UK#1 songs - "Dakota" - Stereophonics; "All About You"/"You've Got a Friend" - McFly;
"Is This the Way to Amarillo?" - Tony Christie ft. Peter Kay US #1 song - "Candy Shop" - 50 Cent ft. Olivia
On the 1st, Roger Daltrey, having received a CBE from Queen Elizabeth II the previous month, meets her again at a party to honor the British music industry at Buckingham Palace. Other attendees are Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Brian May, Charlotte Church, Cilla Black, Shirley Bassey, Phil Collins and Geri Halliwell.
Also on the 1st, an interview with Pete Townshend is aired on the BBC Radio 2 programme Hungry For Heaven. Simon Mayo talks to Pete, Donovan, Yusuf Islam and Paul Jones about rockers who became publicly religious.
And also on the 1st, Harry Shearer's wife Judith Owen releases her CD Lost & Found featuring a cover of "My Generation."
On the 5th, Pete comments on the CD Petra Haden Sings The Who Sell Out in the Los Angeles Times: "I heard the songs as if for the first time, and I was really pleased to hear how beautiful they are…I love this CD and Petra puts me in an Odorono sweat."
On the 15th, the Hollywood Reporter says that Roger will play the antagonist in an untitled "mermaid drama" pilot for the WB network. Nathalie Kelley is set to play the mermaid adjusting to life in Miami. The pilot never surfaces.
Roger is interviewed by Jon Wilde in Uncut magazine. He again disowns the It's Hard LP, declares he can't listen to old Who songs because his voice "sounds horrible to me" and dismisses complaints about his mid-1980's credit card ad, "I'm not having anyone tell me what I can and can't do."
On the 19th, the For The Record special with Roger being interviewed by Harvey Goldsmith recorded in January airs on the UK cable channel The Performance Channel.
On the 21st, in a diary entry, Pete announces that the new Who album has "been delayed, not cancelled." He also says planned shows will also be delayed because The Who's drummer, Zak Starkey, is currently touring with Oasis.
On the 22nd, the John Entwistle 2-CD compilation John Entwistle: So Who's The Bass Player? – An Anthology is released.
Also on the 22nd, Gibson Guitars issues only 75 of the "Pete Townshend LP Deluxe", a copy of the guitar played by Pete at the end of The Kids Are Alright.
March 2000 (10 Years Ago)
UK#1 songs - "American Pie" - Madonna; "Don't Give Up" - Chicane with Bryan Adams; "Bag It Up" - Geri Halliwell;
"Never Be the Same Again" - Melanie C. ft. Lisa "Left Eye" Lopez US #1 songs - "Amazed" - Lonestar; "Say My Name" - Destiny's Child
1998 photo by me.
On the 1st, the Daily Star reports that the Railway Hotel in Harrow, the mod hangout where Pete first smashed a guitar, has burned down.
Housing developments called "Daltrey House" and "Moon House" will go up in its place and a plaque commemorating Pete's guitar destruction will be put on the building in 2009.
On the 2nd on the JAM! Showbiz website, Jimmy Page responds to reports that he and the Black Crowes will be touring that summer with The Who. "There has been a vicious, nasty rumor going around that I'm going to be supporting The Who or opening for The Who, which there could be nothing further from the truth."
Roger continues his tour down under with the British Rock Symphony with an appearance at the Wollongong Entertainment Centre on his 56th birthday (1st). In the morning before his next show at the Sydney SuperDome (3rd), Roger is in a car accident. The effects of whiplash developing after that day force him to cancel a show on the 4th at the Canberra Bruce Stadium.
The tour picks up again on the 8th at the Brisbane Entertainment Center. On the 10th, Roger swims with dolphins at Seaworld at Gold Coast, Queensland. The next night the tour finishes at Colonial Stadium in Melbourne. Roger complains on stage about the quality of the sound as well as the quality of the Australian government. He ends the show by smashing fellow tourer Peter Frampton's guitar.
