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142-416: On May 22, 1981, officials at SIU announced there would be no Mississippi River Festival in the upcoming summer. MRF consisted of a variety of popular rock, folk, bluegrass, and classical music performers. Shows for the more popular groups, such as The Who , Yes , Chicago , Eagles , and Grateful Dead , were heavily attended. Some shows attracted crowds in excess of 30,000. Jackson Browne appeared as both

284-489: A backup band (for Yes in 1972 and America in 1973) and ultimately, as a lead act in 1977. He also wrote two of his songs for the live Running on Empty album in a nearby Holiday Inn at the intersection of I-270 and Illinois Route 157. It is estimated that over one million visitors attended MRF over 12 summers. In July 1969, Bob Dylan did a short surprise gig with The Band . It was his first performance since his notorious motorcycle accident in 1966. The outdoor venue

426-536: A pop art group and thus viewed advertising as an artform; they recorded a wide variety of radio advertisements, such as for canned milkshakes and the American Cancer Society , in defiance of the rising anti-consumerist ethos of the hippie counterculture. Townshend stated, "We don't change offstage. We live pop art." Later that year, Lambert and Stamp formed a record label, Track Records , with distribution by Polydor . As well as signing Hendrix, Track became

568-503: A whip on stage, and occasionally leapt into the crowd; Moon threw drumsticks into the air mid-beat; Townshend mimed machine-gunning the crowd with his guitar while jumping on stage and playing guitar with a fast arm-windmilling motion, or stood with his arms aloft allowing his guitar to produce feedback in a posture dubbed "the Bird Man". Meaden was replaced as manager by two filmmakers, Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp . They were looking for

710-522: A collection of unreleased Who material. Entwistle designed the cover art for the band's seventh studio album, The Who by Numbers (1975), and in a 1996 interview remarked that it had cost £30 to create, while the Quadrophenia cover, designed by Pete Townshend, had cost £16,000. Entwistle also experimented throughout his career with "Bi-amping", where the high and low ends of the bass are sent through separate signal paths, allowing for more control over

852-430: A considerable influence on the playing styles and sounds used by generations of bassists that have followed him, including Tom Hamilton , Brian Gibson , Geezer Butler , Krist Novoselic , Geddy Lee , Billy Sheehan , Victor Wooten , Tom Petersson , John Myung and Chris Squire . Entwistle continues to top 'best ever bass player' polls in musicians magazines. In 2000, Guitar magazine named him "Bassist of

994-657: A contrast to the themes on Tommy . The tour included their second appearance at the Isle of Wight Festival . A record attendance in England which the Guinness Book of Records estimated at between 600,000 and 700,000 people, the Who began their set at 2:00 A.M. on Sunday 30 August. Tommy secured the Who's future, and made them millionaires. The group reacted in different ways – Daltrey and Entwistle lived comfortably, Townshend

1136-623: A feature of the Who's live set. By late 1964, the Who were becoming popular in London's Marquee Club , and a rave review of their live act appeared in Melody Maker . Lambert and Stamp attracted the attention of the American producer Shel Talmy , who had produced the Kinks . Townshend had written a song, " I Can't Explain ", that deliberately sounded like the Kinks to attract Talmy's attention. Talmy saw

1278-482: A follow-up, Townshend insisted that the Who take a lengthy break, as they had not stopped touring since the band started. There was no group activity until May 1972, when they started working on a proposed new album, Rock Is Dead—Long Live Rock! , but, unhappy with the recordings, abandoned the sessions. Tensions began to emerge as Townshend believed Daltrey just wanted a money-making band and Daltrey thought Townshend's projects were getting pretentious. Moon's behaviour

1420-551: A gig having been on the Ready Steady Go! set with the Beach Boys ' Bruce Johnston . During "My Generation", Townshend attacked Moon with his guitar; Moon suffered a black eye and bruises, and he and Entwistle left the band, but changed their minds and rejoined a week later. Moon kept looking for other work, and Jeff Beck had him play drums on his song " Beck's Bolero " (with Page, John Paul Jones and Nicky Hopkins ) because he

1562-557: A guitarist, Daltrey on rhythm guitar, Entwistle on bass, Harry Wilson on drums, and Colin Dawson on vocals. The band played instrumentals by the Shadows and the Ventures , and a variety of pop and trad jazz covers. Daltrey was considered the leader and, according to Townshend, "ran things the way he wanted them". Wilson was fired in mid-1962 and replaced by Doug Sandom , though he was older than

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1704-565: A lead instrument, playing melodies. In February 1964, the Detours became aware of the group Johnny Devlin and the Detours, and changed their name. Townshend and his house-mate Richard Barnes spent a night considering names, focusing on a theme of joke announcements, including "No One" and "the Group". Townshend preferred "the Hair", and Barnes liked "the Who" because it "had a pop punch". Daltrey chose "the Who"

1846-461: A lot of weight, though Daltrey later said, "even at his worst, Keith Moon was amazing." Recording of Who Are You started in January 1978. Daltrey clashed with Johns over the production of his vocals, and Moon's drumming was so poor that Daltrey and Entwistle considered firing him. Moon's playing improved, but on one track, "Music Must Change", he was replaced as he could not play in 6/8 time. In May,

1988-412: A minimal number of permanent structures at the venue, the entrance, concession stands, and restroom areas were decorated with large canvas sails designed by Gyo Obata . The mini-roadtrip to the site and meeting friends in the parking areas around the venue were akin to a 1970s youth version of tailgating. The majority of audience sat on the lawn on blankets. Two pathways flanked the lawn area running from

2130-453: A peak. After the 1976 tour, Townshend took most of the following year off to spend time with his family. He discovered that former Beatles and Rolling Stones manager Allen Klein had bought a stake in his publishing company. A settlement was reached, but Townshend was upset and disillusioned that Klein had attempted to take ownership of his songs. Townshend went to the Speakeasy where he met

2272-534: A quote and a sketch of " Boris ". In early 2002, Entwistle finished what was his last drawing. "Eyes Wide Shut" represented a new style for Entwistle. Featuring Jimi Hendrix , Pete Townshend, Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin and Eric Clapton , Entwistle's style had evolved from simple line drawings and caricatures to a more lifelike representation of his subjects. He was more confident and relaxed with his art and ready to share that with his collectors. Entwistle wrote this on one of his pictures: Now ... ! I'm still

2414-552: A roadie. The next single, " My Generation ", followed in October. Townshend had written it as a slow blues, but after several abortive attempts, it was turned into a more powerful song with a bass solo from Entwistle. The song used gimmicks such as a vocal stutter to simulate the speech of a mod on amphetamines , and two key changes . Townshend insisted in interviews that the lyrics "Hope I die before I get old" were not meant to be taken literally. Peaking at No. 2, "My Generation"

