Who Photography

Running right alongside the Beatles and the Stones as the UK’s finest exports, the Who played a defining role in the British Invasion and beyond. The foursome—consisting of microphone-whipping leader Roger Daltrey, windmilling guitarist Pete Townshend, easygoing bassist John Entwistle, and chaotic drummer Keith Moon—logged monumental performances at mammoth festivals like Monterey Pop, Woodstock, and the Isle of Wight.

By 1970, all of that on stage energy was captured on Live At Leeds, frequently characterized as the “greatest live album of all time”—stacked with a set list like “My Generation,” “Magic Bus,” and “Substitute”. The group also notched up a pair of landmark rock operas via the “Pinball Wizard”-wielding Tommy and the even more epic Quadrophenia.

Though the band lost Moon in 1978, a reconstituted line-up nevertheless managed to thrive throughout the 1980s and ’90s. And even after Entwistle’s 2002 passing, Daltrey and Townshend once again kept the Who’s flag flying with 2006’s Endless Wire, their first entirely original album in 24 years.