Pete townshend biography amazon

English musician (born 1945)

For other people with strict names, see Peter Townsend and Peter Townend.

Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (; born 19 May 1945) give something the onceover an English musician. He is the co-founder, musician, second lead vocalist and principal songwriter of influence Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s.^[2][3] His aggressive act style and poetic songwriting techniques, with the Who and in other projects, have earned him fault-finding acclaim.

Townshend has written more than 100 songs for 12 of the Who's studio albums. These include concept albums, the rock operasTommy (1969) post Quadrophenia (1973), plus popular rock radio staples specified as Who's Next (1971); as well as loads more that appeared as non-album singles, bonus impressions on reissues, and tracks on rarities compilation albums such as Odds & Sods (1974). He has also written more than 100 songs that have to one`s name appeared on his solo albums, as well pass for radio jingles and television theme songs.

While herald primarily as a guitarist, Townshend also plays keyboards, banjo, accordion, harmonica, ukulele, mandolin, violin, synthesiser, deep-toned guitar, and drums; he is self-taught on blow your own horn of these instruments and plays on his particle solo albums, several Who albums, and as far-out guest contributor to an array of other artists' recordings. Townshend has also contributed to and authored many newspaper and magazine articles, book reviews, essays, books, and scripts, and he has collaborated whilst a lyricist and composer for many other sweet-sounding acts.

In 1983, Townshend received the Brit Prize 1 for Lifetime Achievement and in 1990 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall lay out Fame as a member of the Who. Townshend was ranked No. 3 in Dave Marsh's 1994 list of Best Guitarists in The New Seamless of Rock Lists.^[4] In 2001, he received skilful Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award as a member identical the Who; and in 2008 he received Aerodrome Center Honors. He was ranked No. 10 central part Gibson.com's 2011 list of the top 50 guitarists,^[5] and No. 37 on Rolling Stone's 2023 inventory of 250 greatest guitarists of all time.^[6] Closure and Roger Daltrey received The George and Provos Gershwin Award for Lifetime Musical Achievement at UCLA on 21 May 2016.^[7][8]

Early life and education

Townshend was born in Chiswick, West London, at the Chiswick Hospital, Netheravon Road, in the UK. He came from a musical family: his father, Cliff Townshend, was a professional alto saxophonist in the Speak Air Force's dance band the Squadronaires and queen mother, Betty (née Dennis), was a singer get the Sidney Torch and Les Douglass Orchestras.

The Townshends had a volatile marriage. Both drank heavily squeeze had fiery tempers. Cliff Townshend was often absent from his family touring with his band decide Betty carried on affairs with other men. Greatness two split when Townshend was a toddler skull he was sent to live with his motherly grandmother Emma Dennis, whom Pete later described introduction "clinically insane", later citing this experience as taking accedence unknowingly influenced the plot of Tommy.^[10] The biennial separation ended when Cliff and Betty purchased clever house together on Woodgrange Avenue in middle-class Acton, and the young Pete was happily reunited adapt his parents. His neighbourhood was one-third Polish, turf a devout Jewish family upstairs shared their enclosure with them and cooking with them—many of consummate father's closest friends were Jewish.^[12]

Townshend says he upfront not have many friends growing up, so explicit spent much of his boyhood reading adventure novels like Gulliver's Travels and Treasure Island. He enjoyed his family's frequent excursions to the seaside put forward the Isle of Man. It was on facial appearance of these trips in the summer of 1956 that he repeatedly watched the 1956 film Rock Around the Clock, sparking his fascination with English rock and roll.

Not long thereafter, he went hurt see Bill Haley perform in London, Townshend's extreme concert. At the time, he did not repute himself pursuing a career as a professional musician; instead, he wanted to become a journalist.

Upon momentary the eleven-plus exam, Townshend was enrolled at Acton County Grammar School. At Acton County, he was frequently bullied because he had a large caress, an experience that profoundly affected him. His nanna Emma purchased his first guitar for Christmas explain 1956, an inexpensive Spanish model. Though his ecclesiastic taught him a couple of chords, Townshend was largely self-taught on the instrument and never intellectual to read music. Townshend and school friend Crapper Entwistle formed a short-lived trad jazz group, description Confederates, featuring Townshend on banjo and Entwistle soul horns. The Confederates played gigs at the Zaire Club, a youth club run by the Acton Congregational Church, and covered Acker Bilk, Kenny Orb capacity, and Lonnie Donegan. However, both became influenced bid the increasing popularity of rock 'n' roll, rigging Townshend particularly admiring Cliff Richard's debut single, "Move It". Townshend left the Confederates after getting space a fight with the group's drummer, Chris Sherwin, and purchased a "reasonably good Czechoslovakian guitar" utter his mother's antique shop.

Townshend's brothers Paul and Dramatist were born in 1957 and 1960, respectively. Nonexistent the requisite grades to attend university, Townshend was faced with the decision of art school, harmony school, or getting a job. He ultimately chose to study graphic design at Ealing Art Academy, enrolling in 1961. At Ealing, Townshend studied jump future Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood. Townshend forsaken out in 1964 to focus on music full-time.

Musical career

1961–1964: the Detours

In late 1961, Entwistle joined class Detours, a skiffle/rock and roll band, led uncongenial Roger Daltrey. The new bass player then noncompulsory Townshend join as an additional guitarist. In illustriousness early days of the Detours, the band's redundancies consisted of instrumentals by the Shadows and dignity Ventures, as well as pop and trad ostentation covers. Their lineup coalesced around Roger Daltrey troupe rhythm guitar, Townshend on lead guitar, Entwistle split up bass, Doug Sandom on drums, and Colin Town as vocalist. Daltrey was considered the leader a few the group and, according to Townshend, "ran effects the way he wanted them."

Dawson quit in 1962 after arguing too much with Daltrey, who hence moved to lead vocalist. As a result, Townshend, with Entwistle's encouragement, became the sole guitarist. Protected Townshend's mother, the group obtained a management sphere with local promoter Robert Druce, who started employment the band as a support act for bands including Screaming Lord Sutch, Cliff Bennett and rectitude Rebel Rousers, Shane Fenton and the Fentones, boss Johnny Kidd and the Pirates. In 1963, Townshend's father arranged an amateur recording of "It Was You", the first song his son ever wrote. The Detours became aware of a group near the same name in February 1964, forcing them to change their name. Townshend's roommate Richard Barnes came up with "The Who", and Daltrey undeniable it was the best choice.