On the 23rd, Pete Townshend records an episode of VH1 Storytellers in London.
On the 24th, Roger, now back in London, and John Entwistle record their vocal performances for an appearance by The Who on an episode of the animated television comedy The Simpsons. Pete declines participation and is portrayed by his brother Paul.
March 1995 (15 Years Ago)
UK#1 singles - "Think Twice" - Celine Dion; "Love Can Build a Bridge" - Cher, Chrissie Hynde & Neneh Cherry with Eric Clapton; "Don't Stop (Wiggle Wiggle)" - Outhere Brothers US#1 single - "Take a Bow" - Madonna
On the 1st, Pete attends the Toronto opening of the The Who's Tommy at the Elgin Theatre.
Also on the 1st, The Wall Street Journal reports that Roundbook, the company originally slated to create the Tommy CD-rom, has filed for bankruptcy after Kardena Productions, producers of The Who's Tommy on Broadway, voided their contract. Pete reportedly lost $30,000 as a result.
This month a 10-part syndicated program called The History of Rock n' Roll begins airing on North American television. It contains a number of Pete interviews including one heartbreaking moment where Pete comments, "Jimi Hendrix. Brian Jones. Janis Joplin. Keith Moon. The list is f***ing endless. They're dead people. My life is full of dead people. My friends are dead. My friends. They might be your f***ing icons. They're my f***ing friends. They're dead."
A Pete interview also appears this month in Spin magazine's 10th Anniversary issue. He says, "My analytical process as a writer is based on a control group of mods, five boys and one girl from Shepherd's Bush, who came backstage to see me in the 60's and said, 'We love what you do and you must go on doing it.' To this day my work is 80 percent what I think that group wants me to say and 20 percent whatever froths up."
March 1990 (20 Years Ago)
UK#1 singles - "Dub Be Good To Me" - Beats International; "The Power" - Snap! US#1 singles - "Escapade" - Janet Jackson; "Black Velvet" - Alannah Myles
On the 10th, The Who appear together on ITV television's Aspel & Co. miming to newly recorded studio versions of "Join Together" and "I Can See For Miles." When asked what he has been doing with himself, Pete answers that he still works at Faber & Faber. Pete, Roger and John will not perform together live as The Who for over six years.
On the 20th, the Who's Better, Who's Best video is certified gold by the RIAA.
On the 24th in the U.K. and the 31st in the U.S., The Who release a three-album/two-CD souvenir of their 1989 tour called Join Together. Half is a live version of Tommy, the other half is Who and solo Pete hits. Also released in Europe is a single pulled from the boxset of "Join Together" backed with "I Can See For Miles" and "Behind Blue Eyes" (with "Christmas" added for an EP). Reviews in the music press can best be described as merciless. The U.K. LP peaks at #59 while in the U.S. it stops at #188.
UK#1 singles - "I Know Him So Well" - Elaine Paige & Barbara Dickson; "You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)" - Dead or Alive; "Easy Lover" - Philip Bailey and Phil Collins US#1 singles - "Careless Whisper" - Wham! ft. George Michael; "Can't Fight This Feeling" - REO Speedwagon;
"One More Night" - Phil Collins
On the 5th, Roger presents the makers of the movie Ghostbusters with Soundtrack of the Year at the
38th British Academy Awards. On the same evening, Pete meets Princess Diana for the second time at the Royal premiere of 2010.
On the 11th and 12th, Kenney Jones plays with Willie & The Poor Boys, Bill Wyman's 1950's-style band, while John Entwistle is an audience member. The concerts at Fulham Town Hall benefit Ronnie Lane and are filmed, recorded and released on DVD in 2004.
After the bitter breakup of The Who at the end of 1983, things seem to be thawing. Pete is interviewed in Jamming! magazine and is very complimentary towards Roger.
John travels to New York to videotape a bass-playing instruction course.
