The Who

The Who are an English rock band who first came to prominence in the 1960s and grew in stature to be considered one of the greatest rock 'n' roll bands of all time . more...

Home
Accessories/ Storage
CDs
Cassettes
Music Memorabilia
Artists/ Groups
ABBA
AC/DC
Aerosmith
Bee Gees
Blondie/ Debbie Harry
Blur
Bob Marley
Bon Jovi
Britney Spears
Celine Dion
Christina Aguilera
Cliff Richard
Coldplay
David Bowie
Def Leppard
Depeche Mode
Dido
Dire Straits
Duran Duran
Elton John
Elvis
Eminem
Eric Clapton/ Cream
Fleetwood Mac
Frank Sinatra
Franz Ferdinand
Genesis
George Michael/ Wham
Green Day
Guns n' Roses
INXS
Iron Maiden
Jennifer Lopez
Jimi Hendrix
Johnny Cash
Joy Division
Justin Timberlake
KISS
Kylie
Led Zeppelin
Linkin Park
Madonna
Mariah Carey
Metallica
Michael Jackson
Motley Crue
Motorhead
Nirvana
Oasis
Ozzy Osbourne
Pearl Jam
Phil Collins
Pink Floyd
Prince
Queen
R.E.M.
Radiohead
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Robbie Williams
Rod Stewart
Rolling Stones
Sex Pistols
Shania Twain
Simply Red
Smiths/ Morrissey
Spice Girls
Stone Roses
T-Rex/ Marc Bolan
The Beach Boys
The Beastie Boys
The Beatles
The Clash
The Corrs
The Cure
The Darkness
The Doors
The Eagles
The Grateful Dead
The Jam
The Libertines/ Pete Doherty
The Police/ Sting
The Who
Tina Turner
Tom Jones
Travis
U2
UB40
Van Halen
Westlife
Whitney Houston
Blues
Classical
Country
Dance
Easy Listening
Folk
Indie/ Britpop
Irish Folk/ Traditional
Jazz
Metal
Other Music Memorabilia
Pop
Pop & Beat: 1960s
Punk/ New Wave
R&B/ Soul
Rap/ Hip Hop
Reggae/ Ska
Rock
World Music
Other Music Formats
Records

Except for periods of retirement from 1983 to 1988 and from 1990 to 1995, the band members have continued to perform as a live act. Their most recent studio album was released in 2006.

Noted for the dynamism of their performances and for their thoughtful and art-influenced music, the members of The Who are also acknowledged as rock pioneers, popularising, along with contemporaries The Kinks, the power chord and the rock opera (most notably Tommy). Their earlier "mod" albums, which boasted short, aggressive pop songs, Pete Townshend's distinctive power chords, Keith Moon's explosive drumming, John Entwistle's nimble bass style, Roger Daltrey's powerful vocals, and constant themes of youthful rebellion and romantic confusion, were formative influences on hard rock and power pop, while their loud and violent concerts helped pave the way for punk rock and heavy metal. In their early days they were notorious for auto-destructive art displays, destroying their instruments at the end of shows (an activity favored both by infamous wildman Moon and by Townshend, whose guitar-smashing would become a rock cliché).

The Who are on a world tour as of June 2006 which will last into 2007.

The Who are #8 on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock and #9 on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Rock 'n' Roll.

From mod rockers to rock operas to hard rock, The Who reigned triumphant as prime contenders, in the minds of many, for the title of World's Greatest Rock Band. - The Who's display at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

History

1960s

In their earliest days the band was known as The Detours and played mostly rhythm and blues. They changed their name to The Who in 1964 and, with the arrival of Keith Moon that year, the classic line-up was complete. For the next 14 years The Who would be Roger Daltrey on lead vocals, Pete Townshend on guitar, John Entwistle on bass guitar, and Keith Moon on drums. For a short period during 1964, under the management of Peter Meaden, they changed their name to The High Numbers during which time they released an unsuccessful single designed to appeal to their mostly mod fans. When "Zoot Suit/I'm The Face" failed to chart, they fired Meaden and quickly reverted to The Who. The rest, as they say, is history. They became one of the most popular bands among the British Mods, a social movement of the early 1960s which rejected the "greaser" music favoured by the Rockers.

The band soon crystallised around Townshend as the primary songwriter (though Entwistle would also make the occasional notable contribution). Townshend was at the centre of the band's tensions, as he strove to write challenging and thoughtful music, while Daltrey preferred energetic and macho material (Daltrey would occasionally refuse to sing a Townshend composition and Townshend would thus sing it himself), while Moon was a fan of American surf music.

Read more at Wikipedia.org