film directors, Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp, then assumed management responsibilities and now known as The Who, the group began courting controversial publicity. Townshend's onstage guitar pyrotechnics were especially noteworthy.  The instrument was used as an object of rage as he smashed it against floors and amplifiers.  The origins of the act came when he accidentally broke the neck of his guitar on the low ceiling of a club.

The Who eventually secured a deal through Shel Talmy, an independent producer who placed the group with American Decca.  Their recordings were then sub-contracted through UK subsidiary, Brunswick. 

I Can't Explain, released in January 1965, rose to the UK Top 10 on the strength of appearances on television's Ready Steady Go and Top Of The Pops. The song's formal nature surprised those expecting a more explosive performance. Any criticism was answered by the innovative Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere and My Generation. The Who continued to enjoy chart success, switching subject matter from transvestism (I'm A Boy) to masturbation (Pictures Of Lily).

The Who's popularity in the USA flourished in the wake of their appearance at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival. They returned to the UK Top 10 in the winter of 1967 with the powerful I Can See For Miles. 

Despite their strength as singles artists, however, the group failed to achieve a number 1 hit on either side of the Atlantic. The group embraced the album market with Tommy, an extravagant rock opera which became a staple part of their live appearances. 

The set spawned a major hit in Pinball Wizard and was later the subject of a film, directed by the suitably eccentric Ken Russell. The live album Live At Leeds was a sturdy concert souvenir (regarded by many as one the best live albums ever recorded). 

Quadrophenia was a complex concept album and homage to the mod sub-culture which provided Townshend with his first inspiration. Although compared unfavourably with Tommy, the set's plot and musical content has shown a greater longevity and was the subject of a commercially successful film, featuring Toyah and Sting.

Commitments to solo careers undermined The Who By Numbers although the quartet re-emerged with the confident Who Are You, but its release was overshadowed when, on 7 September 1978, Keith Moon died following an overdose of medication taken to alleviate alcohol addiction. He was just 31. Ironically, he died in the same flat as Mama Cass (of The Mamas & The Papas) - Flat 9, 12 Curzon Place, London, W1.

A retrospective film, The Kids Are Alright, was released and the group resumed recording in 1979 having added former Small Faces drummer Kenney Jones to the line-up. A farewell tour was undertaken in 1982-83 and although the group did reunite for an appearance at Live Aid, they remained estranged until the end of the decade.

In 1993, over 25 years after its original release as an album, a production of Tommy, re-titled The Who's Tommy, was staged on Broadway, and won five Tony Awards.  The Who's star continued to rise in 1994 with the sympathetically packaged 30 Years Of Maximum R&B CD box set, and was maintained with the reissued Live At Leeds with many extra tracks added from that memorable gig

In June 1996 the band performed at London's Hyde Park performing Quadrophenia in front of 200,000 people. Further performances were given in the USA and the UK later that year. The drummer  for this latest re-formation was Zak Starkey, son of the famous Beatle.

Tragically, John Entwistle - The Ox - died in his Las Vegas hotel room in June 2002, literally on the eve of an American tour which had been primarily designed to bring some financial relief to Messrs Entwistle and Daltrey (who did not receive the song writing royalties enjoyed by Townshend). He was 57.

The Who will always remain one of the finest groups of our generation. No pun intended.