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The Who music biography continued...

into their arrangements, making for an unrivaled international following. The Who formed in 1964 in London, England, with the primary lineup of guitarist Pete Townshend, vocalist Roger Daltrey, bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon. The band would soon crystallize around Townshend as the primary songwriter and creative force and Daltry as the impassioned lead vocalist. Their debut album, My Generation (The Who Sings My Generation in the U.S.) was released in 1965. The album included such anthems of a generation as the title track and "The Kids Are Alright." After a performance on a British television show in which the group destroyed their instruments on stage, the single "My Generation" went to #2 in the UK and established the group as stars. The group followed with such landmark albums as Tommy, which contained the first rock opera, and went to #4 in the U.S. and Live at Leeds, a juggernaut live set. This was followed by Who's Next, which became a staple of FM rock radio. It included Townshend's first experiments with synthesizers - "Baba O'Riley," "Bargain," "Won't Get Fooled Again"—and guaranteed The Who's place in the rock pantheon.



Drummer Keith Moon died in 1978, after which the band released two more studio albums, the top five Face Dances (1981) and the top ten It's Hard (1982), with drummer Kenney Jones, before officially disbanding in 1983. They got back together 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. 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. According to Rolling Stone magazine, "In the annals of rock history the Who (like their contemporaries the Beatles and the Rolling Stones) stand alone. Several generations of fans would be hard-pressed to disagree.