UK#1 45's - "Atomic" - Blondie; "Together We Are Beautiful" - Fern Kinney; "Going Underground"/"Dreams of Children" - The Jam US#1 45's - "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" - Queen; "Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)" - Pink Floyd
Steve Clarke's collection of Who quotes, The Who In Their Own Words, is published.
Around this time, John Entwistle begins work on his forthcoming solo album, Too Late The Hero at Crystal Studios, Los Angeles.
On the 19th, Pete is filmed
miming to "Rough Boys" for the Kenny Everett Video Show accompanied by Kenney Jones.
On the 22nd, New Musical Express reports that Pete's only copy of the script of Lifehouse was accidentally sent to record producer Nick Lowe instead of film director Nicholas Roeg. Lowe threw the script in the trash but it was later retrieved and returned to Pete.
The Who begin their 1980 European tour with a two-night stay at the Grugahalle in Essen, Germany on the 26th and 27th. On the 28th, they play the Zurcher Hallenstadion in Zurich, Switzerland. That night Pete, having been accused by those around him of behaving in a "schizophrenic" manner, decides to quit the rock & roll business and become a tramp. With just his wallet, his passport and the ever-present bottle of brandy, Pete sets off on foot to the town of Berne, Switzerland. He spends 16 hours either walking or sleeping under a tree before he finally reaches his destination, the Berne Zoo, famous for its huge brown bears kept in bearpits. However, when Pete gets there it is the off-season and the bears are not there. He is discovered passed out in the empty bearpit and is flown to Vienna where The Who perform at the Stadhalle in Vienna, Austria on the night of the 30th. The events of the past two days are quickly transformed by Pete into the song "Cache Cache" for the next Who album. The last date of the month is a performance on the 31st at the Festhalle in Munich, Germany.
Photo: Richard
Barnes
"Sister Disco" - Zurich 28 March
March 1975 (35 Years Ago)
UK#1 45's - "Make Me Smile (Come Up and See Me)" - Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel; "If" - Telly Savalas;
"Bye, Bye Baby" - The Bay City Rollers US#1 45's - "Best of My Love" - The Eagles; "Have You Never Been Mellow?" - Olivia Newton-John;
"Black Water" - The Doobie Brothers; "My Eyes Adored You" - Frankie Valli; "Lady Marmalade" - LaBelle
On the 1st, Melody Maker reports on Simon Townshend 's recently recorded first album and Pete' s production of a record for singer John Otway.
Also on the 1st, John and his solo band The Ox continue their North American tour at Massey Hall in Toronto, Canada as the opening act for the J. Geils Band. The Ox is the headlining act at Detroit's Masonic Temple (2nd), Agora Ballroom in Columbus, Ohio (3rd), New York City's Academy Of Music (8th), Century II in Buffalo, New York for promoter Harvey Weinstein (9th), Washington D.C.'s Constitution Hall (10th), and New York' s Calderone Concert Hall (16th). Other non-headlining dates are the Civic Theatre in Akron, Ohio (5th), Boston's Orpheum Theater co-billed with Roy Buchanan (7th), Philadelphia's Spectrum opening for Humble Pie (15th), Hempstead, Billero Hall, Allentown College, Allentown, Pennsylvania (17th), Chicago's Aire Crown Theater opening for Joe Walsh (20th), the Indiana Fairgrounds Coliseum in Indianapolis opening for Joe Walsh (21st), Eastern Illinois University in Charleston, Illinois supporting J. Geils Band and James Cotton (22nd), and ending in St. Louis, Missouri opening for Joe Walsh (23rd).
Some dates, such as Atlanta's The Omni (13th) are advertised but cancelled due to poor ticket sales. Peter Frampton would have been the supporting act. The Philadelphia show is recorded and broadcast later on the King Biscuit Flower Hour syndicated radio show and is released commercially in 1997. By the end of the tour John is disgusted by both the cost of touring (a personal loss of more than $70,000) and tensions within the band particularly between himself and his lead guitarist who apes Pete's well-known stage moves.