1964–1982: The Who

Main article: The Who

Not long after the name change, dealer Doug Sandom was replaced by Keith Moon, who had been drumming semi-professionally with the Beachcombers do several years. The band was soon taken load by a mod publicist named Peter Meaden who convinced them to change their name to justness High Numbers to give the band more bargain a mod feel. After bringing out one futile single ("I'm the Face/Zoot Suit"), they dropped Meaden and were signed on by two new managers, Chris Stamp and Kit Lambert, who had coupled up with the intention of finding new genius and creating a documentary about them. The pin anguished over a name that all felt insubstantial the band best, and dropped the High Drawing name, reverting to the Who. In June 1964, during a performance at the Railway Tavern, Townshend accidentally broke the top of his guitar hook the low ceiling and proceeded to destroy say publicly entire instrument. The on-stage destruction of instruments in good time became a regular part of the Who's existent shows.

With the assistance of Lambert, the Who deceived the ear of American record producer Shel Talmy, who had the band signed to a under wraps contract. Townshend wrote a song, "I Can't Explain", as a deliberate sound-alike of the Kinks, other group Talmy produced. Released as a single gratify January 1965, "I Can't Explain" was the Who's first hit, reaching number eight on the Island charts. A follow-up single ("Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere"), credited to both Townshend and Daltrey, also reached greatness top 10 in the UK. However, it was the release of the Who's third single, "My Generation", in November that, according to Who historian Mark Wilkerson, "cemented their reputation as a realistic band who reflected the feelings of thousands blame pissed-off adolescents at the time." The Townshend-penned sui generis incomparabl reached number two on the UK charts, appropriate the Who's biggest hit. The song and cause dejection famous line "I hope I die before Rabid get old" was "very much about trying equivalent to find a place in society", Townshend stated hoard an interview with David Fricke.

To capitalise on their recent single success, the Who's debut album My Generation (The Who Sings My Generation in representation US) was released in late 1965, containing virgin material written by Townshend and several James Heat covers that Daltrey favoured.^[41] Townshend continued to transcribe several successful singles for the band, including "Pictures of Lily", "Substitute", "I'm a Boy", and "Happy Jack". Lambert encouraged Townshend to write longer refuse of music for the next album, which became "A Quick One, While He's Away". The soundtrack was subsequently titled A Quick One and reached No. 4 in the charts upon its aid in December 1966. In their stage shows, Townshend developed a guitar stunt in which he would swing his right arm against the guitar filament in a style reminiscent of the vanes supporting a windmill. He developed this style after wont Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards warm up already a show.^[46]

The Who commenced their first US trek on 22 March 1967. Townshend took to trashing his hotel suites, though not to the supplement of his bandmate Moon. He also began experimenting with LSD, though stopped taking the drug rear 1 receiving a potent hit after the Monterey Explode Festival on 18 June. Released in December, their next album was The Who Sell Out—a notion album based on pirate radio, which had antique instrumental in raising the Who's popularity. It designated several humorous jingles and mock commercials between songs, and the Who's biggest US single, "I Jar See for Miles". Despite the success of "I Can See for Miles", which reached No. 9 on the American charts, Townshend was surprised regulation was not an even bigger hit, as be active considered it the best song he had fated up to that point.

By 1968, Townshend became fascinated in the teachings of Meher Baba. He began to develop a musical piece about a insensible, dumb, and blind boy who would experience possible vibrations musically. The piece would explore the tenets take in Baba's philosophy. The result was the rock operaTommy, released on 23 May 1969 to critical playing field commercial success. In support of Tommy, the Who launched a tour that included a memorable form at the Woodstock Festival on 17 August. Decide the Who were playing, Yippie leader Abbie Sculpturer jumped the stage to complain about the freeze of John Sinclair. Townshend promptly knocked him wing with his guitar, shouting, "Fuck off my shafting stage!"

In 1970, the Who released Live at Leeds, which several music critics cite as the unexcelled live album of all time.^[57] Townshend began calligraphy material for another rock opera. Dubbed Lifehouse, take a turn was designed to be a multi-media project ditch symbolised the relationship between a musician and coronet audience. The rest of the band were hairy by its convoluted plot and simply wanted alternate album. Townshend began to feel alienated, and depiction project was abandoned after he suffered a excitable breakdown. Much of the material intended for Lifehouse was released as a traditional studio album, Who's Next. It became a commercial smash, reaching integer one in the UK, and spawned two design hit singles, "Baba O'Riley" and "Won't Get Fooled Again", that featured pioneering use of the synthesist. "Baba O'Riley" in particular was written as Townshend's ode to his two heroes at the sicken, Meher Baba and composer Terry Riley.^[61]

Townshend began scribble songs for another rock opera in 1973. Noteworthy decided it would explore the mod subculture explode its clashes with rockers in the early Sixties in the UK. Entitled Quadrophenia, it was excellence only Who album written entirely by Townshend, become peaceful he produced the album as well due get rid of the souring of relations with Lambert. It was released in November, and became their highest charting cross-Atlantic success, reaching No. 2 in the UK and US.NME reviewer Charles Shaar Murray called practiced "prime cut Who" and "the most rewarding harmonious experience of the year." On tour, the pin played the album along to pre-recorded backing tapes, causing much friction. The tapes malfunctioned during spruce performance in Newcastle, prompting Townshend to drag soundman Bob Pridden onstage, scream at him and getupandgo over all the amplifiers, partially destroying the wrong tapes. On 14 April 1974, Townshend played empress first solo concert, a benefit to raise brass for a London community centre.

A film version clench Tommy was directed by Ken Russell, and marked Roger Daltrey in the title role, Ann-Margret by reason of his mother, and Oliver Reed as his step-father, with cameos by Tina Turner, Elton John, Eric Clapton, and other rock notables; the film premiered on 18 March 1975. Townshend was nominated sustenance an Academy Award for scoring and adapting position music in the film.The Who by Numbers came out in November of that year and spiritless at No. 7 in the UK and 8 in the US. It featured introspective songs, many times with a negative slant. The album spawned rob hit single, "Squeeze Box", that was written stern Townshend learned how to play the accordion. Make something stand out a 1976 tour, Townshend took a year-long curl from the band to focus on spending put on ice with his family.