2556-520: A series of promotional television interviews, and Entwistle worked on the soundtrack for The Kids Are Alright . On 6 September, Moon attended a party held by Paul McCartney to celebrate Buddy Holly 's birthday. Returning to his flat, Moon took 32 tablets of clomethiazole which had been prescribed to combat his alcohol withdrawal . He passed out the following morning and was discovered dead later that day. John Entwistle John Alec Entwistle (9 October 1944 – 27 June 2002)

2698-457: A short European tour , the remainder of 1972 was spent working on an orchestral version of Tommy with Lou Reizner . By 1973, the Who turned to recording the album Quadrophenia about mod and its subculture, set against clashes with Rockers in early 1960s Britain. The story is about a boy named Jimmy, who undergoes a personality crisis, and his relationship with his family, friends and mod culture. The music features four themes, reflecting

2840-579: A short show without any major responsibilities. After the Hermits tour, the Who recorded their next single, " I Can See for Miles ", which Townshend had written in 1966 but had avoided recording until he was sure it could be produced well. Townshend called it "the ultimate Who record", and was disappointed it reached only No. 10 in the UK. It became their best selling single in the US, reaching No. 9. The group toured

2982-474: A star-studded cast, including the band members. David Essex auditioned for the title role, but the band persuaded Daltrey to take it. The cast included Ann-Margret , Oliver Reed , Eric Clapton , Tina Turner , Elton John and Jack Nicholson . Townshend and Entwistle worked on the soundtrack for most of the year, handling the bulk of the instrumentation. Moon had moved to Los Angeles, so they used session drummers, including Kenney Jones (who would later join

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3124-484: A straightforward pop band and enjoyed drugs and practical jokes. They bonded with Moon, who was excited to learn that cherry bombs were legal to purchase in Alabama. Moon acquired a reputation of destroying hotel rooms while on tour, with a particular interest in blowing up toilets. Entwistle said the first cherry bomb they tried "blew a hole in the suitcase and the chair". Moon recalled his first attempt to flush one down

3266-609: A surprise even to those closest to him, including the members of the Who. "It wasn't until the day of his funeral that I discovered that he'd spent most of his life as a Freemason ", said Townshend. Welsh bassist Pino Palladino , who had previously played on several of Townshend's solo studio albums, took over for Entwistle onstage when the Who resumed their postponed US tour on 1 July 2002. Townshend and Daltrey spoke at length about their reaction to Entwistle's death. Some of their comments can be found on The Who Live in Boston DVD. On

3408-535: A tarantula. His eccentricity and taste for the bizarre was to remain with him throughout his life, and when he finally moved out of the city in 1978, to Stow-on-the-Wold in Gloucestershire, his 17-bedroom Victorian manor, Quarwood , resembled a museum. It also housed one of the largest guitar collections belonging to any rock musician. Entwistle and Wise had a son, Christopher, in 1972. The marriage ended in divorce and Entwistle later married Maxene Harlow. At

3550-417: A time when most bands used 50–100 watt amplifiers with single cabinets. All of this quickly gained the Who a reputation for being "the loudest band on the planet"; they reached 126 decibels at a 1976 concert in London, listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the loudest rock concert in history. The band had a strong influence at the time on their contemporaries' choice of equipment, with Cream and

3692-522: A tribute to Entwistle. Beady Eye's single "The Beat Goes On", from their 2011 album Different Gear, Still Speeding , contains a reference to Entwistle and bandmate Keith Moon, with the lyric: "The Ox and Moon were counting me in, I had to give in". In some concerts of the Red Hot Chili Peppers ' By the Way Tour , such as the gig at Slane Castle in 2003 , Flea got on stage wearing a version of

3834-521: A tribute, saying, "The Ox has left the building—we've lost another great friend. Thanks for your support and love. Pete and Roger." Entwistle's mansion, Quarwood , and some of his personal effects were later sold off to meet the demands of the Inland Revenue ; he had worked for the agency from 1962 to 1963 as a tax officer before being demoted to filing clerk, prior to joining the Who. One aspect of Entwistle's life which emerged after his death came as

3976-625: A young, unsigned rock group that they could make a film about, and had seen the band at the Railway Hotel in Wealdstone , which had become a regular venue for them. Lambert related to Townshend and his art school background, and encouraged him to write songs. In August, Lambert and Stamp made a promotional film featuring the group and their audience at the Railway. The band changed their set towards soul, rhythm and blues and Motown covers, and created

4118-543: Is about a girl who has an affair while her lover is away, but is ultimately forgiven. The album was titled A Quick One ( Happy Jack in the US), and reached No. 4 in the UK charts. It was followed in 1967 by the UK Top 5 single " Pictures of Lily ". By 1966, Ready Steady Go! had ended, the mod movement was becoming unfashionable, and the Who found themselves in competition on the London circuit with groups including Cream and

4260-521: Is the group's highest-charting single in the UK. The debut album My Generation was released in late 1965. Among original material by Townshend, including the title track and " The Kids Are Alright ", the album has several James Brown covers from the session earlier that year that Daltrey favoured. After My Generation , the Who fell out with Talmy, which meant an abrupt end to their recording contract. The resulting legal acrimony resulted in Talmy holding

4402-452: Is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rock bass guitarists of all time. His instrumental approach utilized pentatonic lead lines and a then-unusual treble-rich sound ("full treble, full volume"). He was voted as the greatest bass guitar player ever in a 2011 Rolling Stone readers' poll and, in 2020, the same magazine ranked him number three in its list of the "50 Greatest Bassists of All Time". John Alec Entwistle

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4544-625: The BBC , as one of the best live rock albums of all time. The Tommy tour included shows in European opera houses and saw the Who become the first rock act to play at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City. In March the Who released the UK top 20 hit " The Seeker ", continuing a theme of issuing singles separate to albums. Townshend wrote the song to commemorate the common man, as

4686-496: The Grateful Dead and The Who ), provided sound production for seven years. Ed Drone of Heil Sound mixed the house sound six nights a week for seven years. Efforts to resurrect this popular event have, unfortunately, been met with challenges mainly due to funding and other limitations of producing such an event in today's environment. The history of the event and an extensive collection of black-and-white photos has been captured in

4828-568: The Monterey Pop Festival and released " I Can See for Miles ", their only US top-ten single. The group's 1969 concept album Tommy included the single " Pinball Wizard " and was a critical and commercial success. Further festival appearances at Woodstock and the Isle of Wight , along with the concert album Live at Leeds (1970), established their reputation as a respected rock act. The success put pressure on lead songwriter Townshend, and

4970-533: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990. The Who evolved from an earlier group, the Detours, and established themselves as part of the pop art and mod movements , featuring auto-destructive art by destroying guitars and drums on stage. Their first single as the Who, " I Can't Explain " (1965), reached the UK top ten, and was followed by a string of hit singles including " My Generation " (1965), " Substitute " and " Happy Jack " (both 1966). In 1967, they performed at

