Biography for
Pete Townshend More at IMDbPro »

Date of Birth

19 May 1945, London, England, UK

Birth Name

Peter Dennis Blandford Townshend

Height

6' (1.83 m)

Mini Biography

Born in Chiswick, London just ten days after the German surrender in 1945, Townshend grows up in a typical middle-class home. His parents, Cliff and Betty Townshend, are both musicians, and as a child he accompanies them on dance band tours. Townshend starts playing guitar at 12. He goes to art school and, after several stints in local semi-professional bands, forms the rock group The Who in 1963 with singer Roger Daltrey, bass player John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon. The Who start out as the ultimate, violent anti-establishment band; they soon gain notoriety for ear-splitting live performances, smashing their equipment on stage and wrecking hotel rooms, leaving havoc everywhere they go. As the group's mastermind and main songwriter, Townshend later establishes himself as an eminent musical auteur and the thinking man's rock guitarist after penning such now legendary concept albums as "Tommy", the abandoned "Lifehouse" and "Quadrophenia", which combine the energy of rock'n'roll with the orchestral and thematic ambitions of opera. After Keith Moon's accidental death in 1978 and a few unconvincing farewell tours with new drummer Kenney Jones, The Who break up. The 80's find Townshend struggling with his identity as an aging rock godfather, fighting drug problems and increasing hearing troubles. In 1989, he roars back with a 25th anniversary tour of The Who, later a Broadway revival of "Tommy" (an eventual Tony winner) and several other ambitious musical, theater and film projects. Widely known as the windmilling, leaping about guitarist for The Who, Townshend is also a premier songwriter, accurately self-reflective lyricist and inspired multi-media entrepreneur. Both "Tommy" and "Quadrophenia" were made into energetic films. The Kids Are Alright (1979), the band's biography movie, is interesting not only for The Who fans, but also from a filmmaker's point of view. Townsend's haunting songs have been used on the soundtrack of countless pictures. He stands out as one of rock music's most gifted and influential artists who has, despite being forever tied to the rebellious image of his youth, decided to somehow grow old with dignity.

IMDb Mini Biography By: Christoph Stappert

Spouse

Karen Astley

(20 May 1968 - 2000) (divorced) 3 children

Trade Mark

Smashes his guitars after great live performances.

"The Windmill" (strumming a guitar by swinging the whole extended arm in a circle)

Revolutionised the use of Gibson SG guitars

Powerslide (hitting a power chord while jumping and sliding across the stage on his knees)

Trivia

Has three children: Emma (born in 1969), Aminta (born in 1971) and Joseph (born in 1989).

Pete Townshend is the lead guitarist with The Who (rock band) along with Roger Daltrey and the late John Entwistle and Keith Moon.

Daughter, Emma, is now a recording artist in her own right.

His father Clive was a saxophonist with The Squadronaires Royal Air Force dance band.

His mother Betty was a singer.

His father-in-law Edwin Astley composed the theme music for "The Saint" (1962).

When he was a young boy, his parents separated and left him with his maternal grandmother, who was clinically insane.

Longtime companion is musician Rachel Fuller.

Officially left The Who in late 1983, one year after the band completed its "farewell" tour. At the time of the tour, the band had said they would continue to record and play live sporadically, but after rehearsing new material the following year, Townshend decided it was time to pack it in. They continue to play live and even tour on occasion, as bands often do after breaking up.

Best known solo albums include 'Empty Glass' (1980), 'All the Best Cowboys Have Chinese Eyes' (1982), and 'White City - a Novel' (1985).

Overcame serious drug and alchohol addictions in early 1982, in what was called a "miracle cure."

His daughter Emma sang on his 1985 song "Face the Face", the first single off his "White City" album. She also appeared in the video.

Best known songs penned by Townshend include "My Generation", "Pinball Wizard", "Tommy, Can You Hear Me?", "See Me, Feel Me", "Won't Get Fooled Again", "Behind Blue Eyes", "Baba o' Riley", and "Who are You?"

Elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (as a member of The Who) in 1990.

Kicked Yippie leader Abbie Hoffman off the stage at Woodstock when Hoffman interrupted The Who's performance to complain about the festival and to make a speech about imprisoned radical John Sinclair.

The Who's 1969 album "Tommy" came third in Classic Rock Magazine's list of the 30 greatest concept albums of all time (March 2003).