The Who continues despite the deaths of two of the original members (Keith Sputnik attendant in 1978 and John Entwistle in 2002). Description band is regarded by many rock critics in that one of the best^[73][74] live bands^[75][76] from honesty 1960s to the 2000s. The Who continues let fall perform critically acclaimed sets into the 21st c including highly regarded performances at The Concert transfer New York City in 2001,^[77] the 2004 Atoll of Wight Festival,^[78]Live 8 in 2005,^[79] and justness 2007^[80] and 2015 Glastonbury Festival.^[81]

Townshend remained the preeminent songwriter and leader of the group, writing donate 100 songs which appeared on the band's 11 studio albums. Among his creations is the vibrate opera Quadrophenia. Townshend revisited album-length storytelling throughout government career and remains associated with the rock theatre form. Many studio recordings also feature Townshend turn up piano or keyboards, though keyboard-heavy tracks increasingly featured guest artists in the studio, such as Nicky Hopkins, John Bundrick, or Chris Stainton.^[82]

Townshend is rob of the key figures in the development depose feedback in rock guitar. When asked who crowning used feedback, Deep Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore said:

Pete Townshend was definitely the first. But battle-cry being that good a guitarist, he used equal just sort of crash chords and let representation guitar feedback. He didn't get into twiddling dictate the dials on the amplifier until much afterwards. He's overrated in England, but at the very time you find a lot of people comparable Jeff Beck and Hendrix getting credit for personal property he started. Townshend was the first to gateway his guitar, and he was the first quick do a lot of things. He's very good thing at his chord scene, too.^[83]

Similarly, when Prize Page was asked about the development of bass feedback, he said:

I don't know who really plainspoken feedback first; it just sort of happened. Unrestrained don't think anybody consciously nicked it from sole else. It was just going on. But Pete Townshend obviously was the one, through the air of his group, who made the use use your indicators feedback more his style, and so it's concomitant to him. Whereas the other players like Jeff Beck and myself were playing more single comment things than chords.^[84]

Many rock guitarists have cited Townshend as an influence, among them Slash,^[85]Alex Lifeson,^[86] refuse Steve Jones.^[87]

1972–present: solo career

In addition to his duty with the Who, Townshend has been sporadically lively as a solo recording artist. Between 1969 most important 1971 Townshend, along with other devotees to Meher Baba, recorded a trio of albums devoted tip his teachings: Happy Birthday, I Am, and With Love. In response to bootlegging of these, unwind compiled his personal highlights (and "Evolution", a cooperation with Ronnie Lane), and released his first major-label solo title, 1972's Who Came First. It was a moderate success and featured demos of Who songs as well as a showcase of government acoustic guitar talents. He collaborated with the Faces' bassist and fellow Meher Baba devotee Ronnie Machinate on a duet album (1977's Rough Mix). Boardwalk 1979 Townshend produced and performed guitar on ethics novelty single "Peppermint Lump" by Angie on Stringent Records, featuring 11-year-old Angela Porter on lead vocals.^[88]

Townshend made several solo appearances during the 1970s, cardinal of which were captured on record: Eric Clapton's Rainbow Concert^[89] in January 1973 (which Townshend sleek to revive Clapton's career after the latter's diacetylmorphine addiction),^[90] and the Paul McCartney-sponsored Concerts for honourableness People of Kampuchea in December 1979. The commercially available video of the Kampuchea concert shows honourableness two rock icons duelling and clowning^[91] through Rockestra mega-band versions of "Lucille", "Let It Be", captain "Rockestra Theme"; Townshend closes the proceedings with spick characteristic split-legged leap.^[92]

Townshend's solo breakthrough, following the mortality of Who drummer Keith Moon, was the 1980 release Empty Glass, which included the top-10 celibate "Let My Love Open the Door", and aiding singles "A Little Is Enough" and "Rough Boys". This release was followed in 1982 by All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes, which tendency the popular radio track "Slit Skirts". While shout a huge commercial success, music critic Timothy Duggan listed it as "Townshend's most honest and selfexamining work since Quadrophenia." Through the rest of authority 1980s and early 1990s Townshend would again appraise with the rock opera and related formats, rescuing several story-based albums including White City: A Novel (1985), The Iron Man: A Musical (1989), instruct Psychoderelict (1993). Townshend also got the chance come to an end play with his hero Hank Marvin for Feminist McCartney's "Rockestra" sessions, along with other rock musicians such as David Gilmour, John Bonham, and Ronnie Lane.^[93]

Townshend recorded several concert albums, including one featuring a supergroup he assembled called Deep End, portray David Gilmour on guitar, who performed just duo concerts and a television show session for The Tube, to raise money for his Double-O lenity, supporting drug addicts.^[94] In 1993, he and Nonsteroid McAnuff wrote and directed the Broadway adaptation be more or less the Who album Tommy, as well as capital less successful stage musical based on his on one`s own album The Iron Man, based upon the publication by Ted Hughes. McAnuff and Townshend later co-produced the animated film The Iron Giant, also homespun on the Hughes story.

A production described pass for a Townshend rock opera and titled The Youth Who Heard Music debuted as part of Vassar College's Powerhouse Summer Theater program in July 2007.^[95]

On 2 September 2017 at Tanglewood in Lenox, Colony, Townshend embarked with fellow singer and musician Federation Idol, tenor Alfie Boe, and an orchestra polish a short (5-date) "Classic Quadrophenia" US tour consider it ended on 16 September 2017 in Los Angeles, California.^[96][97]

1996–present: latest Who work

From the mid-1990s through primacy present, Townshend has participated in a series mock tours with the surviving members of the Who, including a 2002 tour that continued despite Entwistle's death.^[98]

In February 2006, a major world tour strong the Who was announced to promote their primary new album since 1982. Townshend published a semi-autobiographical story The Boy Who Heard Music as orderly serial on a blog beginning in September 2005.^[99] The blog closed in October 2006, as esteemed on Townshend's website. It is now owned moisten a different user and does not relate entertain Townshend's work in any way. On 25 Feb 2006, he announced the issue of a mini-opera inspired by the novella for June 2006. Incline October 2006 the Who released their first soundtrack in 24 years, Endless Wire.

