THE WHO Biography - Music bands & groups

 
 

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THE WHO

Name: The Who                                                                           
Origin London, England                                                                 
                                                                                         
'The Who' are an English rock band that first formed in 1964 and grew to be             
considered one of the greatest[1] and most influential[2] bands in the world.           
They are also famed for their prowess as a live band - winning awards[3] and           
being described as "possibly the greatest live band ever."[4] The primary lineup       
consisted of Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle and Keith Moon.             
                                                                                         
The Who rose to fame in the United Kingdom with a pioneering instrument                 
destruction stage show, as well as a series of top ten hit singles (including           
the celebrated "My Generation") and top five albums, beginning in 1965 with "I         
Can't Explain". They first hit the top ten in the USA in 1967 with "I Can See           
for Miles". The 1969 release of Tommy was the first in a series of top five             
albums for the group in the USA, followed by Live at Leeds (1970), Who's Next (1971),   
Quadrophenia (1973), and Who Are You (1978) among others.                               
                                                                                         
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 reformed 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.