Pete Townshend (The Who)

Name: Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend
Born: 19th May, 1945 (London, England)

Profile: He is an English rock guitarist, keyboardist, vocalist, songwriter and author, known principally as the guitarist and songwriter for "The Who", as well as for his own solo career. His career with "The Who" spans more than 40 years, during which time the band grew to be considered one of the most influential bands of the rock era. Townshend has also been a contributor and author of newspaper and magazine articles, book reviews, essays, books, and scripts, as well as collaborating as a lyricist (and composer) for many other musical acts.

History: Born into a musical family, his father was a professional saxophonist in "The Squadronaires" and his mother was a singer, Townshend exhibited a fascination with music at an early age. In the mid 50's, he was drawn to American rock and roll. When he was 12, his grandmother gave him his first guitar, a single pickup Harmony Stratocruiser. He did, however, learn the banjo joining a traditional jazz band "The Confederates" playing with John Entwistle as trumpet.

From this beginning Townshend and Entwistle joined "The Detours", the lead guitarist Roger Daltrey at the time, sold him an Epiphone. In 1964, they renamed "The Detours" to "The Who". The band comprising Daltrey on vocals, Townshend on guitar, Entwistle on bass guitar and Moon on drums. The band raw and high-energy music, strongly influenced by American R&B, reflected the youthful frustration of their generation and became synonymous with the mod movement.

Townshend was to channel his self-expression through the group's overall sound, the songs he wrote for them, his rhythm guitar and his on-stage image. This separated him from most of his peers; Eric Clapton, for example, were very much lead guitarist. Townshend was not. Frustrated because he was unable to get the kind of sounds that Clapton could, he discovered his own solution.

One night, while he was on stage at a club in West London, he accidentally put the head of his guitar (a Rickenbacker) through the false ceiling above him, snapping off the neck. When the audience started to laugh, he smashed the rest of the guitar to pieces, picked up a 12-string guitar and continued to play for the rest of the show as if nothing had happened. Subsequently, ritualistic equipment-smashing became the climax of many of "The Who's" stage and television appearances.

By this time, Townshend, the inventor of the 'rock power chord' and a pioneer user of controlled feedback, had developed a unique playing style. Laced with on stage acrobatics and his trademark (windmilling arm motions), it provided a solid, powerful foundation for the rest of the band.

Influences: Link Wray, John Lee Hooker, Bo Diddley and Hank Marvin (The Shadows)

Axology: Emile Grimshaw SS De Luxe, 6-string and 12-string Rickenbacker semi-hollow electric guitars, Fender Stratocaster, Fender Telecaster, Vox Cheetah guitar, Gibson SG, Gibson Les Paul DeLuxe, Gretsch 6120 guitar, Guild acoustic, Takamine acoustic, Boss OD-1 overdrive pedal, T-Rex Replica delay pedal and Marshall amplifiers

Signature song(s): My Generation, Anyway, Anyhow, Anytime, I Can't Explain and Substitute

Link(s):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5yymadwxj8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AXnr6Gg3s0&feature=related

"... possibly the greatest live band ever" - Eddie Vedder