The Who culminate at the Super Bowl XLIV half-time show decrease 7 February 2010, playing a medley of songs that included "Pinball Wizard", "Who Are You", "Baba O'Riley", "See Me, Feel Me", and "Won't Play-acting Fooled Again".^[100] In 2012, the Who announced they would tour the rock opera Quadrophenia.

The Who were the final performers at the 2012 Season Olympics closing ceremony in London, performing a assortment of "Baba O'Riley", "See Me, Feel Me", folk tale "My Generation".^[101]

On 22 March 2018, Townshend stated avoid a new Who album should feature original songs by Roger Daltrey as well as him.^[102] Go album, simply titled Who, was released on 6 December 2019. It was the band's second stamp album as a duo, and their first in xiii years.^[103]

Unfinished work

The Age of Anxiety, formerly Floss birth Musical,^[104] is the name given to a work-in-progress by Townshend.^[105] The musical has been a reading in progress at least since 2009 with unsullied original estimated release of 2011.^[106] On 24 Jan 2012 Townshend sold the rights to all interrupt his back catalog and much of his unconventional work including Floss The Musical if it evenhanded ever completed.^[107][108] He summarized the work in mediocre interview with Sirius Satellite Radio published February 2010.^[109] In a 2015 interview Townshend stated that blue blood the gentry work was intended to be an art installation.^[110] In March 2019 it was announced that swell work entitled The Age of Anxiety would reasonably published as a novel, with an opera consign to follow.^[111]

Musical influences

Townshend was born ten days stern Nazi Germanysurrendered in the Second World War turf grew up in the shadow of reconstruction unembellished and around London. According to Townshend, postwar wrench was the driving force behind the rock meeting revolution in the UK. "Trauma is passed disseminate generation to generation", he said, "I've unwittingly congenital what my father experienced."^[112] Townshend notes that ontogeny up in this period produced the narrative put off runs through his music of a boy departed in the stresses and pressures of postwar life.^[113] In his autobiography, he wrote:

I wasn't exasperating to play beautiful music. I was confronting capsize audience with the awful, visceral sound of what we all knew was the single absolute tip off our frail existence—one day an aeroplane would nickname the bomb that would destroy us all edict a flash. It could happen at any time.^[114]

Although he grew up in a household with frou-frou musicians, Townshend absorbed many of his ideas contemplate performance and rock music themes during art institution. Townshend's roommate at Ealing Art College, Tom Feminist, had a large record collection, and Townshend listened to and became influenced by R&B and vibrate & roll artists like Howlin' Wolf, John Revel in Hooker, Bo Diddley, Booker T. & the MGs, Little Walter, and Chuck Berry. He was besides strongly influenced by cellist Malcolm Cecil, who regularly damaged his cello during performances, along with Gustav Metzger, pioneer of auto-destructive art. In light dying these influences, guitar smashing became not just take in expression of youthful angst, but also a path of conveying ideas through musical performance. "We fresh a new concept", he writes. "Destruction is inside when set to music."^[114] Townshend also cited A name Basho as a significant influence, saying "I've fully been influenced by him. You can hear entrails in my work."^[116]

Equipment

See also: The Who's musical equipment

Guitars

Throughout his solo career and his career with influence Who, Townshend has played a large variety show guitars—mostly various Fender, Gibson, and Rickenbacker models. Take steps has also used Guild,^[117]Takamine^[118] and Gibson J-200acoustic models, with the J-200 providing his signature recorded remedy sound in such songs as "Pinball Wizard".^[119]

In honesty early days with the Who, Townshend played resolve Emile Grimshaw SS De Luxe and 6-string suffer 12-string Rickenbacker semi-hollow electric guitars primarily (particularly picture Rose-Morris UK-imported models with special f-holes). When dignity excited audience responded enthusiastically after he accidentally beggared the head off his guitar on a put pen to paper ceiling during a concert at the Railway New zealand pub pub in Wealdstone, west London, he incorporated leadership eventual smashing of his instrument into the band's performances.^[120] However, as instrument-smashing became increasingly integrated arrive at the Who's concert sets, he switched to broaden durable and resilient (and, importantly, cheaper) guitars acquire smashing, such as the Fender Stratocaster, Fender Telecaster and various Danelectro models.^[121] On the Who's The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour appearance in 1967, Townshend used a Vox Cheetah guitar,^[122] which he nonpareil used for that performance; the guitar was exhausted by Townshend and Moon's drum explosion. In excellence late 1960s, Townshend began playing Gibson SG Especial models almost exclusively. He used this guitar draw back the Woodstock^[123] and Isle of Wight shows dwell in 1969 and 1970, as well as the Live at Leeds performance in 1970.

By 1970 Actor changed the design of the SG Special avoid Townshend had been using previously, and he began using other guitars. For much of the Seventies, he used a Gibson Les Paul Deluxe, dehydrated with only two mini-humbucker pick-ups and others different with a third pick-up in the "middle position" (a DiMarzio Superdistortion / Dual Sound). He peep at be seen using several of these guitars seep out the documentary The Kids Are Alright, although cut down the studio he often played a '59 Gretsch 6120 guitar (given to him by Joe Walsh),^[122] most notably on the albums Who's Next come to rest Quadrophenia.^[124]

During the 1980s, Townshend mainly used Fenders, Rickenbackers and Telecaster-style models built for him by Schecter and various other luthiers. Since the late-1980s, Townshend has used the Fender Eric Clapton Signature Stratocaster, with Lace Sensor pick-ups,^[122] both in the flat and on tour. Some of his Stratocaster guitars feature a Fishman PowerBridge piezo pick-up system disperse simulate acoustic guitar tones. This piezo system evenhanded controlled by an extra volume control behind probity guitar's bridge.

During the Who's 1989 Tour Townshend played a Rickenbacker guitar that was ironically not working accidentally when he tripped over it. Instead uphold throwing the smashed parts away, Townshend reassembled nobleness pieces as a sculpture.^[125] The sculpture was featured at the Rock Stars, Cars And Guitars 2 exhibit during the summer of 2009 at Position Henry Ford museum.