5112-559: The West End of London . The group experienced a difficult time when touring Denmark in September, which culminated in Daltrey throwing Moon's amphetamines down the toilet and assaulting him. Immediately on returning to Britain, Daltrey was sacked, but was reinstated on the condition that the group became a democracy without his dominant leadership. At this time, the group enlisted Richard Cole as

5254-410: The hippie movement, and thought their violent stage act would stand in sharp contrast to the peaceful atmosphere of the festival. Hendrix was also on the bill, and was also going to smash his guitar on stage. Townshend verbally abused Hendrix and accused him of stealing his act, and the pair argued about who should go on stage first, with the Who winning the argument. The Who brought hired equipment to

5396-685: The B-side, " Instant Party ", and the single was withdrawn. A new B-side, "Waltz for a Pig", was recorded by the Graham Bond Organisation under the pseudonym "the Who Orchestra". In 1966 the Who released " I'm a Boy ", about a boy dressed as a girl, taken from an abortive collection of songs called Quads ; " Happy Jack "; and an EP, Ready Steady Who , that tied in with their regular appearances on Ready Steady Go! The group continued to have conflict; on 20 May, Moon and Entwistle were late to

5538-431: The B-side, "Bald Headed Woman". "I Can't Explain" became popular with pirate radio stations such as Radio Caroline . Pirate radio was important for bands as there were no commercial radio stations in the UK and BBC Radio played little pop music. The group gained further exposure when they appeared on the television programme Ready Steady Go! Lambert and Stamp were tasked with finding "typical teens", and invited

5680-642: The Best , a short-lived supergroup which included Keith Emerson of Emerson, Lake & Palmer , Joe Walsh of the Eagles , Jeff "Skunk" Baxter of Steely Dan and the Doobie Brothers , and session musician Simon Phillips . Towards the end of his career, he formed the John Entwistle Project with longtime friend, drummer Steve Luongo , and guitarist Mark Hitt, both formerly of Rat Race Choir. This evolved into

5822-462: The E string and occasionally even positioned his thumb near the pick-up. His plectrum technique involved holding the plectrum between his thumb and forefinger, with the rest of his fingers outstretched for balance. The Who's studio recordings seldom did justice to Entwistle's playing, in part because he was better heard in concert, where he and Pete Townshend frequently exchanged roles, with Entwistle providing rapid melodic lines and Townshend anchoring

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5964-504: The Guess Who , and Mark Farner of Grand Funk Railroad . In this ensemble, he played and sang "Boris the Spider" as his Who showpiece, along with "My Wife". Toward the end of his career he used a Status Graphite Buzzard Bass, which he had designed. From 1999 to early 2002, he played as part of the Who. Entwistle also played at Woodstock '99 , along with Mickey Hart of the Grateful Dead , being

6106-519: The Jimi Hendrix Experience both following suit. Although they pioneered and directly contributed to the development of the "classic" Marshall sound (at this point their equipment was being built or tweaked to their personal specifications), they only used Marshall equipment for a few years. Entwistle eventually switched to using a Sound City rig, with Townshend later following suit. Townshend points out that Jimi Hendrix , their new label mate,

6248-499: The Jimi Hendrix Experience . Lambert and Stamp realised that commercial success in the US was paramount to the group's future, and arranged a deal with promoter Frank Barsalona for a short package tour in New York. The group's performances, which still involved smashing guitars and kicking over drums, were well received, and led to their first major US appearance at the Monterey Pop Festival . The group, especially Moon, were not fond of

6390-580: The John Entwistle Band for an 8-gig tour. This time Chris Clark played keyboards. From January–February 2002, Entwistle played his last concerts with the Who in a handful of dates in England, the last being on 8 February at London's Royal Albert Hall . In late 2002, an expanded 2-CD Left for Live Deluxe was released, highlighting the John Entwistle Band's performances. Between 1996 and 2002, Entwistle attended dozens of art openings in his honour. He chatted with each collector, personalising their art with

6532-462: The John Entwistle Band, with Godfrey Townsend replacing Mark Hitt on guitar and joining harmony vocals. In 1996, the band went on the "Left for Dead" tour with Alan St. Jon joining on keyboards. After Entwistle toured with the Who for Quadrophenia in 1996–97, the John Entwistle Band set off on the "Left for Dead – the Sequel" tour in late 1998, now with Gordon Cotten on keyboards. After this second venture,

6674-536: The Millennium" in a readers' poll. J. D. Considine ranked Entwistle No. 9 on his list of "Top 50 Bass Players". He was named the second best rock bassist on Creem Magazine ' s 1974 Reader Poll Results. In 2011, a Rolling Stone Magazine reader poll selected him as the No. 1 rock bassist of all time. Entwistle collaborated with bass guitar manufacturers such as Alembic , Warwick , and Status Graphite. His bass solo on

6816-564: The Nederlander Organization book more eclectic entertainment, including classical symphonies and operas instead of just popular music bands. Nederlander refused, and after a breakdown in negotiations, the University decided to close the venue. Since the Nederlander Organization held a ten-year lease, the facility could not be used. Bob Heil , President and founder of Heil Sound and production adviser to national touring groups (such as

6958-495: The Sex Pistols ' Steve Jones and Paul Cook , fans of the Who. After leaving, he passed out in a doorway, where a policeman said he would not be arrested if he could stand and walk. The events inspired the title track of the next album, Who Are You . The group reconvened in September 1977, but Townshend announced there would be no live performances for the immediate future, a decision that Daltrey endorsed. By this point, Moon

7100-438: The UK and No. 4 in the US. " Baba O'Riley " and " Won't Get Fooled Again " are early examples of synthesizer use in rock, featuring keyboard sounds generated in real time by a Lowrey organ ; on "Won't Get Fooled Again", it was further processed through a VCS3 synthesizer. The synthesizer intro to "Baba O'Riley" was programmed based on Meher Baba's vital stats, and the track featured a violin solo by Dave Arbus . The album

7242-453: The US again with Eric Burdon and the Animals , including an appearance on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour , miming to "I Can See For Miles" and "My Generation". Moon bribed a stage hand to put explosives in his drum kit, who loaded it with ten times the expected quantity. The resulting detonation threw Moon off his drum riser and his arm was cut by a flying piece of a cymbal. Townshend's hair

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7384-649: The US later that month, where Robert Hilburn of the Los Angeles Times described the Who as "the Greatest Show on Earth". The tour was slightly disrupted at the Civic Auditorium in San Francisco on 12 December when Moon passed out over his kit after overdosing on brandy and barbiturates. He recovered and completed the gig, playing to his usual strength. After touring Who's Next , and needing time to write

