1960's

Early days

The parent of The Who was a trad jazz band started by Townshend and Entwistle called The Confederates. Townshend played banjo and Entwistle French horn (which he used in The Who and solo). Daltrey met Entwistle in the street with his bass slung over his arm and asked him to join. Entwistle suggested Townshend as an additional (rhythm) guitarist. In early days the band was The Detours, influenced by American blues and, playing mostly. The lineup was Daltrey on lead guitar, Townshend on rhythm guitar, Entwistle on bass, on, and Colin Dawson vocals. After Dawson left, Daltrey moved to vocals and Townshend became sole guitarist. In 1964 Sandom left and became drummer.

The Detours changed to The Who in 1964 and, with the arrival of Moon that year, the line-up was complete. However, for a short period in 1964, under the management of, they changed to The High Numbers, releasing "/I'm The Face", a single to appeal to mod fans. When it failed to chart, the band fired Meaden and reverted to The Who. They became popular among the British, a 1960s subculture involving cutting-edge fashions, and music genres such as , , and.  [6]

In September 1964, at the Railway Tavern in Harrow and Wealdstone, London, Townshend's physical performance resulted in accidentally breaking the head of his guitar through the ceiling. Angered by sniggers from the audience, he smashed the instrument on the stage. He picked up a Rickenbacker 12-string and continued. A large crowd attended the next concert, but Townshend declined to smash another guitar. Instead, Moon wrecked his drumkit.  [7]  [8] became a staple of The Who's shows for several years. The incident at the Railway Tavern is one of Rolling Stone magazine's 50 Moments That Changed the History of Rock 'n' Roll.  [9]

The band crystallised around Townshend as primary songwriter and creative force. Entwistle made songwriting contributions. Moon and Daltrey contributed songs in the 60s and 70s.

[ ] Early singles and My Generation
The Who's first release, and first hit, was January 1965's "", influenced by the with whom they shared American producer. The song was first played in the USA on WTAC AM 600 in Flint, Michigan, by DJ Peter C Cavanaugh  [10] where Moon drove a car into a hotel pool during his 20th birthday (Moon claimed it was his 21st so he could drink). The song was a top 10 hit in the UK and was followed by "", the only song credited as composed by Townshend and Daltrey, though Townshend implied Daltrey assisted in songwriting without credit in the liner notes to Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy.

The debut album My Generation (The Who Sings My Generation in the U.S.) released the same year. It included "" and the title track "". Subsequent hits, such as the 1966 singles "", about a young man who feels like a fraud, "" about a boy dressed as a girl, and "" about a mentally disturbed young man, show Townshend's use of sexual tension and teenage angst. More hits followed, including "" and the 1968 single "". Roger Daltrey got the insperation for "I Can See for Miles" while playing a kazoo in Canada.

[ ] Conceptual work
Although successful as a singles band, Townshend wanted The Who's albums unified rather than collections of songs. Townshend said "I'm A Boy" was from a projected opus, the first sign of which came in the 1966 album A Quick One, which included the storytelling medley "", which they referred to as a mini opera, and which has been called the first epic.  [11]

A Quick One was followed by The Who Sell Out in 1967, a like an station, complete with humorous jingles and commercials which included a mini called Rael (whose closing theme ended up on Tommy), as well as The Who's biggest USA single, "I Can See for Miles". The Who destroyed equipment at the that year and repeated the routine on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour with explosive results as Moon detonated his drumkit. In 1968 The Who headlined the first in 's. Also that year, Townshend became the subject of the first Rolling Stone interview. Townshend said he was working on a full-length rock opera.  [12] This was Tommy, the first work billed as a and a landmark in modern music.

[ ] Tommy and Live at Leeds
Around this time the teachings of India's influenced Townshend's songwriting, continuing for many years. Baba is credited as "" on Tommy. In addition to commercial success, Tommy became a critical smash, Life Magazine saying, "...for sheer power, invention and brilliance of performance, Tommy outstrips anything which has ever come out of a recording studio,"  [13] and Melody Maker declaring, "Surely The Who are now the band against which all others are to be judged."

The Who performed much of Tommy at the that year. That, and the ensuing film, catapulted The Who in the USA. Though the festival became free, the Who demanded to be paid before performing despite banks and roads being closed 2-3am on Sunday morning and only agreed to play when one of the promoters, Joel Rosenman, came up with a certified check for $11,200  [14] (the manager of White Lake branch of Sullivan County National Bank opened the bank so performers could be paid)  [15]

In February 1970 The Who recorded Live at Leeds, thought by many the best live rock album of all time.  [16] The album, originally relatively short and containing mostly the show's hard rock songs, has been re-released in expanded and remastered versions, remedying technical problems with the original and adding portions of the performance of Tommy, as well as versions of earlier singles and stage banter. A double-disc version contains the entire performance of 'Tommy.' The Leeds University gig was part of the Tommy tour, which not only included gigs in European opera houses but saw The Who become the first rock act at the in.