There are several Gibson Pete Townshend signature guitars, such as the Pete Townshend SG, the Pete Townshend J-200, and three dissimilar Pete Townshend Les Paul Deluxes. The SG was clearly marked as a Pete Townshend limited issue model and came with a special case gain certificate of authenticity, signed by Townshend himself. Relative to was a Pete Townshend signature Rickenbacker limited printing guitar of the model 1998, which was king main 6-string guitar in the Who's early generation. The run featured 250 guitars that were effortless between July 1987–March 1988, and according to Rickenbacker CEO John Hall, the entire run sold tug before serious advertising could be done.

He along with used the Gibson ES-335, one of which powder donated to the Hard Rock Cafe. Townshend very used a Gibson EDS-1275 double-neck very briefly in the region of late 1967, and both a Harmony Sovereign H1270^[126] and a Fender Electric XII for the cottage sessions for Tommy for the 12-string guitar calibre. He also occasionally used Fender Jazzmasters on event in 1967 and 1968^[127] and in the accommodation for Tommy.

Amps

Over the years, Townshend has encouraged many types of amplifier, including Vox,^[128]Selmer, Fender, General, and Hiwatt, sticking to using Hiwatt amps nurse most of four decades. Around the time remaining Who's Next, he used a tweed Fender Chieftain amp (also given to him by Joe Walsh in 1970^[129]), which he also used for Quadrophenia and The Who by Numbers. While recording Face Dances and the collaborative album Rough Mix, Townshend made use of a Peavey Vintage 4×10 amplifier in the studio. Since 1989, his rig consisted of four Fender Vibro-King stacks and a Hiwatt head driving two custom made 2×12" Hiwatt/Mesa Take speaker cabinets. However, since 2006, he has inimitable three Vibro-King stacks, one of which is unembellished backup.

Townshend figured prominently in the development advance what is widely known in rock circles pass for the "Marshall stack". He ordered several speaker cabinets that contained eight 12" speakers in a covering standing nearly six feet in height with honourableness top half of the cabinet slanted slightly overhead. These were too heavy to move easily, in this fashion Jim Marshall cut the massive speaker cabinet essential half, at the suggestion of Townshend, with educate cabinet containing four 12-inch speakers. One of picture cabinets had half of the speaker baffle aslant upwards and Marshall made these two cabinets stackable. The Marshall stack was born, and Townshend sentimental these as well as Hiwatt stacks.

He has always regarded his instruments as being merely instruments of the trade^[130] and has, in latter epoch, kept his most prized instruments well away chomp through the concert stage. These instruments include a hardly any vintage and reissue Rickenbackers, the Gretsch 6120, break off original 1952 Fender Telecaster,^[131] Gibson Custom Shop's genius limited edition reissues of Townshend's Les Paul Gilded models 1, 3 and 9 as well queen signature SG Special reissue.

Keyboards

Townshend played keyboards feeling several Who songs. On Who's Next, he began to work with analogue synthesizers, using the Acute 2600 model that he first encountered at University University. He had this to say about magnanimity instrument: "I like synthesizers because they bring insert my hands things that aren't in my hands: the sound of an orchestra, French horns, thread. There are gadgets on synthesizers that enable flavour to become a virtuoso on the keyboard. Prickly can play something slowly and you press topping switch and it plays it back at substitute speed. Whereas on the guitar you're stuck surpass as fast as you can play and Farcical don't play fast, I just play hard. Straight-faced when it goes to playing something fast Irrational go to the synth."

The synths Townshend was referring to included the EMS VCS3 and ARP 2600, some of which modified a Lowrey TBO County organ. Current photos of his home studio along with show an ARP 2500. Townshend was featured infant ARP promotional materials in the early 1970s.^[134]

Since primacy late 1980s Townshend has predominantly used Synclavier Digital Audio systems for keyboard composition, particularly solo albums and projects.^[135]

Literary work

Although known for his musical compositions and musicianship, Townshend has been extensively involved revel in the literary world for more than three decades, writing newspaper and magazine articles, book reviews, essays, books, and scripts.

An early example of Townshend's writing came in August 1970 with the gain victory of nine installments of "The Pete Townshend Page", a monthly column written by Townshend for interpretation British music paper Melody Maker. The column if Townshend's perspective on an array of subjects, much as the media and the state of Unheard of concert halls and public address systems, as famously as providing valuable insight into Townshend's mindset close the evolution of his Lifehouse project.

Townshend likewise wrote three sizeable essays for Rolling Stone ammunition, the first of which appeared in November 1970. "In Love With Meher Baba" described Townshend's celestial leanings. "Meaty, Beaty, Big and Bouncy", a comprehensive account of the Who compilation album of representation same name, followed in December 1971. The position article, "The Punk Meets the Godmother", appeared exterior November 1977.

Also in 1977, Townshend founded Unlawful Pie Publishing, which specialised in children's titles, penalty books, and several Meher Baba-related publications. He likewise opened a bookstore named Magic Bus (after magnanimity popular Who song) in London. The Story contribution Tommy, a book written by Townshend and emperor art school friend Richard Barnes (now the Who's official biographer) about the writing of Townshend's 1969 rock opera and the making of the 1975 Ken Russell-directed film, was published by Eel Pastry the same year.

In July 1983, Townshend took a position as an acquisitions editor for Author publisher Faber and Faber. Notable projects included modification Animals frontman Eric Burdon's autobiography, Charles Shaar Murray's award-winning Crosstown Traffic: Jimi Hendrix and Post-War Pop, Brian Eno and Russell Mills's More Dark Pat Shark, and working with Prince Charles on a-one volume of his collected speeches. Townshend commissioned Dave Rimmer's Like Punk Never Happened, and was deputation editor for radical playwright Steven Berkoff.

Two period after joining Faber and Faber, Townshend decided obviate publish a book of his own. Horse's Neck, issued in May 1985, was a collection dead weight short stories he'd written between 1979 and 1984, tackling subjects such as childhood, stardom and ardour. As a result of his position with Faber and Faber, Townshend developed friendships with both Altruist prize-winning author of Lord of the Flies Sir William Golding and British Poet LaureateTed Hughes. Wreath friendship with Hughes led to Townshend's musical working-out of Hughes's children's story The Iron Man, sestet years later, as The Iron Man: The Harmonious by Pete Townshend, released in 1989.

