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Legendary English rocker Pete Townshend rose to worldwide fame in the 1960s with The Who, one of the top bands of the era, and he remained with them through bestselling albums, sold-out concerts and tumultuous tours. After the band broke up in 1982 he pursued a solo career with occasional reunions with Who vocalist Roger Daltry including a 2006 album titled 'Endless Wire' and revivals of the band's epic productions with other artists. Born in London in 1945, he learned to play guitar when he was young and played banjo in traditional jazz band The Confederates with future Who member John Entwistle. He went to art college and in 1961 and joined Roger Daltry's skiffle group The Entertainers. In 1965, as The Who with drummer Keith Moon, they released their first single 'I Can't Explain' and Townshend went on to write more than 100 songs for the band as they soared to international success with hits including the concept album 'Tommy'. He released a solo album titled 'Who Came First' in 1972 and in '76 teamed with Ronnie Lane on 'Rough Mix'. His first real solo release, 'Empty Glass', came out in 1980 and went to number five on the Billboard 200 and number eleven in the UK. After The Who disbanded, he put out 'White City: A Novel' and the long-form video that accompanied it won a Grammy Award nomination in 1986. Successful solo singles include 'Face the Face' which peaked at number three on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Chart in 1985, 'Give Blood' which reached number five in 1986 and 'A Friend Is a Friend' which hit number three in 1989. He released 'The Iron Man: The Musical By Pete Townshend' in 1989 and 'Psychoderelict' in 1993. Also that year, he won a Tony Award for Best Original Score for the Broadway production of 'The Who's Tommy'. In 2012, he published his candid autobiography 'Who I Am: A Memoir'. In 2017 he toured the US with an orchestra and guests Billy Idol and Alfie Boe performing his 1973 rock opera 'Quadrophenia'. The tour titled 'Classic Quadrophenia' debuted in England in 2015 and its American leg included a performance with the Boston Pops Orchestra at Tanglewood and shows at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City and the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles.Artist biography compiled by BDS/West 10. All rights reserved
