The band's second single, " Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere" was the only song on which Daltrey and Townshend collaborated, and Daltrey only wrote two other songs for the band during these years. If I didn't stick with The Who, I would be a sheet metal worker for the rest of my life." Daltrey recalled, "I thought if I lost the band I was dead. He promised there would be no more violent outbursts or assaults. A week later, Daltrey was admitted back to the band, but was told he'd be on probation. The other members of the Who expelled Daltrey from the band in late 1965 after he beat up drummer Keith Moon for supplying drugs to Townshend and Entwistle, causing him to re-examine his methods of dealing with people. With the band's first hit single and record deal in early 1965, Townshend began writing original material and Daltrey's dominance of the band began to decline. The single was unsuccessful.Īfter Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp discovered the High Numbers at the Railway Hotel, the band changed their name back to The Who, since neither Lambert nor Stamp liked the name the "High Numbers". Pete Meaden composed Mod songs for them (in fact, the songs were almost copies of Mod hits at the time, with changed lyrics) and they released one single, "I'm The Face/ Zoot Suit", on Fontana Records. The name was a reference to the T-shirts with "numbers" that the Mods used at the time. Pete Townshend suggested "The Hair" and Townshend's roommate Richard Barnes suggested "The Who." The next morning, Daltrey made the decision for the band, saying "It's The Who, innit?"ĭuring 1964, band manager Peter Meaden renamed the band the High Numbers as part of a move to establish the band as Mod favourites. In 1964 the group discovered another band working as the Detours and discussed changing their name. If you argued with him, you usually got a bunch of fives." He generally selected the music they performed, including songs by the Beatles, various Motown artists, James Brown and other rock standards. According to Townshend, Roger "ran things the way he wanted. In 1964 drummer Doug Sandom left the band, eventually being replaced by Keith Moon.Įarly on, Daltrey was the band's leader, earning a reputation for using his fists to exercise control when needed, despite his small stature (his height is reportedly 5 feet 7 inches (1.70 m)). After Colin Dawson left the band, Daltrey switched to vocals and played harmonica as well, while Townshend became the lead guitarist. At that time, the band consisted of Daltrey on lead guitar, Pete Townshend on rhythm guitar, John Entwistle on bass, Doug Sandom on drums and Colin Dawson on lead vocals. He invited schoolmate John Entwistle to play bass in the band, and on the advice of Entwistle, invited Pete Townshend to play guitar. Was it simply rock 'n' roll? It was obvious to a young man as intelligent as Roger that there was no future in conforming any more." ĭaltrey became a sheet metal worker during the day, while practising and performing nights with the band at weddings, pubs and working men's clubs. Describing the post-war times, Pete Townshend wrote in his autobiography, "Until he was expelled Roger had been a good pupil." "Then he heard Elvis and transmogrified into a Teddy Boy with an electric guitar and a dress-sneer. When his father bought him an Epiphone guitar in 1959, he became the lead guitarist for the band and soon afterwards was expelled from school for smoking. They told him he had to bring a guitar, and within a few weeks he showed up with it, and he could play it too. He made his first guitar from a block of wood, a cherry red Strat copy, and joined an existing skiffle band called the Detours in need of a lead singer. His parents hoped he would eventually continue on to study at university, but Daltrey turned out to be a self-described "school rebel" and developed a dedicated interest in the emerging rock and roll music scene instead. He showed academic promise in the English state school system, ranking at the top of his class on the eleven plus examination that led to his enrolment at the Acton County Grammar School. He was one of three children born to parents Irene and Harry Daltrey, and grew up with two sisters, Gillian and Carol.ĭaltrey attended Victoria Primary School and then Acton County Grammar School for Boys along with Pete Townshend and John Entwistle. Roger Harry Daltrey was born in the Hammersmith area of London, but was brought up in Acton, the same working class suburban district that produced fellow Who members Pete Townshend and John Entwistle.
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