Biography of Pete Townshend

Pete Townshend was the guitarist and songwriter for the Who from 1964 to 1982. Best-known for his conceptual works, he wrote Tommy and Quadrophenia for the group. Townshend made his first, tentative solo album, Who Came First, in 1972. Dedicated to his guru, Meher Baba, the album continued themes pursued in the previous Who album, Who's Next, and contained material from an abortive conceptual work, Lifehouse. The album sold modestly. In 1976, Townshend made a duo album, Rough Mix, with Ronnie Lane, formerly the bassist in the Small Faces.Townshend's first full-fledged solo effort, however, was Empty Glass (1980), which sold half a million copies, reached the Top Five, and featured the Top Ten hit "Let My Love Open the Door," as well as the minor hits "A Little Is Enough" and "Rough Boys." Townshend followed this in 1982 with All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes.Following the demise of the Who, Townshend released Scoop, a two-disc collection of demos, in 1983 (a second volume appeared in 1987). In 1985 he returned to thematic efforts with the album White City - A Novel, which included the Top 30 single "Face the Face." In the same year, Townshend published a book of short stories, Horse's Neck. As part of the White City project, Townshend appeared in an accompanying film, for which he organized a band called Pete Townshend's Deep End. The unit played only a few gigs, but one was videotaped and recorded, resulting in the 1986 album Pete Townshend's Deep End Live! In 1989, Townshend released an album based on Ted Hughes' children's story, The Iron Man. The record featured guest vocals by John Lee Hooker and Nina Simone, as well as two tracks featuring the three surviving members of the Who. Simultaneous with the album's release, Townshend embarked on a reunion tour with the Who.Although the reunion tour was successful, it didn't help The Iron Man at all. Four years later, Townshend delivered Psychoderelict to mixed reviews and lukewarm sales. By that time, he had successfully reinvented himself as a Broadway tunesmith -- the Broadway production of The Who's Tommy had become a runaway hit, earning Townshend a Tony and prompting him to pursue more stage musicals. ~ William Ruhlmann