The Who are an English rock band, founded in 1961 under the name the Detours. When they changed their name to the Who in 1964, their classic line-up was of founders Roger Daltrey (vocals), Pete Townshend (guitar) and John Entwistle (bass), with Keith Moon (drums).[1] Founder members Daltrey and Townshend have been the only constant members throughout the band's history.[2]
History
editThe band were first founded by Roger Daltrey under the name the Detours in 1959: the first line-up, in mid-1961, included Pete Townshend on lead guitar, Daltrey on rhythm guitar, John Entwistle on bass, Harry Wilson on drums, and Colin Dawson on vocals.[3] Wilson was fired in mid-1962 and replaced by Doug Sandom.[4]
Dawson left after frequently arguing with Daltrey[5] and was briefly replaced by Gabby Connolly, before Daltrey moved to lead vocals. Townshend, with Entwistle's encouragement, became the sole guitarist. Sandom was fired after an argument with Townshend in 1964; the band continued with stand-in drummers until Keith Moon joined in April of that year.
Moon was the Who's drummer until his death on 7 September 1978;[6][7] the band decided to continue without him.[8] He was replaced that November by Kenney Jones, who had previously played with the Small Faces and Faces.[9] Joining alongside Jones were keyboardist John "Rabbit" Bundrick and a four-piece horn section consisting of Dick Parry and Howie Casey (saxophone), David Caswell (trumpet), and Reg Brooks (trombone). The horn section departed in 1980, and Bundrick left in 1981. The latter was replaced by Tim Gorman for the band's final tour in 1982. The Who broke up in 1983.[10]
The who reunited at Live Aid in 1985, with Jones and Bundrick reprising their roles.[11] The band reunited again in 1988,[12] which the same personnel.[13] In 1989, the band embarked on a 25th-anniversary The Kids Are Alright reunion tour with Simon Phillips on drums, Steve "Boltz" Bolton on second guitarist, Jody Linscott on percussion, Simon Clarke and Tim Sanders on saxophone, Roddy Lorimer and Simon Gardner on trumpet, Neil Sidwell on trombone, and Chyna Gordon, Cleveland Watkiss and Billy Nicholls on backing vocals.
The band reformed again, at their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction[14] with Paul Shaffer and The World's Most Dangerous Band as backup band.
The band tour again in 1996,[15] with an expanded band, consisting of, John "Rabbit" Bundrick on keyboards, Zak Starkey on drums, Simon Townshend on second guitar, Jon Carin on keyboards Jody Linscott on percussion, Dennis Farias, Nick Lane and Roy Wiegand on horns, Simon Gardner on trumpet, Neil Sidwell on trombone, and Billy Nicholls on backing vocals, and as musical director.
In late 1999, The Who performed as a five-piece for the first time since 1985, with Bundrick on keyboards and Starkey on drums. The band toured the US and UK from June to October 2000,[16] with Simon Townshend returning as second guitarist. The Who played concerts in the UK in early 2002 in preparation for a full US tour. On 27 June, the day before the first date,[17] Entwistle, 57, was found dead of a heart attack at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas. Cocaine was a contributing factor.[18]
Entwistle's son, Christopher, gave a statement supporting The Who's decision to carry on. The US tour began at the Hollywood Bowl with touring bassist Pino Palladino. Bundrick took hiatus from the band to tend terminally ill wife between November 2006 and March 2007 and was substituted for by his keyboard tech Brian Kehew.[19]
The band played at the 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony, with Chris Stainton on keyboards and Morgan Nicholls on bass.[20] The Quadrophenia and More tour started in November 2012 in Ottawa[21] with keyboardists John Corey, Loren Gold and Frank Simes, the last of whom was also musical director,[22] second guitarist Simon Townshend, and J. Greg Miller and Reggie Grisham on brass. Miller and Grisham both departed in 2013. Corey and Simes both departed in 2017.
