| 1964–1978 | |
|---|---|
| 1979–1988 |
|
| 1989–2002 |
|
| 2002–present |
|
The Who are an English rock band, founded in 1961 under the name The Detours. When the band changed their name to The Who in 1964, the band's classic line-up was founders Roger Daltrey (vocals), Pete Townshend (guitar), John Entwistle (bass) and new drummer Keith Moon. [1] Founding members Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend have been the band's only constant members throughout its history. [2]
| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Roger Daltrey |
|
| All releases | |
| Pete Townshend |
|
| 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 | 1962-1963 | lead vocals | none | |
| Gabby Connolly | 1963 | |||
| Doug Sandom | 1964 (died 2019) | drums | ||
| 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) |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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. [18] | |
| Peter Huntington | 2004–2006 | Due to Starkey's touring commitments with Oasis, Huntington was the main drummer on Endless Wire . [19] | ||
| 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. [20] | ||
| 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. [21] | |
| J.J. Blair | 2006 | Kehew was unable to join the band on 8 November 2006, and was substituted for by Blair. [22] | ||
| Chris Stainton | 2012 | Nicholls and Stainton performed with the band at the 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony. [23] | ||
| 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. [24] [25] |
| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jimmy Page | 1965 |
|
| |
| The Ivy League | backing vocals | |||
| Perry Ford | 1965 (died 1999) | piano | My Generation (1965) [28] | |
| Nicky Hopkins |
|
| ||
| Speedy Keen | 1967 (died 2002) | vocals | The Who Sell Out (1967) [33] | |
| Al Kooper |
| organ | ||
| Dave Arbus | 1971 | violin | Who's Next (1971) [30] | |
| Leslie West | 1971 (died 2020) | lead guitar | ||
| Jon Curle | 1972–1973 | voice | Quadrophenia (1973) [34] | |
| Chris Stainton | 1972–1974 |
| ||
| Arthur Brown | 1974 | vocals | Tommy (soundtrack) (1975) [31] | |
| 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 | |||
| Tony Stevens | ||||
| Dee Murray | 1974 (died 1992) | |||
| Fuzzy Samuels | 1974 | |||
| Mike Kellie | drums | |||
| Tony Newman | ||||
| Graham Deakin | ||||
| Nigel Olsson | ||||
| Ray Cooper | percussion | |||
| Rod Argent | 1977–1978 |
| Who Are You (1978) [35] | |
| Ted Astley | 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) [37] | |
| 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) [38] | |
| Andrew Synowiec | 2019 | acoustic guitar | Who (2019) [14] | |
| 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 |
| Period | Members | Studio and live releases |
|---|---|---|
| The Detours (1962 – January 1963) |
| |
| The Detours (January–December 1963) |
| |
| The Detours / The Who [upper-alpha 1] (December 1963 – April 1964) |
| |
| The Who [upper-alpha 2] (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) [40] |
with
|
|
The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup (1964–1978) consisted of lead vocalist Roger Daltrey, guitarist Pete Townshend, bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered one of the most influential rock bands of the 20th century. Their contributions to rock music include the development of the Marshall stack, large public address systems, the use of synthesisers, Entwistle's and Moon's influential playing styles, Townshend's feedback and power chord guitar technique, and the development of the rock opera. They are cited as an influence by many hard rock, punk, power pop and mod bands. The Who were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.
Roger Harry Daltrey is an English singer, musician and actor. He is co-founder and lead singer of rock band the Who.
Quadrophenia is the sixth studio album by the English rock band the Who, released as a double album on 26 October 1973 by Track Records. It is the group's third rock opera, the previous two being the "mini-opera" song "A Quick One, While He's Away" (1966) and the album Tommy (1969). Set in London and Brighton in 1965, the story follows a young mod named Jimmy and his search for self-worth and importance. Quadrophenia is the only Who album entirely composed by Pete Townshend.
Zak Richard Starkey is an English rock drummer who has performed and recorded with the English rock band the Who since 1996. He is also the third drummer to have appeared with the English rock band Oasis. Other musicians and bands he has worked with include Johnny Marr, The Icicle Works, the Lightning Seeds, and The Semantics. Starkey is the son of the Beatles' drummer Ringo Starr.
Who Are You is the eighth studio album by the English rock band the Who, released on 21 August 1978 by Polydor Records in the United Kingdom and MCA Records in the United States. Although the album received mixed reviews from critics, it was a commercial success, peaking at number 2 on the US charts and number 6 on the UK charts.