Townshend has written several scripts spanning the breadth of wreath career, including numerous drafts of his elusive Lifehouse project, the last of which, co-written with transistor playwright Jeff Young, was published in 1999. Buy 1978, Townshend wrote a script for Fish Shop, a play commissioned but not completed by Author Weekend Television, and in mid-1984 he wrote organized script for White City: A Novel which facade to a short film.

In 1989 Townshend began work on a novel titled Ray High & The Glass Household, a draft of which was later submitted to his editor. While the beginning novel remains unpublished, elements from this story were used in Townshend's 1993 solo album Psychoderelict. Breach 1993, Townshend authored another book, The Who's Tommy, a chronicle of the development of the in first place Broadway version of his rock opera.

The orifice of his personal website and his commerce point Eelpie.com, both in 2000, gave Townshend another opening for literary work. (Eelpie.com was closed down make the addition of 2010.) Several of Townshend's essays have been enlightened online, including "Meher Baba—The Silent Master: My Track Silence" in 2001, and "A Different Bomb", stop off indictment of the child pornography industry, the adjacent year.

In September 2005, Townshend began posting uncut novella online entitled The Boy Who Heard Music as background for a musical of the unchanged name. He posted a chapter each week \'til it was completed, and novella was available total read at his website for several months. Regard Psychoderelict, it was yet another extrapolation of Lifehouse and Ray High & The Glass Household.

In 1997 Townshend signed a deal with Little, Chocolatebrown and Company publishing to write his autobiography, reportedly titled Pete Townshend: Who He? Townshend's creative vagaries and conceptual machinations have been chronicled by Larry David Smith in his book The Minstrel's Dilemma (Praeger 1999). After a lengthy delay, Townshend's life story, now titled Who I Am, was released 8 October 2012.^[136] The book ranked in the walk out 5 of The New York Times best purveyor list in October 2012.^[137]

On 5 March 2019, Townshend announced that his debut novel, titled The Quandary of Anxiety, would be published on 5 Nov 2019 by Hodder & Stoughton imprint Coronet. Townshend called the work an "extended meditation on insane genius and the dark art of creativity." Blue blood the gentry novel will be accompanied by an opera, which is currently in development, with an art instatement to follow.^[111]

Spirituality

In 1967 Townshend had begun to investigate spirituality.^[138] Townshend swiftly absorbed all of Meher Baba's writings that he could find; by April 1968, he announced himself Baba's disciple. At about that time, Townshend, who had been searching the formerly two years for a basis for a escarpment opera, created a story inspired by the hypothesis of Baba and other writings and expressing nobleness enlightenment he believed that he had received them, which ultimately became Tommy.^[139]

In interviews Townshend was more open about his beliefs, penning an fib on Baba for Rolling Stone magazine in 1970 and stating that following Baba's teachings, he was opposed to the use of all psychedelic dimwit, making him one of the first rock stars with counterculture credibility to turn against their use.^[140] This did not prevent him from later gratification in substance abuse. He wrote in Who Beside oneself Am of becoming addicted to cocaine in 1980-1981, to the point of overdosing and needing resuscitation.^[141] He also wrote that by January 1982, "I needed help to break my dependence on remedy drugs and heroin."^[142]

Personal life

Relationships

Townshend met Karen Astley, lassie of film composer Edwin Astley, while in crumbling school. They married on 20 May 1968 abstruse moved into a three-bedroom townhouse in Twickenham dwell in outer south-west London that overlooked the Thames. They have three children: Emma (born 1969), who equitable a gardening columnist, Aminta (born 1971), who shop in film production, and Joseph (born 1989), who studied graphic design at Central St. Martins.^[144]

Townshend suggest his wife separated in 1994. He has owing to been in a romantic relationship with arranger suggest musician Rachel Fuller, whom he secretly married pin down 2016. Townshend lived at The Wick, Richmond, Author, England, but sold the house in August 2021 for more than £15 million.^[145] He also owns great house in Churt, Surrey, and in 2010 purchased a lease of part of the National Source property Ashdown House in Oxfordshire.^[146] According to The Sunday TimesRich List his assets were worth £40 million as of 2009.^[147]

Sexuality

In a 1989 interview with tranny host Timothy White, Townshend apparently acknowledged his hermaphroditism, referencing the song "Rough Boys" on his 1980 studio album Empty Glass. He called the air a "coming out, an acknowledgment of the point that I'd had a gay life, and depart I understood what gay sex was about."^[148] Walk heavily a 1994 interview for Playboy, he said, "I did an interview about it, saying that 'Rough Boys' was about being gay, and in grandeur interview I also talked about my 'gay life', which—I meant—was actually about the friends I've esoteric who are gay. So the interviewer kind finance dotted the t's and crossed the i's arm assumed that this was a coming out, which it wasn't at all."^[149] Townshend later wrote rejoicing his 2012 autobiography Who I Am that filth is "probably bisexual".^[150] Townshend also stated that powder once felt sexually attracted to the Rolling Stones' lead vocalist, Mick Jagger.^[150]

Legal issues

Main article: Operation Ore

Townshend accepted a caution from the Metropolitan Police (the Met) as part of Operation Ore, a bigger investigation on child sexual abuse images conducted think it over 2002–2003. The Met stated that "it was historic that Mr Townshend was not in possession allround any downloaded child abuse images". Townshend was underline a sex offenders register for five years, recap in 2003, after admitting he had used authority credit card to access a child sexual censure images website.^[151][152] Townshend said he accessed the appearances as research in a campaign against child of the flesh abuse^[153]—specifically, to prove that British banks were complicit in channelling the profits from paedophile rings.^[154] Officialdom could not prove that the website accessed indifferent to Townshend involved children, and no incriminating evidence was found on his personal computer.^[155]

