Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend Biography and Timeline

Birth of Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend

Birth of Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend

Birth of Pete Townshend

Birth of Who guitarist Pete Townshend.

Role range: 1945-

The Confederates

Pete Townshend and his school friend from Acton County Grammar School John Entwistle found their first band, The Confederates, a Dixieland duet featuring Townshend on banjo and Entwistle on horns

Joining The Detours

Joins The Detours after Entwistle recommends him.

Role range: 1945-

The Detours

Townshend & Entwistle join The Detours, a skiffle/rock and roll band fronted by Roger Daltrey, another former schoolmate

The High Numbers

Peter Meaden manages The Who briefly as The High Numbers.

The Who

The Who line-up is completed after Keith Moon replaces Doug Sandom.

Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere

The Who release Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere, credited to Townshend and Daltrey.

I Can't Explain

The Who release I Can't Explain, produced by Shel Talmy.

My Generation Single

Release My Generation as a defining mod-era single.

Role range: 1964-

My Generation Album

Release the debut album My Generation.

Role range: 1964-

My Generation Composition

Writes My Generation for The Who.

Role range: 1945-

Substitute

Release Substitute as a major British single.

Role range: 1964-

The Kids Are Alright

Release The Kids Are Alright as a single.

Role range: 1964-

Happy Jack

Release Happy Jack as a single.

Role range: 1964-

A Quick One Album

Release the album A Quick One.

Role range: 1964-

A Quick One While He's Away

A Quick One includes the mini-opera A Quick One While He's Away.

A Quick One

The Who release A Quick One.

Pictures of Lily

Release Pictures of Lily.

Role range: 1964-

Monterey Guitar Smash

Smashes his guitar during the Monterey performance.

Role range: 1945-

I Can See for Miles

Release I Can See for Miles.

Role range: 1964-

The Who Sell Out Album

Release The Who Sell Out.

Role range: 1964-

I Can See for Miles

The Who reach the U.S. top ten with I Can See for Miles.

Rael

The Who Sell Out includes the mini-opera Rael.

The Who Sell Out

The Who release The Who Sell Out, a concept album styled as an offshore radio broadcast.

Tommy

Rael includes musical ideas later developed for Tommy.

Magic Bus

Release Magic Bus as a single.

Role range: 1964-

Thunderclap Newman

Townshend helps assemble a band called Thunderclap Newman consisting of three musicians he knew including Pianist Andy Newman (an old art school friend)

Rock and Roll Circus

The Rolling Stones film the Rock and Roll Circus, with guests Eric Clapton, John Lennon, Jethro Tulll and the Who

Tommy Writing

Develops Tommy as a full rock opera.

Role range: 1945-

Pinball Wizard

Release Pinball Wizard from Tommy.

Role range: 1964-

Tommy Album

Release Tommy as a double album.

Role range: 1964-

Tommy

The Who release the rock opera Tommy.

Death of Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend

Upon Brian Jones death, Pete Townshend writes a poem titled "A Normal Day For Brian, A Man Who Died Every Day" (printed in The Times)

Tommy

Life Magazine says of Tommy, "...for sheer power, invention and brilliance of performance, Tommy outstrips anything which has ever come out of a recording studio". Between 1969 and 1971 Townshend, along with other devotees to Meher Baba, recorded a trio of albums devoted to his teachings: Happy Birthday, I Am, and With Love

Woodstock

The Who perform material from Tommy at Woodstock.

Live at Leeds

The Who record Live at Leeds at the University of Leeds.

Live at Leeds Release

Release Live at Leeds.

Role range: 1964-

Tommy

Tommy is performed at New York's Lincoln Center.

See Me, Feel Me

The Who reach the U.S. charts with See Me, Feel Me from Tommy.