The band started touring with an orchestra in 2019,[23] Billy Nichols returned as musical director and backing vocalist, Keith Levenson joined as conductor, Katie Jacoby on lead violin, Audrey Q. Snyder on lead cello, Emily Marshall on second keyboards. Randy Landau joined as lead contrabassist in 2022.
Members
editCurrent members
edit| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roger Daltrey |
|
|
All releases | |
| Pete Townshend |
|
Former members
edit| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John Entwistle |
|
|
All releases from My Generation (1965) to Live at the Royal Albert Hall (2003) | |
| Colin Dawson | 1961–1963 | lead vocals | none | |
| Harry Wilson | 1961–1962 | drums | ||
| Doug Sandom | 1962–1964 (died 2019) | |||
| Gabby Connolly | 1963 | lead vocals | ||
| Keith Moon |
|
|
All releases from My Generation (1965) to Quadrophenia soundtrack (1979) | |
| Kenney Jones |
|
drums | All releases from Quadrophenia soundtrack (1979) to Who's Last (1984) |
Touring members
editCurrent touring members
edit| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zak Starkey | 1996–present |
|
All current releases from Live At The Royal Albert Hall (2001) to present | |
| Simon Townshend |
|
| ||
| Loren Gold | 2012–present |
|
All current releases from 12-12-12 The Concert for Sandy Relief (2013) to present except Who (2019) | |
| Jon Button | 2017–present |
|
Tommy - Live At The Royal Albert Hall (2017) | |
| Billy Nicholls |
|
backing vocals |
| |
| Keith Levenson | 2019–present |
|
none | |
| Katie Jacoby | violin | |||
| Audrey Q. Snyder | cello | |||
| Emily Marshall |
| |||
| Randy Landau | 2022–present | contrabass |
Former touring members
edit| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| John "Rabbit" Bundrick |
|
|
| |
| Howie Casey | 1979–1980 | saxophone | none | |
| Dick Parry | ||||
| David Caswell | trumpet | |||
| Reg Brooks | trombone | |||
| Tim Gorman | 1982 |
|
| |
| Chyna Gordon | 1989 | backing vocals | Join Together (1990) | |
| Cleveland Watkiss | ||||
| Simon Clarke | saxophone | |||
| Tim Sanders | ||||
| Roddy Lorimer | trumpet | |||
| Simon Philips | drums | |||
| Steve Bolton | rhythm and lead guitar | |||
| Jody Linscott |
|
percussion | ||
| Simon Gardner | trumpet | Join Together (1990) | ||
| Neil Sidwell | trombone | |||
| Jon Carin |
|
keyboards |
| |
| Dennis Farias | 1996–1997 | trumpet | none | |
| Roy Wiegand | ||||
| Nick Lane | trombone | |||
| Pino Palladino | 2002–2016 | bass | ||
| Frank Simes | 2012–2017 |
|
| |
| John Corey |
| |||
| J. Greg Miller | 2012–2013 | brass | ||
| Reggie Grisham |
Substitutes
edit| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scot Halpin | 1973 (died 2008) | drums | Moon lost consciousness during a show in San Francisco on 20 November 1973, and was substituted for by audience member Halpin.[39] | |
| Peter Huntington | 2004–2006 | Due to Starkey's touring commitments with Oasis, Huntington was the main drummer on Endless Wire.[40] | ||
| Steve White | 2005 | Starkey and Palladino were not able to join the band at Live8 in 2005, and were substituted for by White and Minchella.[41] | ||
| Damon Minchella | bass | |||
| Brian Kehew | 2006–2007 | keyboards | Bundrick was tending to his terminally ill wife between November 2006 and March 2007 and was substituted for by his keyboard tech Kehew.[19] | |
| J.J. Blair | 2006 | Kehew was unable to join the band on 8 November 2006, and was substituted for by Blair.[42] | ||
| Chris Stainton | 2012 | Nicholls and Stainton performed with the band at the 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony.[20] | ||
| Morgan Nicholls | bass | |||
| Scott Devours | 2013 | drums | Starkey was unable to join the band from 5–14 February and from 8 June – 8 July 2013, and was substituted for by Scott Devours.[43][44] |