When The Who appeared on "The Simpsons" (1989) in 2000, Townshend was actually played by his brother, Paul.

Brother of Paul Townshend and Simon Townshend.

He was awarded the 1997 Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for Outstanding Musical Production of 1996 for Tommy performed at the Shaftesbury Theatre with John Entwistle.

Shares a birthday with ZZ Top bassist Dusty Hill, AD/DC drummer Phil Rudd and Ramones vocalist Joey Ramone.

The Who were voted the 29th Greatest Rock 'n' Roll Artists of all time by Rolling Stone.

Won Broadway's 1993 Tony Award as Best Score (Musical) both music and lyrics, for "The Who's Tommy," in a tie with John Kander and Fred Ebb for "Kiss of the Spider Woman--The Musical." For the same show, he was also nominated as Best Book (Musical) with collaborator Des McAnuff.

According to Dave Marsh in "Before I Get Old," Pete started to learn the guitar, but soon gave it up to learn to play the banjo for a Trad Jazz band he was in (the Confederates). It was only after he got into a fight with the band he was playing with that he again took up the guitar.

Suffered damaged to his hearing, which affected him in later life, after The Who made their first appearance on "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour" (1967), when the smoke powder in Keith Moon's bass drums, intended as an end-of-act stunt, exploded instead of just smoking copiously.

The cousins in the movie Tommy, who babysat for the young Tommy was an insight from Pete's childhood. His mother, who was quite promiscuous, made Pete call the men she brought home, uncle.

Pioneered the concept of the "rock opera"

The Who won the British Phonographic Industry Award for Outstanding Contribution in 1988.

Winner of the British Phonographic Industry Award for Life Achievement in 1983.

The TV series "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (2000) and its spin-offs "CSI: Miami" (2002) and "CSI: NY" (2004) all use songs by Townshend/The Who as their theme songs: "Who are you", "Won't Get Fooled Again" and "Baba O'Riley".

The Who were inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame for their outstanding contribution to British music and integral part of British music culture. (16 November 2005).

Helped Eric Clapton kick his heroin addiction. To repay Townshend, Clapton agreed to appear in Tommy (1975).

Has been involved with many charities since 1968 including the Meher Baba Association, The Children's Health Fund, the Bridge School, the Teenage Cancer Trust and Samsung's Four Seasons of Hope.

First noted rock musician to donate his service to Amnesty International, playing three songs at its 1979 benefit show The Secret Policeman's Ball (1979).

Lives in Richmond, England.

Is the best friend of Roger Daltrey, and the two are the only surviving members of The Who.

Was, along with Roger Daltrey, honored with a Kennedy Center Award (2008).

Has guest appeared as lead guitarist on recordings of Elton John, David Bowie and Mick Jagger among others.

Personal Quotes

It's not the fact that I WAS brilliant, I AM brilliant.

The bad part about growing older is I'm going bald. The good part is my nose seems to be getting shorter.

'It's a very complex thing, and I don't know if I'm getting it across.' - about his rock opera, 'Tommy,' in 1968.

At the Cannes Film Festival in 1979: "We're on the brink of something new. It will be similar to the invention of the American musical in the thirties. There will be a conceptualized, musical-video product and everyone's waiting for the first Sergeant Pepper, if you like, on video-disc. The contemporary musical form is about to be discovered."

They're really quite good, aren't they? -- Speaking of the rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, who were opening for The Who on a tour in the early 1970s.

The Kinks were much more quintessentially English. I always think that Ray Davies should one day be Poet Laureate. He invented a new kind of poetry and a new kind of language for Pop writing that influenced me from the very, very, very beginning.

[2008]: "There's this idea of learning to play just like Jimi Hendrix, it's still around in all these guitar magazines with their transcriptions, and I just think 'why?' There are different kinds of guitar players. There are those who want to play the songs exactly like the record, and then they're happy. And there's others like me who want to know how the songs are made, the structure, the chords."

Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997) has done a lot of damage to the image of swinging London, parodying what had already been parodied by lazy American newsreels over the years...It was a vital rebellion. Everything was turned on its head. Girls looked like boys, boys wore eyeliner and danced alone or in pairs like girls. Today we are facing something of the same kind of upheaval.

Where Are They Now

(January 2003) Is currently working with Roger Daltrey on the first The Who album of all-new material since 1982's 'It's Hard.'

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