Biographic - Sunday April 26, 2015 Comic Strip Licensing and Permissions

Transcript

They were the "Enfants Terribles" of pop who went on to invent the Rock Opera, steal the show at Woodstock and plant a market in The Guiness Book of World Records as the world's loudest rock band. Along the way, they've lost two founding members and weathered many storms- but 50 years later, The Who is still universally celebrated as one of the greatest bands in the history of rock music. Having flirted with the name The High Numbers, mod pioneers The Who exploded onto the U.K. music scene in 1965. Pete Townshend's windmilling guitar style, Keith Moon's manic drumming, John Entwistle's driving bass and Roger Daltrey's powerful vocals, combined with the band's equipment-trashing stage antics, made them Britain's most exciting live band. The Who became a permanent fixture on the British Charts. By 1967, they had begun to make inroads in the states, and brilliant performance at the Monterey pop festival was followed by the band's first top-10 U.S. hit, "I Can See For Miles" Pete Townshend was regarded as one of the rock's most gifted composers- but his next project saw him hailed as a visionary genius! The saga of a deaf, dumb and blind boy who becomes a "Pinball Wizard" the ambitious 1969 rock opera "Tommy" was a huge critical and commercial success, forming the basis of the band's stunning set at the Woodstock festival that same year, both "Tommy" and the band's 1973 Opera "Quadrophenia" were subsequently made into movies. The Who were giants... but tragedy was looming. Keith Moon's excesses had become the stuff of rock legend- but had taken a toll on his health. In 1978, the 32-year-old died of an overdose of the drug perscribed to combat his alcholism. Kenney Jones, formerly of The Faces, took over drum duties for a while until The Who disbanded in 1983. They have since reconvened many times, and in recnet years, Zak Starkey, son of Ringo Starr, has played drums. The group was delt a further blow by the 2002, death of John Entwistle, leaving Daltrey and Townshend to soldier on. Following a 2006 world tour and the headline slot at the 2007 Glastonbury Festival, they headlined the halftime show at the 2010 super bowl and the closing ceremony of the 2012 Olympic Games in London. To mark the band's 50th Anniversary, 2015 sees The Who play an extensive European and North American Arena tour that will also represent the band's finale!

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