In remarks to Rolling Stone, Pete says, "The chasm between the original record album and the film is a great one, but everything Ken Russell has done with the story and the music has my full blessing." Rolling Stone also reports that, prior to beginning the film, Robert Stigwood had a survey performed revealing a 55% awareness of the rock opera in the general American populace.
On the 7th, Pete records a 2-˝ hour radio special for BBC Radio 1's Rock Week previewing the soundtrack to Tommy: The Movie. The show broadcasts the following day.
On the 8th, Keith Moon's forthcoming solo album Two Sides Of The Moon receives a favorable review in Melody Maker. The article also includes a photo of Iggy Pop riding on Keith's back.
On the 12th, A. D. Murphy in Variety, the U.S. movie industry bible, gives Tommy: The Movie a rave review and says it has great box-office potential.
On the 14th, Roger is interviewed in his dressing room at Shepperton for The Old Grey Whistle Test.
MCA sends U.S. radio stations the promotional LP Who's Ox. Side one contains Who songs written by John while side two has John solo songs.
The U.S. Navy Recruiting Office puts out a two-LP set called Sounds Like The Navy. It contains an interview with Keith Moon conducted by Los Angeles DJ Sam Riddle. Keith plays Who songs and cuts from his new solo album.
A double A-side single from the Tommy: The Movie soundtrack is released worldwide. "Listening To You/See Me, Feel Me" by Roger Daltrey, The Who and chorus is paired with the non-LP track "Overture from Tommy" performed by Pete. The single fails to chart in the U.S. or U.K.
Keith is interviewed by Andy McConnell in Crawdaddy magazine. Moon declares, "It's immunity from the consequences that I like. When people ask me if I act like that at home, the answer is yes!"
On the 17th, Keith Moon's one and only solo album Two Sides Of The Moon is released in the U.S. Ringo Starr supplies the title after Keith's "Like a Rat Stuffed Up A Pipe" is rejected. The sleeve features a cut-out with Keith looking through the window of a limousine. When the inner sleeve is reversed, a bare bottom is shown mooning. It does receive the aforementioned positive review in Melody Maker and gets a B from
reviewer Robert Christgau but otherwise is panned, especially by
Dave Marsh in Rolling Stone. After considerable money spent by MCA Records, two producers and nine months in production, it peaks in the U.S. at #155 on the Billboard charts.
Pete spends the 17th at the Ziegfeld Theater in New York City, running Tommy: The Movie over and over while he checks for problems with the film's Quintaphonic soundtrack. Also this day or the next, Pete has a meeting in his hotel room with Who fan and photographer Jeff Stein who proposes making a documentary film on The Who built out of old footage and television appearances, the movie that will eventually become The Kids Are Alright.
On the 18th, Tommy: The Movie has its world premiere at the Ziegfeld Theater. A morning press conference is attended by all the movie's stars except Oliver Reed, Jack Nicholson and Roger and Ken Russell who are in England working on Lisztomania. The film receives a standing ovation despite occasional sound problems. Afterwards The Who and celebrities attend a midnight party designed by new Hollywood hotshot Allan Carr in a sealed-off section of a New York subway station located under the IND Station at 57th Street and Sixth Avenue.
The next night Tommy: The Movie has its Los Angeles premiere at Mann's Wilshire Theater. Pete, Keith, John, Ann-Margret, Tina Turner, Elton John and Robert Stigwood attend. All are interviewed by David Frost for an ABC Wide World Special. Other celebrities interviewed by Army Archerd going into the theater or the afterwards party held at the Studio One Club include Paul and Linda McCartney, Ron Wood, Kenney Jones, Sally Kellerman, Dean Martin, Tommy Smothers and Ryan and Tatum O'Neal. The special airs on U.S. television on the 26th.
The Chicago premiere is on the 20th, the same night John Entwistle's Ox is performing in that city at the Arie Crown Theater.