Session musicians
edit| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jimmy Page | 1965 |
|
| |
| The Ivy League | backing vocals | |||
| Perry Ford | 1965 (died 1999) | piano | My Generation (1965)[47] | |
| Nicky Hopkins |
|
| ||
| Speedy Keen | 1967 (died 2002) | vocals | The Who Sell Out (1967)[52] | |
| Al Kooper |
|
organ | ||
| Dave Arbus | 1971 | violin | Who's Next (1971)[49] | |
| Leslie West | 1971 (died 2020) | lead guitar | ||
| Jon Curle | 1972–1973 | voice | Quadrophenia (1973)[53] | |
| Chris Stainton | 1972–1974 |
|
||
| Arthur Brown | 1974 | vocals | Tommy (soundtrack) (1975)[50] | |
| Tina Turner | 1974 (died 2023) | |||
| Eric Clapton | 1974 |
| ||
| Elton John |
| |||
| Mick Ralphs | guitar | |||
| Caleb Quaye | ||||
| Ronnie Wood | ||||
| Davey Johnstone | ||||
| Alan Ross | acoustic guitar | |||
| Gerald Shaw | organ | |||
| Phil Chen | 1974 (died 2021) | bass | ||
| Dave Wintour | 1974 (died 2022) | |||
| Tony Stevens | 1974 | |||
| Dee Murray | 1974 (died 1992) | |||
| Fuzzy Samuels | 1974 | |||
| Mike Kellie | 1974 (died 2017) | drums | ||
| Tony Newman | 1974 | |||
| Graham Deakin | ||||
| Nigel Olsson | ||||
| Ray Cooper | percussion | |||
| Rod Argent | 1977–1978 |
|
Who Are You (1978)[54] | |
| Ted Astley | 1977–1978 (died 1998) | string arrangements | ||
| Andy Fairweather-Low |
|
|
| |
| Greg Lake | 2003–2004 (died 2016) | bass guitar | "Real Good Looking Boy" (2004) | |
| Jolyon Dixon | 2004–2006 | acoustic guitar | Endless Wire (2006)[56] | |
| Lawrence Ball | electronics | |||
| Stuart Ross | bass | |||
| Peter Huntington | drums | |||
| Gill Morley | violin | |||
| Brian Right | ||||
| Ellen Blair | viola | |||
| Vicky Matthews | cello | |||
| Rachel Fuller |
|
|
||
| Mick Talbot | 2014 | keyboards | "Be Lucky" (2014)[57] | |
| Andrew Synowiec | 2019 | acoustic guitar | Who (2019)[35] | |
| Gordon Giltrap | ||||
| Benmont Tench |
| |||
| Dave Sardy |
| |||
| Martin Batchelar |
| |||
| Peter Rotter | orchestra fixer | |||
| Bruce Dukov | orchestra leader | |||
| Gus Seyffert | bass | |||
| Joey Waronker | drums | |||
| Carla Azar | ||||
| Matt Chamberlain | ||||
| Josh Tyrrell | handclaps | |||
| Rowan McIntosh |
Timeline
edit
Touring members timeline
edit
Line-ups
edit| Period | Members | Studio and live releases |
|---|---|---|
| The Detours (1962 – January 1963) |
|
|
| The Detours (January–December 1963) |
|
|
| The Detours / The Who[A] (December 1963 – April 1964) |
|
|
| The Who[B] (April 1964 – September 1978) |
|
|
| Death of Keith Moon (7 September 1978) |
||
| The Who Who Are You Tour (1979–1980) |
with
|
|
| The Who Face Dances Tour (1981) |
with
|
|
| The Who It's Hard Tour (1982) |
with
|
|
| Hiatus (1983–1988) |
||
| One-off performances at Live Aid (1985) and the BPI Awards Ceremony (1988) |
with
|
|
| The Who 25th Anniversary Tour (1989) |
with
|
|
| One-off performance at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony (1990) |
with
|
|
| Hiatus (1990–1995) |
||
| The Who Quadrophenia Tour (1996–1997) |
with
|
|
| The Who (1999 – February 2002) |
with
|
|
| The Who (February–June 2002) |
with
|
none – This line-up rehearsed for the 2002 tour, but did not actually perform in concert, as John Entwistle died shortly before the first show of the tour. |
| Death of John Entwistle (27 June 2002) |
||
| The Who (July 2002 – 2011) |
with
|
|
| One-off performance at the 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony (2012) |
with
|
|
| The Who Quadrophenia and More Tour (2012–2013) |
with
|
|
| The Who (2014–2016) |
with
|
|
| The Who (2017) |
with
|
|
| The Who (2019–present)[59] |
with
|
|
- ^ The name change took place in February 1964.
