Pete Townshend

Rock Musician / Guitarist

Pete Townshend is the guitarist and driving force behind The Who, one of the most successful of the 1960s' British rock groups. He grew up in a London suburb and began playing music as a teenager. By 1964 he was a member of The Who, joining bass player John Entwistle (1944-2002), vocalist Roger Daltry (b. 1944) and drummer Keith Moon (1946-78). By the end of 1965 the group was a sensation in the United Kingdom, famous for their violent stage acts (Townshend smashed guitars during performances) and for the hit songs "I Can't Explain," "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere" and "My Generation" (the latter includes the Townshend-penned line, "I hope I die before I get old"). The main songwriter for the group, Townshend is now recognized as one of the more skilled composers in rock, with a portfolio that includes The Who songs "Magic Bus," "Pinball Wizard" and "Won't Get Fooled Again," and solo work that includes the albums Rough Mix (1977, with Ronnie Lane) and Empty Glass (1980). In the 1980s he released solo records and became more involved in literary pursuits; he worked as an editor for book publisher Faber and Faber and in 1985 published Horse's Neck, a collection of stories. In recent years he has reportedly been working on a new project for The Who (whose only surviving member is Roger Daltry).

Extra credit: Townshend has been a follower of the Indian spiritual teacher Meher Baba (1894-1969) since 1968... Townshend won a Tony Award in 1993 for a stage production of Tommy... Townshend is an outspoken advocate of hearing protection, claiming a loss of hearing from years of loud rock and roll... In 2003 he made headlines as the subject of a child pornography investigation. Accused of accessing a pedophilia website, Townshend explained he was doing research for a book. In the end it was determined that he did not download files, but he was still ordered to register as a sex offender.

Other rockers of Townshend's generation include Mick Jagger, The Beatles, Frank Zappa and Janis Joplin.

Blog posts mentioning Pete Townshend:
The Who's New Reviews Who2: Not the Album? Who2 -- the Album!