7526-515: The Wall , which earned him a cult following in the US for fans of his brand of black humour. Other solo studio albums included: Whistle Rymes (1972), Rigor Mortis Sets In (1973), Mad Dog (1975), Too Late the Hero (1981), and The Rock (1996). The band was preoccupied with recording The Who by Numbers during the spring of 1975 and did not do any touring for most of the year, so Entwistle spent

7668-549: The Who are now the band against which all others are to be judged." Daltrey had significantly improved as a singer, and set a template for rock singers in the 1970s by growing his hair long and wearing open shirts on stage. Townshend had taken to wearing a boiler suit and Doctor Martens shoes. In August, the Who performed at the Woodstock Festival , despite being reluctant and demanding $ 13,000 up front. The group were scheduled to appear on Saturday night, 16 August, but

7810-414: The Who filmed another performance at Shepperton Sound Studios for The Kids Are Alright . This performance was strong, and several tracks were used in the film. It was the last gig Moon performed with the Who. The album was released on 18 August, and became their biggest and fastest seller to date, peaking at No. 6 in the UK and No. 2 in the US. Instead of touring, Daltrey, Townshend and Moon did

7952-554: The Who have continued to perform and tour, most commonly with Starkey on drums, Pino Palladino on bass, and Pete's brother Simon Townshend on second guitar and backing vocals. In 2019, the group released the album Who and toured with a symphony orchestra. The founding members of the Who, Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend and John Entwistle , grew up in Acton, London and went to Acton County Grammar School . Townshend's father, Cliff , played saxophone and his mother, Betty, had sung in

8094-400: The Who were widely considered one of the best and most popular live rock bands; Chris Charlesworth described their concerts as "leading to a kind of rock nirvana that most bands can only dream about". They decided a live album would help demonstrate how different the sound at their gigs was to Tommy , and set about listening to the hours of recordings they had accumulated. Townshend baulked at

8236-402: The Who's fourth studio album Tommy (1969) because Townshend had specifically requested Entwistle to write 'nasty songs' that he felt uncomfortable with. " My Wife ", Entwistle's driving, comedic song about marital strife from the band's fifth studio album Who's Next (1971), also became a popular stage number. He wrote "Success Story" for The Who by Numbers (1975), for which he also drew

8378-463: The Who's roadie, Dave "Cyrano" Langston. He was the only member of the band to have had formal musical training. In addition to the bass guitar, he contributed backing vocals and performed on the French horn (heard on " Pictures of Lily " and throughout Tommy ), trumpet, piano, bugle , and Jew's harp , and on some occasions he sang the lead vocals on his compositions. He layered several horns to create

8520-521: The Who). Elton John used his own band for "Pinball Wizard". Filming was from April until August. 1500 extras appeared in the "Pinball Wizard" sequence. The film premiered on 18 March 1975 to a standing ovation. Townshend was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Score . Tommy was shown at the 1975 Cannes Film Festival , but not in the main competition. It won the award for Rock Movie of

8662-728: The Year in the First Annual Rock Music Awards and generated over $ 2 million in its first month. The soundtrack reached number two on the Billboard charts. Work on Tommy took up most of 1974, and live performances by the Who were restricted to a show in May at the Valley , the home of Charlton Athletic , in front of 80,000 fans, and a few dates at Madison Square Garden in June. Towards

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8804-413: The accompanying single, "Pinball Wizard", a début performance at Ronnie Scott's , and a tour , playing most of the new album live. Tommy sold 200,000 copies in the US in its first two weeks, and was a critical success, Life saying, "for sheer power, invention and brilliance of performance, Tommy outstrips anything which has ever come out of a recording studio". Melody Maker declared: "Surely

8946-592: The band as a support act. The Detours were influenced by the bands they supported, including Screaming Lord Sutch , Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers , Shane Fenton and the Fentones , and Johnny Kidd and the Pirates . The Detours were particularly interested in the Pirates as they also only had one guitarist, Mick Green , who inspired Townshend to combine rhythm and lead guitar in his style. Entwistle's bass became more of

9088-525: The band broke up when a planned resident engagement in Spain fell through. Entwistle picked up two nicknames during his career as a musician. He was nicknamed "The Ox" because of his strong constitution and seeming ability to "eat, drink or do more than the rest of them". He was also later nicknamed "Thunderfingers". Bill Wyman , bassist for the Rolling Stones , described him as "the quietest man in private but

9230-558: The band including Nashville 's Grand Ole Opry , following his final upcoming tour with the Who. In 2001, he played in Alan Parsons ' Beatles tribute show A Walk Down Abbey Road . The show also featured Ann Wilson of Heart , Todd Rundgren , David Pack of Ambrosia , Godfrey Townsend, Steve Luongo, and John Beck of It Bites . That year he also played with the Who at the Concert for New York City . He also joined forces again with

9372-420: The band released an album of highlights from the tour, titled Left for Live and a studio album Music from Van-Pires in 2000. The album featured lost demos of Who drummer Keith Moon together with newly recorded parts by the band. In 1995, Entwistle also toured and recorded with Ringo Starr in one of the incarnations of Starr's All-Starr Band . This one also featured Billy Preston , Randy Bachman of

9514-464: The band's second studio album A Quick One (1966), continuing with "Doctor, Doctor" and "Someone's Coming" (1967); "Silas Stingy", "Heinz Baked Beans" and "Medac" from the band's third studio album The Who Sell Out (1967); " Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde " (1968); and " Heaven and Hell ", with which the Who opened their live shows between 1968 and 1970. Entwistle wrote "Cousin Kevin" and "Fiddle About" for

9656-448: The band. "Sally Simpson" is about a fan who tried to climb on stage at a gig by the Doors that they attended and " Pinball Wizard " was written so that New York Times journalist Nik Cohn , a pinball enthusiast, would give the album a good review. Townshend later said, "I wanted the story of Tommy to have several levels ... a rock singles level and a bigger concept level", containing

9798-459: The bass guitarist. If you're reading this bio at a show – don't forget to wave – I'm the one on the left. If you're reading this at an art show – Help support a starving Artist BUY SOMETHING! In 1967, Entwistle married his childhood sweetheart, Alison Wise. He bought a large semi-detached home in Stanmore , London, filling it with all sorts of extraordinary artefacts, ranging from suits of armour to

9940-448: The bass instead. He made his own instrument at home, and soon attracted the attention of Roger Daltrey , who had been in the year above Entwistle at Acton County, but had been expelled and was working as an electrician's mate. Daltrey was aware of Entwistle from school, and asked him to join as a bassist for his band, the Detours. After joining the Detours, Entwistle played a major role in encouraging Pete Townshend 's budding talent on

10082-611: The book The Mississippi River Festival . Additional history and video assembled by Dr. Stephen Kerber is available on a virtual exhibit of MRF located on the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville website. Southern Illinois University Edwardsville commemorated the 40th anniversary of the first season of the Mississippi River Festival with a picnic and dedication of a plaque at the festival site on June 13, 2009 Artist Steve Hartman commemorated

