Pete Townshend | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Townshend in 2012 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend |
| Also known as | Bijou Drains |
| Born | 19 May 1945 Chiswick, England |
| Origin | London, England |
| Genres | |
| Occupations |
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| Instruments |
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| Years active | 1962–present |
| Labels | |
| Member of | The Who |
| Formerly of | Deep End |
| Spouses | |
| Website | thewho |
Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend (/ˈtaʊnzənd/; born 19 May 1945) is an English musician. He is the co-founder, guitarist, second lead vocalist and principal songwriter of the Who, one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s.[2][3] His aggressive playing style and poetic songwriting techniques, with the Who and in other projects, have earned him critical acclaim.
Townshend has written more than 100 songs for 12 of the Who's studio albums. These include concept albums, the rock operas Tommy (1969) and Quadrophenia (1973), plus popular rock radio staples such as Who's Next (1971); as well as dozens more that appeared as non-album singles, bonus tracks on reissues, and tracks on rarities compilation albums such as Odds & Sods (1974). He has also written more than 100 songs that have appeared on his solo albums, as well as radio jingles and television theme songs.
While known primarily as a guitarist, Townshend also plays keyboards, banjo, accordion, harmonica, ukulele, mandolin, violin, synthesiser, bass guitar, and drums; he is self-taught on all of these instruments and plays on his own solo albums, several Who albums, and as a 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 as a lyricist and composer for many other musical acts.
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.[4] 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,[5] and No. 37 on Rolling Stone's 2023 list of 250 greatest guitarists of all time.[6] He and Roger Daltrey received The George and Ira Gershwin Award for Lifetime Musical Achievement at UCLA on 21 May 2016.[7][8]
- ^ "Pete Townshend". Front Row. 26 December 2012. BBC Radio 4. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
- ^ "The Who unveil first new song in eight years". BBC News. 26 September 2014. Retrieved 5 June 2015.
- ^ The Who. Encyclopædia Britannica
- ^ The New Book of Rock Lists. New York City: Simon & Schuster. 1994. p. 344. ISBN 978-0671787004. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
new book of rock lists.
- ^ "Top 50 Guitarists". Gibson.com. Archived from the original on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
- ^ "The 250 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". Rolling Stone. 13 October 2023. Retrieved 14 October 2023.
- ^ Gershwin Awards 2016 Recipient Archived 21 November 2020 at the Wayback Machine, Alumni.UCLA.edu,
- ^ Weinberg, Lindsay (10 May 2016). "The Who to receive lifetime achievement award at Spring Sing 2016". Daily Bruin. Los Angeles, California: University of California, Los Angeles. Retrieved 18 October 2018.