band members


DRUMMER
	Keith John Moon was born on August 23, 1946. He grew up in Wembley, England. His father's name was Alfred Moon and his mother's name was Kathleen (Kitty). He had two sisters, Linda and Leslie. Keith's first drum kit was a pearl blue Premier kit, which his father helped him buy for £25. Keith's influences as a drummer were DJ Fontana, Ringo Starr, Tony Meehan, and Gene Krupa. Keith Moon was one of the most talented drummers to ever live. He rarely ever played the same thing twice. He loved being the center of attention and would do almost anything to get a laugh. One time, while recording their debut on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, Keith Moon did one of his greatest stunts. The Who was famous for breaking things and blowing things up, so it was no surprise when Keith loaded his bass drum with pyrotechnics and other various explosives. What was surprising, was that Keith had put in almost three times the amount of recommended gun powder, and didn't tell anyone else. When the time came, Roger Daltrey had just finished his outstanding vocals for the song "My Generation". The explosion actually shook the cameras and blew out all of the studio monitors. Pete was directly in front of the blast and was his hearing was temporarily shattered. Keith, on the other hand, was rolling around on the floor because he had a three inch gash in his arm which was gushing blood. Meanwhile, Pete finished the show by smashing Tommy Smothers' guitar into thousands of tiny pieces. Keith Moon died on September 7, 1978. He was at a party which was hosted by Sir Paul McCartney. After the party, he went back to his hotel and took hemineverin sedatives to help his drinking problems. At 7:30 the next morning, he ate breakfast, took some more sedatives, and fell asleep. Later that day, Keith's girlfriend found him dead. Keith had ingested a total of 32 tablets in all.
GUITARIST
	Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend was born on May 19, 1945. Pete was born into an extremely musical family. Pete's grandfather, Horace, played din the Jack Shepard concert revue. His parents were part of a group called the Squadronaire's. His father, Cliff Townshend, played the alto saxophone. His mother, Betty Dennis, was a singer. Pete decided that he wanted to play the guitar when his father took him and his friend to a morning preview of Rock Around the Clock. First, Pete tried to follow in his father's footsteps by playing the saxophone. When Pete's father saw him struggling with the saxophone he suggested that he should play something different: the guitar. Pete played the guitar with a very unique style. Pete swung his arm in a circle and played his various power chords. The move was dubbed the windmill. In almost all of the shows, Pete wore a white jumpsuit. He was known for smashing his guitars and amps after every performance that he played. Pete Townshend was also in the band The Detours with band members John Entwistle and Roger Daltrey.
LEAD SINGER
	Roger Harry Daltrey was born at Hammersmith Hospital, West London. He was born on March 1, 1944. Roger was the lead singer of The Who. As a child, Roger's family didn't have a lot of money. Therefore, Roger made his own acoustic guitar by carving the guitar from a solid piece of plywood. Later he would go on to design some of The Who's signature guitars. Roger's "skiffle" group came in first place in a local talent show. The band won £10 worth of record vouchers. That wasn't much of a prize, because none of the band members owned a record player. Roger acted as the lead man for the group. He drove the van, called the shots, handled the gear, and many more things. Roger was also known for swinging his microphone around very violently. For an interview for the documentary The Kids Are Alright, Keith Moon said this about Daltrey and his swinging microphone: "...When the crowd throws the lettuce and tomatoes at us, it just gets chopped up by Daltrey's swinging mic. I just tilt my cymbal back and by the end of the show I have a full salad!"
BASSIST
	John Alec Entwistle was born on October 9, 1944. His father's name was Herbert and was part of the Royal Navy. He taught John how to play the trumpet and his mother made him take piano lessons. He also played the French horn in the Middlesex Youth Orchestra. When John was twelve, he met fellow peer and struggling band member, Pete Townshend. Pete then joined John's band, the Confederates. Later they played together in a band called the Detours.