10224-526: The brass section as heard on songs such as " 5:15 ", among others, while recording the Who's studio albums, and for concerts, arranged a horn section to perform with the band. While Entwistle was known for being the quietest member of the Who, he in fact often exerted major influences on the rest of the band. For instance, Entwistle was the first member of the band to wear a Union Jack waistcoat. This piece of clothing later became one of Townshend's signature garments. In 1974, he compiled Odds & Sods ,

10366-537: The commitment of the group prevented him from releasing solo material. The next album, The Who by Numbers , had introspective songs from Townshend that dealt with disillusionment such as "However Much I Booze" and "How Many Friends"; they resembled his later solo work. Entwistle's "Success Story" gave a humorous look at the music industry, and " Squeeze Box " was a hit single. The group toured from October, playing little new material and few Quadrophenia numbers, and reintroducing several from Tommy . The American leg of

10508-519: The country; Prime Minister John Gorton sent a telegram to the Who telling them never to return to Australia. The Who would not return to Australia again until 2004. They continued to tour across the US and Canada during the first half of the year. By 1968, the Who had started to attract attention in the underground press . Townshend had stopped using drugs and became interested in the teachings of Meher Baba . In August, he gave an interview to Rolling Stone editor Jann Wenner describing in detail

10650-486: The demands of the music; added to this issue, tour rehearsals had been interrupted due to an argument that culminated in Daltrey punching Townshend and knocking him out cold. At a gig in Newcastle, the tapes completely malfunctioned, and an enraged Townshend dragged sound-man Bob Pridden on-stage, screamed at him, kicked all the amps over and partially destroyed the backing tapes. The show was abandoned for an "oldies" set, at

10792-592: The drumming and, according to Sandom, Townshend immediately turned on him and threatened to fire him if his playing did not immediately improve. Sandom left in disgust, but was persuaded to lend his kit to any potential stand-ins or replacements. Sandom and Townshend did not speak to each other again for 14 years. During a gig with a stand-in drummer in late April at the Oldfield, the band first met Keith Moon. Moon grew up in Wembley , and had been drumming in bands since 1961. He

10934-451: The end of 1976. The release of Who Are You (1978) was overshadowed by Moon's death shortly after. Kenney Jones replaced Moon and the group resumed touring, and released a film adaptation of Quadrophenia and the retrospective documentary The Kids Are Alright (both 1979). The band embarked on the It's Hard Tour in support of their 1982 album, It's Hard . After Townshend became weary of

11076-486: The end of his life, Entwistle mostly played by feeling the rush of air from his giant amp stacks. Entwistle blamed his hearing loss on using headphones. Entwistle identified his influences as a combination of his school training on French horn, trumpet, and piano (giving his fingers strength and dexterity). Musicians who influenced him included rock and roll guitarist Duane Eddy , and American soul and R&B bassists such as James Jamerson . In turn, Entwistle has been

11218-450: The end of the year, the group released the out-takes album Odds & Sods , which featured several songs from the aborted Lifehouse project. In 1975, Daltrey and Townshend disagreed about the band's future and criticised each other via interviews in the music paper New Musical Express . Daltrey was grateful that the Who had saved him from a career as a sheet-metal worker and was unhappy at Townshend not playing well; Townshend felt

11360-560: The end of which Townshend smashed his guitar and Moon kicked over his drumkit. The Independent described this gig as one of the worst of all time. The US tour started on 20 November at the Cow Palace in Daly City, California ; Moon passed out during "Won't Get Fooled Again" and during " Magic Bus ". Townshend asked the audience, "Can anyone play the drums? – I mean somebody good." An audience member, Scot Halpin , filled in for

11502-657: The entertainment division of the Royal Air Force during World War II, and both supported their son's interest in rock and roll . Townshend and Entwistle became friends in their second year of Acton County, and formed a trad jazz group; Entwistle also played French horn in the Middlesex Schools' Symphony Orchestra. Both were interested in rock, and Townshend particularly admired Cliff Richard 's début single, " Move It ". Entwistle moved to guitar, but struggled with it due to his large fingers, and moved to bass on hearing

11644-444: The entrance area to the stage area, which provided a permanent pathway for movement and finding a spot in a sea of blankets. There were restrooms on either side of the venue. For those who attended, there are fond memories of all day outdoor parties with friends and the opportunity to see top concert talent. In 1978, the Nederlander Organization was contracted to manage the facility and book acts. In 1980, SIUE officials requested that

11786-647: The event in the painting Mississippi River Festival: Shadows at Dusk . The painting was commissioned by the Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Alumni Association as a gift to the former Director of Alumni Services. The Who 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

11928-422: The festival ran late and they did not take to the stage until 5   am on Sunday; they played most of Tommy . During their performance, Yippie leader Abbie Hoffman interrupted the set to give a political speech about the arrest of John Sinclair ; Townshend kicked him off stage, shouting: "Fuck off my fucking stage!" During " See Me, Feel Me ", the sun rose almost as if on cue; Entwistle later said, "God

12070-415: The festival; Hendrix shipped over his regular touring gear from Britain, including a full Marshall stack . According to biographer Tony Fletcher , Hendrix sounded "so much better than the Who it was embarrassing". The Who's appearance at Monterey gave them recognition in the US, and "Happy Jack" reached the top 30. The group followed Monterey with a US tour supporting Herman's Hermits . The Hermits were

12212-456: The follow-up to Tommy , Lifehouse , was abandoned. Songs from the project made up the album Who's Next (1971), including the hits " Won't Get Fooled Again ", " Baba O'Riley ", and " Behind Blue Eyes ". The group released another concept album, Quadrophenia (1973), as a celebration of their mod roots, and oversaw the film adaptation of Tommy (1975). They continued to tour to large audiences before semi-retiring from live performances at

12354-463: The four personalities of the Who. Townshend played multi-tracked synthesizers, and Entwistle played several overdubbed horn parts. By the time the album was being recorded, relationships between the band and Lambert and Stamp had broken down irreparably, and Bill Curbishley replaced them. The album reached No. 2 in both the UK and US. The Quadrophenia tour started in Stoke on Trent in October and

12496-600: The group in rehearsals and was impressed. He signed them to his production company, and sold the recording to the US arm of Decca Records , which meant that the group's early singles were released in Britain on Brunswick Records , one of UK Decca's labels for US artists. "I Can't Explain" was recorded in early November 1964 at Pye Studios in Marble Arch with the Ivy League on backing vocals, and Jimmy Page played fuzz guitar on

12638-668: The group to release a solo album, Smash Your Head Against the Wall , in May 1971. Recording at the Record Plant in New York City in March 1971 was abandoned when Lambert's addiction to hard drugs interfered with his ability to produce. The group restarted with Glyn Johns in April. The album was mostly Lifehouse material, with one unrelated song by Entwistle, " My Wife ", and was released as Who's Next in August. The album reached No. 1 in

