The Who
When Pete Townshend cracked the head of his guitar on a low ceiling at Wealdstone's Railway Hotel in 1964, the crowd laughed, so he smashed it. The next week fans wanted more, Keith Moon kicked over his drums, and wrecking gear turned into part of the act.
Their 'Maximum R&B' grew into something wilder: Townshend's power chords and feedback, John Entwistle's melodic bass lines and Moon's manic energy, with Roger Daltrey stuttering through 'My Generation'. Townshend's rock opera Tommy followed, then the abandoned Lifehouse project became Who's Next, home of 'Baba O'Riley' and 'Won't Get Fooled Again', while Quadrophenia celebrated their mod roots.
Moon died in 1978 and Entwistle in 2002, yet Daltrey and Townshend pressed on as a duo, making Who in 2019 and taking a farewell tour across North America in 2025.
If you like The Who you should check out: The Kinks, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, MC5, The Stooges, Deep Purple, The Clash, Sex Pistols