Against widespread industry expectations that a movie with a soundtrack of only rock music will fail to find a mass audience, Tommy: The Movie becomes a box-office "sensation" earning $16 million in the U.S. alone (and placing #10 for 1975 films). The mainstream press reviewers love the film, praising Russell's excessive vision and the film's sense of fun. However, long-time Who fans and rock reviewers generally dislike the movie. Ian MacDonald in New Musical Express calls it a failure on every conceivable level and Jon Landau in Rolling Stone headlines his review "Too big, too late."
Andrew Sarris in The Village Voicesays "It confirms our belief that Rock has entered its mindlessly decadent phase, all noise and glitter and self-congratulation. It no longer comments on Us. We comment on it."
On the 20th, Roger's daughter, Willow Amber, is born at Pembury Hospital, Kent.
On the 21st, the soundtrack to Tommy: The Movie is released in the U.K. Melody Maker gives the album one of its few favorable reviews. The LP does not perform as well as in the U.S., peaking at #21.
On the 26th, Tommy: The Movie has its European premier at the Leicester Square Theatre in London. All The Who are present as well as Ken Russell, Robert Stigwood, Elton John, Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Lulu, David Essex, Rod Stewart and Britt Ekland. Capital Radio's Your Mother Wouldn't Like It broadcasts live from the theatre foyer. Robert Stigwood throws a post-premiere party at the Inn on the Park in tony Mayfair. Tommy programmes, mirrors, stickers, and T-shirts are on sale at select theatres.
On the 27th, Roger and Ken Russell tape their appearances on the Russell Harty show. Roger talks about wanting to go out on the road with the "'orrible 'oo" while Russell declares only The Who can lift England from its "weird, feeble state." It is broadcast the following evening and clips are used in The Kids Are Alright.
March 1970 (40 Years Ago)
UK#1 45's - "Wand'rin Star" - Lee Marvin; "Bridge Over Troubled Water" - Simon & Garfunkel US#1 45 - "Bridge Over Troubled Water" - Simon & Garfunkel
On the 1st, The Sunday Telegraph carries an editorial by Pete called "Sterility of Drug Taking." Pete praises the work of Dr. Allan Cohen who helps young people get off drugs and says that his own Meher Baba inspired spiritual quest has also led him to reject drug use, a highly controversial position for anyone connected to youth culture to take at this time.
On the 8th, The New York Times publishes an advance review of Live at Leeds by Nik Cohn in which he calls it "…the definitive hard-rock holocaust. It is the best live rock album ever made."
During the month, The Who begin recording new material at Eel Pie Sound, a studio Pete built in the garage next to his Twickenham home. In addition to engineering and playing guitar, Pete also plays electric piano, organ and percussion. John doubles up on bass guitar and brass. Recording will continue sporadically through May and will include early versions of "Postcard," "Now I'm A Farmer," "Naked Eye," "Water," and "I Don't Even Know Myself."
Pete's friend Richard Stanley shoots a promo film for "The Seeker." Who manager Kit Lambert does not like the result but it is still used to promote the single on European television and theatrically in U.S. art cinemas.
On the 17th, The Who were to have appeared as part of a John Lennon-led benefit show for the National Council for Civil Liberties and Release. The event was to have taken place at the Royal Albert Hall but the owners of the hall refused.
On the 19th, The Who tape their mimed performance to a new recording of "The Seeker" for Top Of The Pops at BBC Television Centre, London. This version is later released on the Best Buy bonus disc of BBC Sessions. John
said he forced a re-shoot after the director did not include a shot of him in the first take.
Photo: Harry Goodwin
While The Who are at the BBC, Pete has a meeting with Radio 1 Controller Douglas Muggeridge who wants more groups to record special tracks for the BBC. Pete agrees to have The Who participate as long as they can record them in their own studio instead of using the BBC's.