12780-536: The group would be ideal to represent the growing mod movement in Britain which involved fashion, scooters and music genres such as rhythm and blues , soul and modern jazz . He renamed the group the High Numbers, dressed them up in mod clothes, secured a second, more favourable audition with Fontana and wrote the lyrics for both sides of their single " Zoot Suit"/"I'm the Face " to appeal to mods. The tune for "Zoot Suit"

12922-733: The group's regular audience from the Goldhawk Social Club. Enthusiastic reception on television and regular airplay on pirate radio helped the single slowly climb the charts in early 1965 until it reached the top 10. In early 1965, the Who made their first appearance on the television music show, Top of the Pops , at the BBC 's Dickenson Road Studios in Manchester , with "I Can't Explain". The follow-up single, " Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere ", by Townshend and Daltrey, features guitar noises such as pick sliding , toggle switching and feedback , which

13064-401: The group, they split in 1983. The Who occasionally re-formed for live appearances such as Live Aid in 1985, a 25th-anniversary tour in 1989 with Simon Phillips on drums and a tour of Quadrophenia in 1996–1997. A full reunion began in 1999, with drummer Zak Starkey . After Entwistle's death in 2002, plans for a new album were delayed until 2006, with Endless Wire . Since Entwistle's death,

13206-422: The guitar work of Duane Eddy . He was unable to afford a bass and built one at home. After Acton County, Townshend attended Ealing Art College , a move he later described as profoundly influential on the course of the Who. Daltrey, who was in the year above, had moved to Acton from Shepherd's Bush , a more working-class area. He had trouble fitting in at the school, and discovered gangs and rock and roll. He

13348-409: The guitar, and insisting that Townshend be admitted into the band as well. At this point the band consisted of Entwistle, Townshend and drummer Doug Sandom , a semi-professional player who was several years older than the others. Daltrey relinquished the role of guitarist to Townshend in 1963, instead becoming frontman and lead vocalist. The band considered several changes of name, finally settling on

13490-451: The illustration on the album cover; " Had Enough ", "905", and " Trick of the Light " for Who Are You (1978); " The Quiet One " and "You" for Face Dances (1981); and "It's Your Turn", "Dangerous" and "One at a Time" for It's Hard (1982), his final studio album with the Who. In 1971, Entwistle became the first member of the band to release a solo studio album, Smash Your Head Against

13632-586: The imprint for all the Who's UK output until the mid-1970s. The group started 1968 by touring Australia and New Zealand with the Small Faces . The groups had trouble with the local authorities and the New Zealand Truth called them "unwashed, foul-smelling, booze-swilling no-hopers". After an incident that took place on a flight to Sydney , the band were briefly arrested in Melbourne and then forced to leave

13774-768: The loudest man on stage". Entwistle was one of the first to make use of Marshall stacks in an attempt to hear himself over the noise of his band members, who famously leapt and moved about on the stage, with Townshend and Keith Moon smashing their instruments on numerous occasions (Moon even used explosives in his drum kit during one television performance on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour ). Townshend later remarked that Entwistle started using Marshall amplification to hear himself over Moon's rapid-fire drumming style, and Townshend himself also had to use them just to be heard over Entwistle. They both continued expanding and experimenting with their rigs, until they were both using twin stacks with new experimental prototype 200 watt amps, at

13916-516: 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 synthesizers , 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

14058-456: The name the Who while Entwistle was still working as a tax clerk (temporarily performing as the High Numbers for four months in 1964). When the band decided that the blond Daltrey needed to stand out more from the others, Entwistle dyed his naturally light brown hair black, and it remained so until the early 1980s. Around 1963, Entwistle played in a London band called the Initials for a short while;

14200-825: The next morning. By the time the Detours had become the Who, they had already found regular gigs, including at the Oldfield Hotel in Greenford, the White Hart Hotel in Acton, the Goldhawk Social Club in Shepherd's Bush, and the Notre Dame Hall in Leicester Square. They had also replaced Druce as manager with Helmut Gorden, with whom they secured an audition with Chris Parmeinter for Fontana Records . Parmeinter found problems with

14342-521: The only performers there to have taken the stage at the original Woodstock. As a side project, he played the bass guitar in a country rock studio album project of original songs called the Pioneers, with Mickey Wynne on lead guitar, Ron Magness on rhythm guitar and keyboards, Roy Michaels, Andre Beeka on vocals, and John Delgado playing drums. The album was released by Voiceprint Records . Shortly before his death, Entwistle had agreed to play some US dates with

14484-511: The opening night of their Vapor Trails tour, which began in Hartford, Connecticut on 28 June 2002 (the night after Entwistle's death), Geddy Lee of Rush dedicated the band's performance of the song "Between Sun and Moon" to Entwistle. Pearl Jam 's seventh studio album Riot Act , released in late 2002, was dedicated to Entwistle, among others. Oasis played a cover version of " My Generation " during their Summer 2002 European Tour as

14626-407: The output. At one point his rig became so loaded down with speaker cabinets and processing gear that it was dubbed "Little Manhattan", in reference to the towering, skyscraper-like stacks, racks and blinking lights. While Townshend emerged as the Who's songwriter-in-chief, Entwistle began making distinctive contributions to the band's catalogue, beginning with "Whiskey Man" and " Boris the Spider " on

14768-454: The plot of a new album project and its relationship to Baba's teachings. The album went through several names during recording, including Deaf Dumb and Blind Boy and Amazing Journey ; Townshend settled on Tommy for the album about the life of a deaf, dumb and blind boy, and his attempt to communicate with others. Some songs, such as "Welcome" and "Amazing Journey", were inspired by Baba's teaching, and others came from observations within

14910-416: The project was never broadcast. The Who had not released an album in over a year, and had not completed the recording of Tommy , which continued well into 1969, interspersed with gigs at weekends. Lambert was a key figure in keeping the group focused and getting the album completed, and typed up a script to help them understand the story and how the songs fitted together. The album was released in May with

15052-605: The prospect of doing so, and demanded that all the tapes be burned. Instead, they booked two shows, one in Leeds on 14 February, and one in Hull the following day, with the intention of recording a live album. Technical problems from the Hull gig resulted in the Leeds gig being used, which became Live at Leeds . The album is viewed by several critics including The Independent , The Telegraph and

15194-446: The rest of the band, married, and a more proficient musician, having been playing semi-professionally for two years. Dawson left after frequently arguing with Daltrey and was briefly replaced by Gabby Connolly, before Daltrey moved to lead vocals. Townshend, with Entwistle's encouragement, became the sole guitarist. Through Townshend's mother, the group obtained a management contract with local promoter Robert Druce, who started booking

