Formed: 1963 (as the Detours)
in London,
England
Years Active: 1963 through
1983.
Group's Main Members:
Pete Townshend, Roger
Daltrey, John Entwistle, Keith Moon,
Kenny Jones
"Hope I die
before I get old!" This
lyric written by the Who's Pete Townshend would have to
go down as perhaps rock's greatest lyric. It not only told you something about the band
and its members but hit home for most of the coming of age Baby Boomers, who's
generation
Townshend was writing about in the mid sixties when the song "My Generation"
was released.
Townshend and John Entwistle were high school friends in the late fifties
who played in a Dixieland band together, Pete on banjo and John on trumpet. In 1960 they
formed a rock band but in '62 Entwistle left to play bass in another rock band called the Detours.
The
lead guitar player for that
band was named Roger Daltrey.
By
the end of '62 Townshend joined
the band as the rhythm guitarist.
In
1963 the Detours lead singer Colin Dawson quit, so Daltrey switched over to vocals
and Townshend to lead guitar. A couple months later their drummer, Doug Sandom left
and they hired 16 year old Keith Moon after he destroyed a borrowed drum set for his
audition.
In early 1964 they changed the band's name to The
Who.
One night while performing at the Marquee club in
London,
Townshend smashed his guitar on stage in frustration because of a messed up sound system.
This destruction
would become one of his regular performing feats for years to come.
