Pete Townshend

Lore & Background

Townshend was born in Isleworth, West London, at the West Middlesex Hospital, in England. He came from a musical family: his father, Cliff Townshend, was a professional alto saxophonist in the Royal Air Force's dance band the Squadronaires and his mother, Betty (née Dennis), was a singer with the Sidney Torch and Les Douglass Orchestras. The Townshends had a volatile marriage; both drank heavily and had fiery tempers. When Townshend was a toddler his parents split and he was sent to live with his maternal grandmother Emma Dennis, whom Pete later described as 'clinically insane', later citing this experience as having unknowingly influenced the plot of Tommy. The two-year separation ended when Cliff and Betty purchased a house together on Woodgrange Avenue in Acton. His neighbourhood was one-third Polish, and a devout Jewish family upstairs shared their housing with them and cooking with them — many of his father's closest friends were Jewish. Townshend says he did not have many friends growing up, so he spent much of his boyhood reading adventure novels like Gulliver's Travels and Treasure Island. It was on a trip to the seaside in the summer of 1956 that he repeatedly watched the 1956 film Rock Around the Clock, sparking his fascination with American rock and roll. Not long thereafter, he went to see Bill Haley perform in London, Townshend's first concert. At the time, he did not see himself pursuing a career as a professional musician; instead, he wanted to become a journalist. Upon passing the eleven-plus exam, Townshend was enrolled at Acton County Grammar School, where he was frequently bullied because he had a large nose. His mother purchased his first guitar for Christmas in 1956, an inexpensive Spanish model. Though his father taught him a couple of chords, Townshend was largely self-taught on the instrument and never learned to read music. Townshend and school friends formed a band in the early 1960s, and after a few name changes they settled on the Who. In June 1964, during a performance at the Railway Hotel in Harrow and Wealdstone, Townshend accidentally broke the top of his guitar on a low ceiling, an incident that would become a signature part of his stage act.

Reader's Guide

Solo recordings: Townshend has written more than 100 songs that have appeared on his solo albums, as well as radio jingles and television theme songs. He plays all instruments on his own solo albums, several Who albums, and as a guest contributor to an array of other artists' recordings. Rock operas: Townshend authored two rock operas with the Who: Tommy (1969) and Quadrophenia (1973). He has also written more than 100 songs for 12 of the Who's studio albums, including concept albums and popular rock radio staples such as Who's Next (1971), plus dozens more that appeared as non-album singles, bonus tracks on reissues, and tracks on rarities compilation albums such as Odds & Sods (1974). Writing and journalism: Townshend has contributed to and authored many newspaper and magazine articles, book reviews, essays, books, and scripts, and he has collaborated as a lyricist and composer for many other musical acts. Awards and recognition: In 1983, Townshend received the Brit Award for Lifetime Achievement and in 1990 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Who. Townshend was ranked No. 3 in Dave Marsh's 1994 list of Best Guitarists in The New Book of Rock Lists. In 2001, he received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award as a member of the Who; and in 2008 he received Kennedy Center Honors. He was ranked No. 10 in Gibson.com's 2011 list of the top 50 guitarists, and No. 37 on Rolling Stone's 2023 list of 250 greatest guitarists of all time. He and Roger Daltrey received The George and Ira Gershwin Award for Lifetime Musical Achievement at UCLA on 21 May 2016.

Did You Know?

• In June 1964, during a performance at the Railway Tavern, Townshend accidentally broke the top of his guitar on the low ceiling and proceeded to destroy the entire instrument, which soon became a regular part of the Who's live shows.
• Townshend developed his windmill guitar stunt after watching Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards warm up before a show.
• Townshend studied graphic design at Ealing Art College alongside future Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, and dropped out in 1964 to focus on music full-time.