Hearing loss

Townshend suffers get out of partial deafness and tinnitus, likely the result adequate noise-induced hearing loss from long-term exposure to outspoken music. The Who were known as a do loud band in their live performances; for annotations, a Who concert at the Charlton Athletic Participants Club on 31 May 1976—where the volume file 32 metres from the stage was measured amalgamation 126 decibels—was listed as the "Loudest Concert Ever" by the Guinness Book of Records. Townshend has also attributed his hearing loss to the hail of Keith Moon's drum set during a 1967 Who appearance on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.^[156]

In 1989, Townshend gave the initial funding to accept the formation of the non-profit hearing advocacy load H.E.A.R. (Hearing Education and Awareness for Rockers). Aft the Who performed at half-time at Super Bamboozle XLIV in 2010, Townshend stated that he pump up concerned that his tinnitus has grown to specified a point that he might be forced regard discontinue performing with the band altogether. He try Rolling Stone, "If my hearing is going style be a problem, we're not delaying shows. We're finished. I can't really see any way get about the issue." Neil Young introduced him to break off audiologist who suggested he use an in-ear scrutineer, and although they cancelled their spring 2010 peregrinations schedule, Townshend used the device at their suggestion remaining London concert on 30 March 2010, inconspicuously ascertain the feasibility of Townshend continuing to transmit with the Who.^[157]

In March 2011, Roger Daltrey aforementioned in an interview with the BBC that Townshend had recently experienced gradual but severe hearing privation and was trying to save what remained donation his hearing: "Pete's having terrible trouble with tiara hearing. He's got really, really bad problems sign up it...not tinnitus, it's deterioration and he's seriously notify worried about actually losing his hearing".

Referring exceed that, in July 2011, Townshend wrote at enthrone blog: "My hearing is actually better than smart because after a feedback scare at the indigO2 in December 2008 I am taking good alarm clock of it. I have computer systems in cutback studio that have helped me do my profession work on the forthcoming Quadrophenia release. I own had assistance from younger forensic engineers and mastering engineers to help me clean up the towering absurd frequencies that are out of my range. Significance same computer systems work wonderfully well on period, proving to be perfect for me when justness Who performed at the Super Bowl and exposure Quadrophenia for TCT at the Royal Albert Hallway in 2010. I'm 66, I don't have consummate hearing, and if I listen to loud strain or go to gigs I do tend about get tinnitus".

Political views

In 1998, Townshend was given name in a list of the biggest private cash donors to the UK Labour Party.^[158] He refused to let Michael Moore use "Won't Get Fooled Again" in Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004), saying that pacify watched Bowling for Columbine (2002) and was categorize convinced.^[159] In 1961 while in art school, Townshend joined the Young Communist League and was fine prominent figure in their 1966 "Trend" recruitment operations. In a 1974 Penthouse interview he stated go wool-gathering he recognised in practice he was a industrialist who was rewarded well for his work, nevertheless that his ideals were communist.^[160]

In a widely prevailing 2012 interview with ABC, Townshend described himself jestingly as being "a bit of a neocon" stating that, "I like the idea of America makeover the world's police force. Then we don't fake to do it. You guys sort it out."^[161]

In a 2019 interview with The Times, Townshend overwhelm he was in favour of the United State remaining in the European Union, stating, "I'm pure Remainer, he [Roger Daltrey] is a Brexiteer. Frantic believe in God, he doesn't."^[162]

Charity work

Townshend has woven a long history of involvement with various charities and other philanthropic efforts throughout his career, both as a solo artist and with the Who. His first solo concert, for example, was grand 1974 benefit show which was organised to recruit funds for the Camden Square Community Play Palsy-walsy.

The earliest public example of Townshend's involvement channel of communication charitable causes was in 1968, when Townshend commendatory the use of his former Wardour Street lodging to the Meher Baba Association.^{[citation needed]} The consequent year, the association was moved to another Townshend-owned apartment, the Eccleston Square former residence of fillet wife Karen. Townshend sat on a committee ensure oversaw the operation and finances of the palsy-walsy. "The committee sees to it that it level-headed open a couple of days a week, take precedence keeps the bills paid and the library full", he wrote in a 1970 Rolling Stone article.^{[citation needed]}

In 1969 and 1972, Townshend produced two limited-release albums, Happy Birthday and I Am, for probity London-based Baba association. This led to 1972's Who Came First, a more widespread release, 15 solid cent of the revenue of which went belong the Baba association.^{[citation needed]} A further limited free, With Love, was released in 1976. A limited-edition boxed set of all three limited releases despoil CD, Avatar, was released in 2000, with beggar profits going to the Avatar Meher Baba Belief in India, which provided funds to a clinic, school, hospital and pilgrimage centre.^{[citation needed]}

In July 1976, Townshend opened Meher Baba Oceanic, a Author activity centre for Baba followers, which featured coat dubbing and editing facilities, a cinema and dexterous recording studio. In addition, the centre served importance a regular meeting place for Baba followers. Townshend offered very economical (reportedly £1 per night) structure for American followers who needed an overnight endure on their pilgrimages to India.^{[citation needed]} Townshend wrote in a 1977 Rolling Stone article:

For systematic few years, I had toyed with the thought of opening a London house dedicated to Meher Baba. In the eight years I had followed him, I had donated only coppers to textile set up around the world to carry ludicrous the Master's wishes and decided it was nearby time I put myself on the line. Significance Who had set up a strong charitable conviction of its own which appeased, to an follow you, the feeling I had that Meher Baba would rather have seen me give to the needy than to the establishment of yet another professed 'spiritual center'.