On the 20th, "The Seeker" backed with "Here for More" is released in Britain and reaches #19 in the charts. Derek Johnson in New Musical Express says, "The sound here is as heavy as you could wish for, but blended with the most artistic and delightful musicianship." The Beatles, mentioned in the lyrics, break up three weeks later.
On the 23rd, at Hatfield Magistrates Court, Keith pleads guilty but with extenuating circumstances to the charges of driving with excess alcohol, without insurance and without a driving license on the night of his chauffeur Neil Boland's death two months before. The magistrates dismiss all the charges.
On the 26th, the movie Woodstock, featuring The Who's performance of "See Me Feel Me," premiers at the Trans-Lux Theater in New York and the Fox-Wilshire in Hollywood. The worldwide success of the movie again propels the Tommy album into the charts.
March 1965 (45 Years Ago)
UK#1 singles - "I'll Never Find Another You" - The Seekers; "It's Not Unusual" - Tom Jones; "The Last Time" - The Rolling Stones US#1 singles - "My Girl" - The Temptations; "Eight Days a Week" - The Beatles; "Stop! In the Name of Love" - The Supremes
On the 1st, Roger is the first member of The Who to turn 21.
The Who, still occasionally billed as "The Who London 1965," play their Tuesday residency on the 2nd at The Marquee Club in London. Richard Green later reviews the show for Record Mirror. He says I Can't Explain "is not really typical of The Who's style" noting that one of the songs in their set is played for 26 minutes total.
On the 3rd, The Who head out to Le Disque a Go! Go! Club in Landsdowne, Bournemouth, Hampshire. After the show, one of Keith's former dates, a part time model named Sue Ellen, introduces Keith to another model and friend of hers, 16-year old Kim Kerrigan. Keith is instantly smitten, gets her phone number and begins calling her. Within a few weeks Keith begins traveling to Bournemouth to visit Kim every Wednesday, The Who's one day off.
With one young man's fancy turning to love, The Who still have to work, performing at the Ealing Club on the 4th and at Granby Halls, Leicester on the 5th at the "Rag Rave" supporting Manfred Mann.
On the 6th, " Mr. Lambert - Who" receives a court notice to return a guitar, its case, and a piano bass to the music store, plus "cheque return from bank". A copy of this document is later included in Live at Leeds.
On the 8th, heartbreak as "I Can't Explain" drops out of the NME charts.
If it's Tuesday, it must be The Who at the Marquee Club on the 9th. On the 10th, The Who appear at The Ealing Club then the next day make their first appearance on BBC-TV's Top Of The Pops, miming to "I Can't Explain" in the "Tip For The Top" slot.
On the 12th, The Who are back to home base at the Goldhawk Social Club in Shepherd's Bush followed by an "All-Nite Rave" on the 13th at Club Noreik in Tottenham, North London then a few hours sleep before appearing at the new Starlite Ballroom in Sudbury, Greenford on the 14th.
On the 15th comes another TV performance, this one on BBC2's Gadzooks! It's All Happening! as they play live "I Can't Explain" and "Shout and Shimmy." Meanwhile, a promo film assembled by Who managers and budding filmmakers Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp appears on the TV programme That's For Me. Footage of The High Numbers performing (and Mods dancing) at the Railway Hotel the previous August are edited together with a recent studio shoot of "I Can't Explain." It is later released on the Who's Better Who's Best video.
The Who get a photo spread in Seventeen magazine in the U.S.
On the 16th, The Who have a Marquee rehearsal. This might be the date when film is shot of Kit Lambert watching The Who perform on the Marquee stage. The footage is later used in the episode "In Search Of Constant Lambert" on BBC-2's Workshop. Also listed that day is a meeting with Shel Talmy for "L.P. routining." Sometime around then The Who record studio versions of "Leaving Here" and "Baby Don't You Do It" at Pye Studios in London that are pressed on acetate but never released. The recording is discovered years later in a Portobello Road record sale and is released on the 1998 issue of Odds and Sods.