- ^ For a few months between July and October 1964, The Who were renamed The High Numbers at the insistence of their manager Peter Meaden.
- ^ Keith Moon lost consciousness during a show in San Francisco on 20 November 1973, and was substituted for by audience member Scot Halpin.
- ^ John Bundrick was not able to join the band at The Concert for New York City in 2001, and was substituted for by Jon Carin.
- ^ John Bundrick was tending to his terminally ill wife between November 2006 and March 2007 and was substituted for by his keyboard tech Brian Kehew.
- ^ Brian Kehew was unable to join the band on 8 November 2006, and was substituted for by J.J. Blair.
- ^ a b Zak Starkey and Pino Palladino were not able to join the band at Live8 in 2005, and were substituted for by Steve White and Damon Minchella.
- ^ Zak Starkey was unable to join the band from 5–14 February and from 8 June – 8 July 2013, and was substituted for by Scott Devours.
References
edit- ^ Marsh 1983, p. 80.
- ^ "Even with just two original members, the Who prove they can still rock". New York Daily News. 8 February 2010. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
- ^ Neill & Kent 2009, p. 19.
- ^ Neill & Kent 2009, pp. 19–20.
- ^ Neill & Kent 2009, p. 22.
- ^ Marsh 1983, pp. 506–507.
- ^ Neill & Kent 2009, p. 416.
- ^ Neill & Kent 2009, pp. 416–417.
- ^ Townshend 2012, p. 287.
- ^ Whitaker, Sterling (16 December 2016). "The History of the Who's First Breakup". Archived from the original on 19 December 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
- ^ "Looking back at Live Aid 25 years later". MTV. 13 July 2010. Archived from the original on 19 December 2011. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
- ^ "The Who". Brit Awards. Archived from the original on 2 February 2012. Retrieved 3 February 2012.
- ^ Watkins, James (11 June 2014). "Kenney Jones to perform with The Who on stage for first time in more than 25 years". Get Surrey. Archived from the original on 15 June 2014. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
- ^ Fletcher 1998, p. 540.
- ^ Fletcher 1998, p. 543.
- ^ "History – The Who". The Who (official site). Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
- ^ "The Who bassist Entwistle dies". BBC News. 28 June 2002. Archived from the original on 15 August 2021. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
- ^ "Cocaine 'killed The Who star'". BBC News. 26 July 2002. Archived from the original on 17 December 2009. Retrieved 3 November 2012.
- ^ a b Susie (27 April 2015). "THE WHO'S BACKSTAGE BLOG!". The Who. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
- ^ a b "The Who live in London, Sunday, 12. August 2012". www.thewholive.net. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
- ^ "The Who Quadrophenia (and more) in Ottawa". Ottawa Sun. 21 November 2012. Archived from the original on 15 August 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
- ^ "The Who announce North American tour performing "Quadrophenia" plus Who classics" (Press release). The Who. 18 July 2012. Archived from the original on 21 July 2012. Retrieved 18 July 2012.
- ^ Green, Andy (11 January 2019). "The Who Plot Symphonic U.S. Arena Tour, New Studio Album for 2019". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 11 January 2019. Retrieved 11 January 2019.