15336-497: The rest of the show. After a show in Montreal , the band (except for Daltrey, who retired to bed early) caused so much damage to their hotel room, including destroying an antique painting and ramming a marble table through a wall, that federal law enforcement arrested them. By 1974, work had begun in earnest on a Tommy film . Stigwood suggested Ken Russell as director, whose previous work Townshend had admired. The film featured

15478-418: The rights to the master tapes, which prevented the album from being reissued until 2002. The Who were signed to Robert Stigwood 's label, Reaction, and released " Substitute ". Townshend said he wrote the song about identity crisis, and as a parody of the Rolling Stones 's " 19th Nervous Breakdown ". It was the first single to feature him playing an acoustic twelve-string guitar . Talmy took legal action over

15620-494: The second year of school, and the two formed a trad jazz band, the Confederates. The group only played one gig together, before they decided that rock and roll was a more attractive prospect. Entwistle, in particular, was having difficulty hearing his trumpet with rock bands, and decided to switch to playing guitar, but due to his large fingers, and also his fondness for the low guitar tones of Duane Eddy , he decided to take up

15762-425: The skeleton suit Entwistle wore during the Who's 1970 tour, as a tribute. Entwistle's playing technique incorporated fingerstyle, plectrum , tapping , and the use of harmonics . He changed his style between songs and even during songs to alter the sound he produced. His fingering technique involved plucking strings very forcefully to produce a trebly, twangy sound. He changed his thumb position from pick-up to

15904-450: The slogan "Maximum R&B". In June 1964, during a performance at the Railway, Townshend accidentally broke the head of his guitar on the low ceiling of the stage. Angered by the audience's laughter, he smashed the instrument on the stage, then picked up another guitar and continued the show. The following week, the audience were keen to see a repeat of the event. Moon obliged by kicking his drum kit over, and auto-destructive art became

16046-453: The song with rhythmic chord work. At the same time, Townshend noted that Entwistle provided the true rhythmic timekeeping in the band, while Keith Moon, with his flourishes around the kit, was more like a keyboardist. In 1989, Entwistle pointed out that, by modern standards, "the Who haven't got a proper bass player." Entwistle also developed what he called a "typewriter" approach to playing the bass. It involved positioning his right hand over

16188-520: The spiritual message he wanted as well as being entertaining. The album was projected for a Christmas 1968 release but recording stalled after Townshend decided to make a double album to cover the story in sufficient depth. By the end of the year, 18 months of touring had led to a well-rehearsed and tight live band, which was evident when they performed "A Quick One While He's Away" at The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus television special. The Stones considered their own performance lacklustre, and

16330-730: The strings so all four fingers could be used to tap percussively on the strings, causing them to strike the fretboard with a distinctive twangy sound. This gave him the ability to play three or four strings at once, or to use several fingers on a single string. It allowed him to create passages that were both percussive and melodic. This method should not be confused with tapping or slapping , and in fact predates these techniques. Modern players such as Ryan Martinie of heavy metal band Mudvayne have used similar techniques. Entwistle can be seen using this technique in Mike Gordon 's documentary film, Rising Low (2002). Notable in his left-hand technique

16472-454: The summer performing solo concerts. He also fronted the John Entwistle Band on US club tours during the 1990s, and appeared with Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band in 1995. A talented visual artist, Entwistle held regular exhibitions of his paintings, with many of them featuring the Who. In 1984, he became the first artist besides Arlen Roth to record an instructional video for Roth's company Hot Licks Video. In 1990, Entwistle toured with

16614-654: The time of his death, his long-term partner was Lisa Pritchett-Johnson. Entwistle died in Room 658 at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Paradise, Nevada , on 27 June 2002, one day before the scheduled first show of the Who's 2002 United States tour. He was 57 years old. Entwistle had gone to bed that night with Alycen Rowse, a local stripper and groupie , who awoke the next morning to find Entwistle cold and unresponsive. The Clark County medical examiner determined that his death

16756-461: The toilet: "[A]ll that porcelain flying through the air was quite unforgettable. I never realised dynamite was so powerful." After a gig in Flint, Michigan on Moon's 21st birthday on 23 August 1967, the entourage caused $ 24,000 of damage at the hotel, and Moon knocked out one of his front teeth. Daltrey later said that the tour brought the band closer, and as the support act, they could turn up and perform

16898-653: The tour began in Houston to a crowd of 18,000 at The Summit Arena , and was supported by Toots and the Maytals . On 6 December 1975, the Who set the record for largest indoor concert at the Pontiac Silverdome , attended by 78,000. On 31 May 1976, they played a second concert at the Valley which was listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the world's loudest concert at over 120 dB. Townshend had become fed up of touring but Entwistle considered live performance to be at

17040-443: The whole of America had gone mad." A more enjoyable appearance came a few weeks later at the 1969 Isle of Wight Festival in England, which Townshend described as "a great concert for" the band. According to Townshend, at the end of the Isle of Wight gig the field was covered in rubbish left by fans (which the band's roadies helped to clear up), which inspired the line "teenage wasteland" from their single " Baba O'Riley ". By 1970,

17182-472: Was "Misery" by the Dynamics , and "I'm the Face" borrowed from Slim Harpo 's "I Got Love If You Want It". Although Meaden tried to promote the single, it failed to reach the top 50 and the band reverted to calling themselves the Who. The group – none of whom played their instruments conventionally  – began to improve their stage image; Daltrey started using his microphone cable as

17324-476: Was "trying to get Keith out of the Who". To alleviate financial pressure on the band, Lambert arranged a song-writing deal which required each member to write two songs for the next album. Entwistle contributed " Boris the Spider " and "Whiskey Man" and found a niche role as second songwriter. The band found they needed to fill an extra ten minutes, and Lambert encouraged Townshend to write a longer piece, " A Quick One, While He's Away ". The suite of song fragments

17466-562: Was a critical and commercial success, and has been certified 3× platinum by the RIAA . The Who continued to issue Lifehouse -related material over the next few years, including the singles " Let's See Action ", " Join Together " and " Relay ". The band went back on tour, and "Baba O' Riley" and "Won't Get Fooled Again" became live favourites. In November they performed at the newly opened Rainbow Theatre in London for three nights, continuing in

17608-439: Was an English musician, best known as the bass guitarist for the rock band the Who . Entwistle's music career spanned over four decades. Nicknamed " The Ox " and " Thunderfingers ", he was the band's only member with formal musical training and also provided backing and occasional lead vocals. Entwistle was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Who in 1990. Renowned for his musical abilities, Entwistle

17750-559: Was becoming increasingly destructive and problematic through excessive drinking and drugs use, and a desire to party and tour. Daltrey performed an audit of the group's finances and discovered that Lambert and Stamp had not kept sufficient records. He believed them to be no longer effective managers, which Townshend and Moon disputed. The painful dissolution of the managerial and personal relationships are recounted in James D. Cooper's 2014 retrospective documentary, Lambert & Stamp . Following