On the 17th, David Wedgbury shoots color photographs of The Who against various London landmarks for American Decca Records to use for promotion. One of the photos is used for the cover of The Who Sings My Generation LP released a year later. That night The Who again play the Ealing Club.
On the 18th, excerpts from six numbers performed by The Who at The Marquee Club in February appear on a French Television programme called Seize Millions de Jeunes on ORTF TV 2. It is part of documentary about Mods shot by two French acquaintances of Chris Stamp. A scheduled appearance that day at the Civic Hall in Crawley is postponed until April 18th.
On the 19th, The Who are scheduled to return to IBC Studios for another bit of recording but there is no record of any tracks recorded at this time. The one sure thing for this date is that the group performs at the Public Baths in Royston, Herfordshire that evening.
On the 20th, Pete tells Melody Maker that The Who's next single will be "You Don't Have To Jerk". Shel Talmy's documentation does not show that The Who ever recorded a track with this title.
On the same date, The Who brush up on their Detroit sound by attending the Motown Show to see Martha and the Vandellas, The Supremes, The Miracles, Little Stevie Wonder, The Temptations and Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames. Afterwards they head over to the Goldhawk for a gig. The next night sees them at the Trade Union Hall in Watford.
On the 22nd, manager Kit Lambert receives a letter stating that their 15 April 1965 gig at the Locarno Ballroom, Swindon has been canceled because the Promoter has had a lot of trouble lately and he feels that THE WHO are not the type of Group that would go well in his Ballroom. Again a copy of this document later appears included in Live at Leeds. Is is not known if "a lot of trouble" happens when The Who play that night at Parr Hall in Warrington, Lancashire.
On the 23rd, "I Can't Explain" reappears on the NME charts at #23. Celebrations continue that night with a performance at the Marquee Club.
Photo: Dezo Hoffman
The next day, The Who record their second appearance on Top Of The Pops for the next night's broadcast (25th), before heading to Edmonton, North London to play the Blue Opera R&B Club.
The rest of the month finishes off with shows at the Ealing Club (26th), a "Bunny Hop" at the Rhodes Centre in Bishop's Stratford with opening act Cops 'n' Robbers (27th), The Brum Kavern Club, Small Heath, Birmingham (28th), The Marquee Club with The Boys (30th) and the Bromel Club in the Bromley Court Hotel for your dancing pleasure (31st).
March 1955 (55 Years Ago)
UK#1 78's - "Softly, Softly" - Ruby Murray; "Give Me Your Word" - Tennessee Ernie Ford US#1 45s - "Sincerely" - The McGuire Sisters"; "The Ballad of Davy Crockett" - Bill Hayes
Bo Diddley releases his first single "Bo Diddley" backed with the original version of "I'm a Man." The Who will record a cover of the b-side for their first album and release a live version from their 1989 tour.
Mark Wilkerson's masterful biography of Pete Townshend has been completely revamped with new interviews.
Now available worldwide!
"The most detailed, exacting study of his life and music we'll likely get until Townshend releases his own autobiography...and maybe not even then." - Mark Brown, The Rocky Mountain News
AVAILABLE NOW IN JAPAN!
A Quick One Box
Deluxe edition cardboard sleeve box set for The Who's second album "A Quick One." Set features two high quality SHM-CDs (compatible with standard CD players) with mono and stereo versions of the album plus B-sides, outtakes, demos, and tons of album and picture sleeve covers. All tracks feature remastering from Jon Astley.
andall the others who did the original research and provided the aid that led to this page.
A note about photographs: None of the photographs used on this site are by purchase agreement with the original photographer.
I try to credit when I can discover the name of the original photographer but, in most case, sources in newspapers, old copies of Creem Magazine, and even some Who books, do not credit photographers.
If you are the photographer or represent the photographer and you do not want your photograph posted, please get in touch and I will remove it immediately. This is a wholly non-profit site (if you could see my bank account, you'd know it's quite the opposite!) established to provide an historical overview of The Who.