- ^ "Current Touring Band".
- ^ a b "The Who - Join Together". Retrieved 19 October 2022.
- ^ a b c "The Who - Thirty Years Of Maximum R&B". Retrieved 19 October 2022.
- ^ "The Who - Live At The Royal Albert Hall". Retrieved 19 October 2022.
- ^ a b "The Who - Live In Boston". Retrieved 19 October 2022.
- ^ a b "The Who - Tommy And Quadrophenia Live With Special Guests". Retrieved 19 October 2022.
- ^ a b "The Who - Live At The Isle Of Wight Festival 2004". Retrieved 19 October 2022.
- ^ "The Who - It's Hard". Retrieved 19 October 2022.
- ^ "The Who - Who's Last". Retrieved 19 October 2022.
- ^ "The Who - Live From Toronto". Retrieved 19 October 2022.
- ^ "Various - The Concert For New York City". Retrieved 19 October 2022.
- ^ a b "The Who - Who". Retrieved 19 October 2022.
- ^ a b "Various - 12-12-12 The Concert For Sandy Relief". Retrieved 19 October 2022.
- ^ a b "The Who - Quadrophenia: Live In London". Retrieved 19 October 2022.
- ^ "The Who - Live In Hyde Park". Retrieved 19 October 2022.
- ^ Blake, Mark (19 November 2023). "What happened the night a fan of The Who was pulled from the crowd to fill in for Keith Moon". louder. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
- ^ "Melodic Net - the Who - Endless Wire". Archived from the original on 26 June 2015. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
- ^ "The Who live in London, Saturday, 02. July 2005". www.thewholive.net. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
- ^ Selvin, Joel (9 November 2006). "Who caught between forging ahead, debts to past". SFGATE. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
- ^ Owen, Arrissia (19 February 2013). "How Local Drummer Scott Devours Scored a Gig With the Who With Four Hours to Learn 'Quadrophenia'". OC Weekly. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
- ^ Evans, Richard (16 May 2013). "Scott Devours On Drums". The Who. Retrieved 19 September 2024.
- ^ Schaal, Eric (16 May 2020). "How Jimmy Page Played Lead Guitar on The Who's 'Bald Headed Woman'". Showbiz Cheat Sheet. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
- ^ "How Jimmy Page helped The Who secure their first hit song". faroutmagazine.co.uk. 27 September 2022. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
- ^ a b "HAPPY 50th BIRTHDAY, 'I CAN'T EXPLAIN'". The Who. 15 January 2015. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
- ^ "My Generation". The Who. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
- ^ a b c "The Who - Who's Next". Retrieved 19 October 2022.
- ^ a b c "Various - Tommy (Original Soundtrack Recording)". Retrieved 19 October 2022.
- ^ "The Who - The Who By Numbers". Retrieved 19 October 2022.
- ^ a b "Images for The Who - The Who Sell Out". www.discogs.com. Retrieved 19 October 2022.
- ^ a b "The Who - Quadrophenia". Retrieved 19 October 2022.
- ^ a b "The Who - Who Are You". Retrieved 19 October 2022.
- ^ "The Who - It's Hard". Retrieved 19 October 2022.
- ^ a b "The Who - Endless Wire". Retrieved 19 October 2022.
- ^ "The Who - Hits 50!". Retrieved 19 October 2022.
- ^ "The Who This Month! 1962". www.thewhothismonth.com. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
- ^ "Current Touring Band". Thewho.com. Retrieved 7 March 2019.
Bibliography
edit- Marsh, Dave (1983). Before I Get Old: The Story of The Who. Plexus Publishing Ltd. ISBN 978-0-85965-083-0.
- Neill, Andrew; Kent, Matthew (2009). Anyway Anyhow Anywhere: The Complete Chronicle of The Who 1958–1978. Sterling Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7535-1217-3.
- Townshend, Pete (2012). Who I Am: A Memoir. HarperCollins. ISBN 978-0-06-212726-6.