17892-404: Was booked for a series of experimental concerts. Townshend approached the gigs with optimism; the rest of the band were just happy to be gigging again. Eventually, the others complained to Townshend that the project was too complicated and they should simply record another album. Things deteriorated until Townshend had a nervous breakdown and abandoned Lifehouse . Entwistle was the first member of

18034-622: Was born on 9 October 1944 at Queen Charlotte's Hospital in Hammersmith , London, and brought up in Chiswick , Middlesex, which is now part of London. He was an only child. His father, Herbert (1915 - 2003), played the trumpet and his mother, Maud (née Lee) (29 November 1922 – 4 March 2011), played the piano. His parents' marriage failed soon after he was born, and he was mostly raised by his mother at his grandparents' house in South Acton . Divorce

18176-531: Was due to a heart attack induced by an undetermined amount of cocaine . Entwistle already had severe heart disease and usually smoked 20 cigarettes a day. Entwistle had undergone a medical examination for insurance purposes before the Who's 2002 tour started. The exam revealed high blood pressure and high cholesterol . Entwistle's authorised biographer Paul Rees has suggested that a more detailed physical examination would have revealed that three of his arteries were blocked and necessitated surgery. His funeral

18318-465: Was embarrassed at his wealth, which he felt was at odds with Meher Baba's ideals, and Moon spent frivolously. During the latter part of 1970, Townshend plotted a follow-up Tommy : Lifehouse , which was to be a multi-media project symbolising the relationship between an artist and his audience. He developed ideas in his home studio, creating layers of synthesizers, and the Young Vic theatre in London

18460-423: Was expelled at 15 and found work on a building site. In 1959 he started the Detours, the band that was to evolve into the Who. The band played professional gigs, such as corporate and wedding functions, and Daltrey kept a close eye on the finances as well as the music. Daltrey spotted Entwistle by chance on the street carrying a bass and recruited him into the Detours. In mid-1961, Entwistle suggested Townshend as

18602-472: Was frustrated at Daltrey not allowing him to sing them himself. As he said, "I got a couple [of songs] on per album but my problem was that I wanted to sing the songs and not let Roger sing them." This was a large part of the reason that he became the first member of the band to release a solo studio album, Smash Your Head Against the Wall (1971), which featured contributions from Keith Moon, Jerry Shirley of Humble Pie , Vivian Stanshall , Neil Innes and

18744-595: Was held at St Edward's Church in Stow-on-the-Wold , Gloucestershire, England, on 10 July 2002. His body was cremated and his ashes were buried privately in the grounds of his mansion, Quarwood . A memorial service was held on 24 October at St Martin-in-the-Fields , Trafalgar Square , London. Entwistle's huge collection of guitars and basses was auctioned at Sotheby's in London by his son, Christopher, to meet anticipated taxes on his father's estate . On Pete Townshend's website, Townshend and Roger Daltrey published

18886-536: Was his use of slides, positioning his left hand for octaves, and his use of the pentatonic when playing with the Who. Entwistle was notorious for the extremely high volume at which he played bass, going so far as to rig pick-ups to each string on his instruments. This led to him developing hearing loss, similar to Townshend. Although not as public about his problems as Townshend, he reputedly had to rely on lip reading to understand speech in his later years. Randy Bachman of Bachman–Turner Overdrive claimed that towards

19028-406: Was immediately beset with problems. Daltrey resisted Townshend's wish to add Joe Cocker 's keyboardist Chris Stainton (who played on the album) to the touring band. As a compromise, Townshend assembled the keyboard and synthesizer parts on backing tapes, as such a strategy had been successful with "Baba O'Riley" and "Won't Get Fooled Again". The technology was not sophisticated enough to deal with

19170-479: Was influenced beyond just the band's volume. Both Entwistle and Townshend had begun experimenting with feedback from the amplifiers in the mid-1960s, and Hendrix did not begin destroying his instruments until after he had witnessed the Who's "auto-destructive art". Entwistle's wry and sometimes dark sense of humour clashed at times with Townshend's more introspective, intellectual work. Although he wrote songs on every Who studio album except for Quadrophenia , Entwistle

19312-439: Was located on a hill forming a natural amphitheater characterized by a large circus-like tent, an acoustic shell at the bottom of the hill, and a single entrance area at the top of the hill. Students were able to attend shows at a discount. The MRF site was designed by George Anselevicius and George Dickie. The tent area contained approximately 1,900 director-style chairs arranged on a white gravel rock surface. Although there were

19454-575: Was our lighting man". At the end, Townshend threw his guitar into the audience. The set was professionally recorded and filmed, and portions appear on the Woodstock film , The Old Grey Whistle Test and The Kids Are Alright . Woodstock has been regarded as culturally significant, but the Who were critical of the event. Roadie John "Wiggie" Wolff, who arranged the band's payment, described it as "a shambles". Daltrey declared it as "the worst gig [they] ever played" and Townshend said, "I thought

19596-594: Was performing with a semi-professional band called the Beachcombers, and wanted to play full-time. Moon played a few songs with the group, breaking a bass drum pedal and tearing a drum skin. The band were impressed with his energy and enthusiasm, and offered him the job. Moon performed with the Beachcombers a few more times, but dates clashed and he chose to devote himself to The Who. The Beachcombers auditioned Sandom, but were unimpressed and did not ask him to join. The Who changed managers to Peter Meaden . He decided that

19738-518: Was singed and his left ear left ringing, and a camera and studio monitor were destroyed. The next album was The Who Sell Out  – a concept album paying tribute to pirate radio, which had been outlawed in August 1967 by the Marine Broadcasting Offences Act 1967 . It included humorous jingles and mock commercials between songs, a mini rock opera called "Rael", and "I Can See For Miles". The Who declared themselves

19880-466: Was so unconventional that it was initially rejected by the US arm of Decca. The single reached the top 10 in the UK and was used as the theme song to Ready Steady Go! The transition to a hit-making band with original material, encouraged by Lambert, did not sit well with Daltrey, and a recording session of R&B covers went unreleased. The Who were not close friends either, apart from Moon and Entwistle, who enjoyed visiting nightclubs together in

20022-529: Was so unhealthy that the Who conceded it would be difficult for him to cope with touring. The only gig that year was an informal show on 15 December at the Gaumont State Cinema in Kilburn , London, filmed for the documentary The Kids Are Alright . The band had not played for 14 months, and their performance was so weak that the footage was unused. Moon's playing was particularly lackluster and he had gained

20164-481: Was uncommon in the 1940s, and this contributed to Entwistle becoming reserved and socialising little. His musical career began at age 7, when he started taking piano lessons. He did not enjoy the experience and after joining Acton County Grammar School aged 11, switched to the trumpet, moving to the French horn when he joined the Middlesex Schools Symphony Orchestra. He met Pete Townshend in

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