Endless Wire is the eleventh studio album by the English rock band the Who, released on 30 October 2006 in the UK through Polydor Records and the following day in the US by Universal Republic. It was their first new studio album of original material in 24 years following the release of It's Hard in 1982, as well as their first since the death of the bassist John Entwistle. It was originally due to be released in early 2005 under the working title WHO2.
Then and Now is a 2004 greatest hits compilation album by The Who released internationally by Polydor Records and by Geffen Records in the United States. It features 18 Who classics and two new tracks—"Real Good Looking Boy" and "Old Red Wine"—which were the first Who originals since "Dig" from Pete Townshend's 1989 album The Iron Man. "Real Good Looking Boy" is a tribute to Elvis Presley, and "Old Red Wine" is a tribute to former band member John Entwistle, who died in 2002. The album was re-released in 2007 and replaced "Old Red Wine" with "It's Not Enough" from the 2006 album Endless Wire and "Summertime Blues" was replaced by "Baba O'Riley".
"5:15" is a song written by Pete Townshend of British rock band The Who. Part of the band's second rock opera, Quadrophenia (1973), the song was also released as a single and reached No. 20 on the UK Singles Chart, while the 1979 re-release reached No. 45 on the Billboard Hot 100.
John Douglas "Rabbit" Bundrick is an American keyboardist. He is best known for his work with the rock band the Who and associations with others including Eric Burdon, Bob Marley and the Wailers, Roger Waters, Free and Crawler. Bundrick is noted as the principal musician for the cult film The Rocky Horror Picture Show. In the mid-1970s, he was a member of the short-lived group Mallard, formed by ex-members of Captain Beefheart's Magic Band. He is also known as a composer and has recorded solo albums. He was also a member of the Texas group Blackwell, who had a hit single in 1969 entitled "Wonderful".
The Who Tour 2006–2007 was The Who's first worldwide concert tour since 1997, supporting their Endless Wire album.
A Celebration: The Music of Pete Townshend and The Who, also known as Daltrey Sings Townshend, is a music event and a later live album by Roger Daltrey documenting a two-night concert at Carnegie Hall in February 1994.
Amazing Journey: The Story of The Who is a 2007 documentary by Murray Lerner and Paul Crowder about English rock and roll band The Who. The film features new interviews with band members Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle, Kenney Jones, and Pete Townshend, as well as Sting, The Edge, Noel Gallagher, Eddie Vedder, Steve Jones and others, as well as rare photos of the four members of the band, and archival live footage of performances dating back to 1964. A soundtrack accompanying the film also serves as a greatest-hits compilation for the band.
Live at the Royal Albert Hall is a three-CD live album set by The Who, released in 2003.
Tommy and Quadrophenia Live is a 3-disc DVD box set that includes performances by The Who from their 1989 and 1996-1997 tours. Whilst the Tommy part of the set had been already released on VHS, material from the Quadrophenia Tour had not been commercially available previously.
Scott Devours is an American drummer and songwriter based in New York City. Devours has played drums for the post-grunge bands Oleander, IMA Robot and Long Beach bands like Speaker and Shave, worked on over thirty albums and toured with a number of well-known artists, including The Who.
The 1st Singles Box is a box set compilation of singles recorded by the Who throughout their history. The album was released exclusively in the United Kingdom on 25 May 2004. It was considered the counterpart to the other compilation album by the Who, entitled Then and Now. The album was set with twelve compact discs containing two songs each, a la the A-side and B-side of the original single. Each individual CD was encased by a paper sleeve representing the single's original artwork from a particular country.
Quadrophenia is a stage musical based on the sixth studio album by English rock band The Who, released on 19 October 1973, and a film of the same name, released in 1979. The album was the group's second full-length rock opera, and the story reveals social, musical and psychological events from an English teenager's perspective. The music and songs were composed by Pete Townshend and the story is set in London and Brighton in 1964 and '65.
The Who Tour 2012–2013 was their third to feature the 1973 album Quadrophenia. Billed as "Quadrophenia and More", the band played Quadrophenia in its entirety, followed by a selection of their greatest hits. Before starting the tour, the group gave a special performance at the closing ceremonies of the 2012 Summer Olympics.
Billed as The Who Hits 50!, The Who's 2014–16 tour was a tour celebrating the 50th anniversary of the band. Roger Daltrey has referred to this tour as the band's "long goodbye" hinting that it will be the final tour for The Who. The tour consisted of 70 dates with the band performing in Asia, Europe and North America.