^{[citation needed]} Townshend also embarked on copperplate project dedicated to the collection, restoration and sustention of Meher Baba-related films. The project was cloak as MEFA, or Meher Baba European Film Archive.^{[citation needed]}

Children's charities

Townshend has been an active champion pointer children's charities. The debut of Townshend's stage substitute of Tommy took place at San Diego's Refrigerate Jolla Playhouse in July 1992. The show was earmarked as a benefit for the London-based Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Foundation, an organisation that helps family with autism and intellectual disability.^{[citation needed]}

Townshend performed win a 1995 benefit organised by Paul Simon executive Madison Square Garden's Paramount Theatre for the Beginner Health Fund. The following year, Townshend performed mock a benefit for the annual Bridge School Advantage, a California facility for children with severe words and physical impairments, with concerts organised by Neil and Pegi Young. In 1997, Townshend established nifty relationship with Maryville Academy, a Chicago area trainee charity. Between 1997 and 2002, Townshend played cardinal benefit shows for Maryville Academy, raising at littlest $1,600,000. His 1998 album A Benefit for Maryville Academy was made to support their activities nearby proceeds from the sales of his release were donated to them.^{[citation needed]}

As a member of significance Who, Townshend has also performed a series interpret concerts, beginning in 2000 to benefit the Teen Cancer Trust in the UK, which raised many million pounds.^{[citation needed]} In 2005, Townshend performed wrongness New York's Gotham Hall for Samsung's Four Seasons of Hope, an annual children's charity fundraiser. Farm animals the same year, he donated a smashed bass to the Pediatric Epilepsy Project.^[163]

On 4 November 2011, Roger Daltrey and Townshend launched the Daltrey/Townshend Juvenile and Young Adult Cancer Program at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, be acquainted with be funded by the Who's charity Who Wretchedness. The launch, followed on 5 November by natty fund-raising event, was also attended by Robert Buy and sell and Dave Grohl.^[164]

In 2024, Townshend contributed guitar discussion group a re-release of Mark Knopfler's "Going Home: Burden of the Local Hero" in aid of depiction Teenage Cancer Trust.^[165]

Drug rehabilitation

Townshend has also advocated imply drug rehabilitation. In a 1985 radio interview, significant said:

What I'm most active in doing in your right mind raising money to provide beds in clinics entertain help people that have become victims of sedative abuse. In Britain, the facilities are very, truly, very lean indeed ... although we have a formal health service, a free medical system, it does nothing particularly for class A drug addicts – cocaine abusers, heroin abusers ... we're making a outline of progress ... the British government embarked on fact list anti-heroin campaign with advertising, and I was co-opted by them as a kind of figurehead, opinion then the various other people co-opted me smart their own campaigns, but my main work job raising money to try and open a careless clinic.

^{[citation needed]}

The "large clinic" Townshend was referring puzzle out was a drug treatment facility in London renounce he and drug rehabilitation experimenter Meg Patterson esoteric devised, but the plan failed to come go up against fruition. Two early 1979 concerts by the Who raised £20,000 for Patterson's Pharmakon Clinic in Sussex.^[166]

Further examples of Townshend's drug rehabilitation activism took location in the form of a 1984 benefit concurrence (incidentally the first live performance of Manchester stripe the Stone Roses), an article he wrote clever few days later for Britain's Mail on Sunday urging better care for the nation's growing give out of drug addicts, and the formation of wonderful charitable organisation, Double-O Charities, to raise funds financial assistance the causes he'd recently championed.^{[citation needed]} Townshend besides personally sold fund-raising anti-heroin T-shirts at a array of UK Bruce Springsteen concerts and reportedly financed a trip for former Clash drummer Topper Frontal to undergo drug rehabilitation treatment. Townshend's 1985–86 tie, Deep End, played two benefits at Brixton Institution in 1985 for Double-O Charities.^[167]

Amnesty International

In 1979 Townshend donated his services to the human rights disposal Amnesty International when he performed three songs portend its benefit show The Secret Policeman's Ball—performances delay were released on record and seen in interpretation film of the show. Townshend's acoustic performances custom three of his songs ("Pinball Wizard", "Drowned", essential "Won't Get Fooled Again") were subsequently cited primate forerunners and inspiration for the "unplugged" phenomenon deduce the 1990s.^[168]

Townshend had been invited to perform supply Amnesty by Martin Lewis, the producer of The Secret Policeman's Ball, who stated later that Townshend's participation had been the key to his obtaining the subsequent participation for Amnesty (in the 1981 sequel show) of Sting, Eric Clapton, Jeff Stream, Phil Collins and Bob Geldof.^[169] Other performers impassioned to support Amnesty International in future Secret Policeman's Ball shows and other benefits because of Townshend's early commitment to the organisation include Peter Archangel, Bruce Springsteen, David Gilmour and U2's lead vocalist Bono who in 1986 told Rolling Stone magazine: "I saw The Secret Policeman's Ball and arrangement became a part of me. It sowed smashing seed...."^[170]

Discography

Main article: Pete Townshend discography

See also: The Who discography

Solo albums

Townshend also released several albums dedicated rise and fall his spiritual mentor Meher Baba, listed on decency discography page.

Guest appearances

In 1968 Townshend helped assemble dinky band called Thunderclap Newman consisting of three musicians he knew: pianist Andy Newman (an old neutralize school friend), drummer John "Speedy" Keen (who challenging written "Armenia City in the Sky" for blue blood the gentry Who to record for their 1967 studio release The Who Sell Out) and teenage guitarist Lever McCulloch (later to join Wings). Townshend produced greatness band and played bass on their recordings hang the tongue-in-cheek pseudonym "Bijou Drains". Their first tape measure was the single "Something in the Air", which became a number one hit in the UK and a substantial hit elsewhere in the sphere. Following this success, Townshend produced their sole lp, Hollywood Dream.^[171]

In 1971 Townshend, along with Keith Slug and Ronnie Lane, backed Mike Heron (of dignity Incredible String Band) on one song "Warm Electronic post Pastry" from Heron's first solo LP, Smiling Joe six-pack with Bad Reputations. On the album notes, they are listed as "Tommy and the Bijoux".

In 1984 Townshend contributed lyrics to the track "I'm the Answer" on his brother Simon's debut individual album, Sweet Sound.

Townshend shares songwriting credit figurative two songs ("Love on the Air" and "All Lovers Are Deranged") on Pink Floyd guitarist Painter Gilmour's 1984 solo album About Face.^[172]

Townshend often evidence and performed alongside his girlfriend Rachel Fuller, smart classically trained pianist and singer-songwriter.^[173][174]

In 2006 Townshend unsealed a website for implementation of The Lifehouse Fashion based on his 1971 Lifehouse concept. This site was in collaboration with composer Lawrence Ball remarkable software developer David Snowden, with instrumentation by Steve Hills. Applicants at the website could input dossier to compose a musical "portrait" that the euphonious team could then develop into larger compositions type a planned concert or series of concerts.^{[citation needed]}

Other appearances include: