Page updated Dec. 19, 2025
January 2020
New music releases: "Life Is Good" - Future featuring Drake; "The Box" - Roddy Ricch; "Whats Poppin" - Jack Harlow; "Say So" - Doja Cat
The Who's new album Who that had opened at #2 on the Billboard album charts on December 21st, appears for its last week on the charts on the 4th at #194.
On the 14th, Pete is interviewed in Der Spiegel: "Without Keith Moon and John Entwistle, the magic is missing. We are trying to replace them, but it is not the same thing."
In Europe, the copyright on The Who’s 1969 performance in Amsterdam at the Concertgebouw expires. Several different labels issue the performance on vinyl during the year.
On the 16th, The Who are listed as signed acts for the 2020 New Orleans Jazz Fest then scheduled to start April 23rd.
February 2020
New Music Releases: "Love Nwantiti (Ah Ah Ah)" - CKay featuring Joeboy and Kuami Eugene; "Death Bed (Coffee for Your Head)" - Powfu featuring Beabadoobee; "Blueberry Faygo" - Lil Mosey; "Heartbreak Anniversary" - Giveon
On the 9th, Pete posts on Instagram that fans coming for the upcoming Who shows in Kingston should check a local display of Henry Boxer's Outside Art. Boxer is the inspiration for the character of "Louis" in Pete's recent novel The Age of Anxiety.
On the 12th, and after on the 14th, The Who have an intimate show at the night club Pryzm in Kingston Upon Thames. Tickets for both events sell out in 5 seconds. Simon Townshend's song "Break the News" from the WHO album, has its live premiere although Roger has to read the lyrics off a sheet. Six tracks from these performances are released on the Deluxe Edition of the WHO album. Unbeknownst to the band or audience, these will be the last performances by the Who for twenty-seven months.
On the 15th, Pete remarks on moving his studio equipment. In addition to his ARP 2500, Pete has been given a new MOOG 35 synthesizer by MOOG Music. On the 18th, he writes about the history of his first song, "It Was You."
On the 22nd, Pete says he is currently producing Reg Meuross' song-cycle Fire and Dust about Woody Guthrie. Pete commissioned the project. The album is released March 2025.
On the 25th, Pete performs at the Peter Green tribute concert at the London Palladium. He plays "Station Man" from Fleetwood Mac's 1970 album Kiln House.
On the 28th, the British press reports that the late Margaret Thatcher's recently released public papers show that she wanted to meet a "pop star," preferably Kate Bush or Roger Daltrey, but had to settle for Mike Batt of the Wombles.
Starting on the 29th, a collection of photos of the early Who by Colin Jones is exhibited at Aperture in London.
Getting one last live performance under the Covid-19 wire, Roger performs on the Rock Legends Cruise on the 29th.
March 2020
New Music Releases: "Chicago Freestyle" - Drake and Giveon; "Savage Love (Laxed – Siren Beat)" - Jawsh 685 and Jason Derulo; "Suicidal" - YNW Melly featuring Juice Wrld; "Falling" - Harry Styles
On the 1st, Roger concludes his performances on the Rock Legends Cruise. When Sebastian Bach attempts to present Roger with a cake in honor of Roger's 76th birthday, Roger smashes him in the face with the cake. Roger will not perform publicly again until May 2022.
On the 12th, The Who announce they are postponing their planned U.K./Ireland tour scheduled for April because of Covid-19.
Also on the 12th, Paul Rees' authorized biography of John Entwistle The Ox: The Last of the Great Rock Stars is published in the U.K. The book contains several excerpts from John's diary covering his years with The Who. The U.S. release follows on April 7th.
On the 14th, Billboard carries a full-page ad for planned cinema showings in the U.S. of the February Peter Green tribute concert including Pete.
On the 17th, The Who give up and announce that their upcoming tour and the yearly Teenage Cancer Trust concerts are cancelled due to the Covid-19 lockdown.
On the 25th, Pete calls in to Shaun Keaveny's show on BBC Radio 6 Music to tell him what he is up to during lockdown: working on songs for a new Who album, finishing The Age of Anxiety musical, listening to the new Childish Gambino album, and tinkering with his home studio.
April 2020
New Music Releases: "You Broke Me First" - Tate McRae; "Pink Pony Club" - Chappell Roan; "Rockstar" - DaBaby featuring Roddy Ricch; "Savage" - Megan Thee Stallion
On the 14th, artist Dave Pearce sells Covid-19 movie posters to raise money for NHS Charities.
On the 24th, All Days Records in Japan re-issues The Who Sings My Generation in stereo and mono as part of their "US Version" series.
On the 27th, The Who were to have returned to the U.S. for make-up shows in Dallas, Houston, and Denver but Covid-19 has cancelled everything.
May 2020
New Music Releases: "Watermelon Sugar" - Harry Styles; "Go Crazy" - Chris Brown and Young Thug; "More Than My Hometown" - Morgan Wallen; "Rain on Me" - Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande
On the 2nd, Pete makes a short appearance in the documentary The Shadows at Sixty airing on the BBC.
On the 12th, the press announces that Pete and Rachel have made a gift of $100,000 to support cello students at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music and to provide funding for concerts presented by UCLA's Center for the Art of Performance at Royce Hall.
On the 15th, Roger calls for support of a charity single, a newly recorded duet with Bonnie Tyler and Lorraine Crosby of "Through Thick and Thin (I'll Stand By You)". Proceeds from the single benefit The Who's Teenage Cancer charities, hard hit by the absence of money-generating concerts during the Covid-19 lockdown. On the 20th, Roger and Bonnie Tyler are interviewed from their homes about the single on The One Show.
On the 20th, The Who finally throw in the towel and announce that all scheduled Who shows have been cancelled. Manager Bill Curbishley says The Who hope to return to the U.S. in Spring 2021.
Also on the 20th, BMG announce they have set up a "boutique" neighboring rights service. One of their first recipients is Roger and the service will represent his interests when his work is performed whether solo or with The Who.
On the 22nd, Roger is interviewed in Billboard about the current problems raising money for charities.
June 2020
New Music Releases: "Heat Waves" - Glass Animals; "Said Sum" - Moneybagg Yo; "The Good Ones" - Gabby Barrett; "Go" - The Kid Laroi and Juice Wrld
On the 7th, as the Covid-19 lockdown continues, Roger continues to try to draw attention to cancer treatment, conducting an at-home interview with Hodgkin's lymphoma survivor and singer Harry Hudson for a video posted by Teen Cancer America.
On the 18th, Roger is interviewed at home by Yahoo Music about the 45th anniversary of Tommy: The Movie and fundraising problems for Teen Cancer charities during the pandemic.
On the 19th, "Baba O'Riley" is awarded Platinum status by the BPI.
July 2020
New Music Releases: "Mood" - 24kGoldn featuring Iann Dior; "Head & Heart" - Joel Corry and MNEK; Folklore - Taylor Swift; "Popstar" - DJ Khaled featuring Drake
On the 4th, Pete posts on Instagram what he was doing during the Covid lockdown: "I’ve been writing. But also finishing off a small but powerful old style new home studio at the very top of the house. All my first studios in the ‘60s were on top floors. This studio has taken me a very long time to complete and I’m still waiting to bring up the central 24 track tape machine. Why tape? Not for the sound. Rather for the process of recording demos in layers. I want to emulate the work I did on the demos of Quadrophenia. A lot of that work would have been much easier with a computer, but maybe less loose and edgy. Using the same kind of equipment I used to write Q. Needless to say carrying all this gear up 100 stairs has kept me fit. Do any of you modern studio producers still work with tape? EVER!!?"
On the 6th, Pete's wife Rachel Fuller announces that, due to Covid, her Siddhartha musical album featuring Pete has been delayed. It will finally be released in 2024.
On the 10th, Roger is interviewed from his home by U.S. Republican Party pollster and Who fan Frank Luntz on Crowdcast. It is mostly concerned with Roger's teen cancer work.
On the 27th, Masterpiece Art Gallery in London begins an exhibition of unseen photographs from the 1969 and 1970 Isle of Wight Festivals under the title "Wight Spirit, 1968-1970".
August 2020
New Music Releases: "Save Your Tears" - The Weeknd; "WAP" - Cardi B featuring Megan Thee Stallion; "Laugh Now, Cry Later" - Drake featuring Lil Durk; "Martin & Gina" - Polo G
On the 4th, in an interview in GQuk, Paul McCartney denies John Entwistle's story that The Beatles sang obscene versions of their songs while performing after The High Numbers in 1964. "I think that this one is just some legend. It would be a good story, 'tho."
On the 8th, The Who launch "Join Together@Home," a YouTube channel featuring archival Who performances. It opens with part of their 1982 Shea Stadium performance.
On the same day, Roger spends an hour answering questions from fans at thewho.com via home video uplink. Richard Evans conducts.
On the 14th, Pete apologizes after temporarily disabling his Instagram account: "I am very well. Happy. Life is good. But I am in a period of writers' block around music and I think I need to have fewer distractions."
On a webcast of The Mads Are Back, a spinoff of movie-riffing Mystery Science Theater 3000, the 1959 horror film The Tingler is shown. In it Vincent Price is introduced to woman who is not blind, but is deaf & mute. "So, are you somewhat good at pinball?" is the following riff.
On the 29th, a newly restored and expanded 2-LP version of Odds and Sods is released for a Covid-19 delayed Record Store Day.
September 2020
New Music Releases: "Heather" - Conan Gray; "Holy" - Justin Bieber featuring Chance the Rapper; "The Business" - Tiësto; "Hit Different" - SZA featuring Ty Dolla Sign
On the 22nd, Geddy Lee of Rush tells an interviewer that the greatest album of all time is Who's Next and Pete Townshend is the greatest songwriter.
On the 27th, Roger is inteviewed at home about the problems raising money for the Teenage Cancer Trust as Covid-19 rages on.
On the 29th, Roger writes a letter to The Times the Teenage Cancer Trust: We’re a small charity and we’ve lost half our income just like that. While all our attention has been on coronavirus. I lie awake at night worrying not just about our charity hut also about others in the same boat... We've lost so much this year but it just so happens that we filmed the [Teenage Cancer Trust] gigs over the past 20 years. And the artists have now allowed us to show them on YouTube for the first time. Tune in. bung us the price of a coffee or this very newspaper and the kids will be alright."
October 2020
New music releases: "Levitating" - Dua Lipa featuring DaBaby; "For the Night" - Pop Smoke featuring Lil Baby and DaBaby; "Forever After All" - Luke Combs; "Positions" - Ariana Grande
On the 6th, Pete releases a new mix of a song from the WHO album, "Beads on One String (Yaggerdang Remix)". It restores the synthesizer demo performed by song co-author Josh Hunsacker, replaces Pino Palladino's bass with a Pete performance and uses Roger's first take of the song that Pete thought more "heartfelt." "It must stand alone in a period when each of us is tempted to blame someone else for our troubles, maybe even God whoever we take her/him/both to be."
Also on the 6th, Pete comments on the recent death of Eddie Van Halen. Pete reveals that he was approached by Michael Jackson to perform the guitar part for "Beat It" on Thriller but turned it down, suggesting Eddie instead. Pete calls him "The Great American Guitar Player."
On the 8th, Roger is a guest via webcam on Good Morning Britain.
On the 15th, Roger pens an article for The Spectator, "Why I called Michael Gove to ask for some dosh for the teenage cancer trust"
On the 16th, the 3-CD Who compilation Essential The Who is released in the U.K. The U.S. release is on the 23rd.
On the 23rd, Roger appears on the Channel 4 programme Celebrity Googlebox alongside comedian John Bishop. The special is part of the yearly Stand Up To Cancer fund drive.
On the 24th, The Who release their 1967 Monterey Pop performance complete as the vinyl LP Captured Live at the Monterey International Pop Festival as part of that year's Record Store Day.
On the 30th, a deluxe edition of the WHO album is released including selections from The Who's live performances at Pryzm from the previous February.
Also on the 30th, the short film The Hat, directed by Darren Strowger, starring Jude Law and Raff Law and with a soundtrack composed by Pete, his wife Rachel, and Martin Bachelar, premieres on streaming in the U.K.
November 2020
New music releases: "Back in Blood" - Pooh Shiesty featuring Lil Durk; "34+35" - Ariana Grande; "Somebody's Problem" - Morgan Wallen; "Famous Friends" - Chris Young and Kane Brown
On the 5th, the short film The Hat, with a soundtrack by Pete, Rachel Fuller Townshend, and Martin Batchelar, wins top honor at the Raindance Film Festival.
On the 7th, the Foo Fighters recreate The Who's asleep-under-flag photo for their bump shot on Saturday Night Live.
On the 14th, Roger is questioned by fans as part of a Front Row Live charity event for KLOS.
On the 16th, Pete gives a webcam message at the beginning of the charity discussion A Taste of Liberia with Lemyah.
On the 26th, Pete donates a signed guitar to the charity auction “To Beirut with Love” raising money for victims of the August 4th explosion.
December 2020
New music releases: "Good Days" - SZA; "Without You" - The Kid Laroi; "On Me" - Lil Baby; "Black Magic" - Jonasu
To celebrate one year since the release of The Who album WHO, a 7-inch boxset edition of the album is released on the 4th. All eleven songs plus the "Yaggerdang" remix of "Beads on One String" are pressed on six singles. Also included is a bonus CD of the Live at Kingston album.
Also on the 4th, Pete announces that he will be giving away one of his gold Fender Stratocasters as part of the #ILoveLive prize drawing that benefits those who work behind the scenes in the UK live music industry.
On the 6th, Roger is one of a large group of UK celebrities who agree to take the Covid-19 vaccine. Says Roger, "My generation avoided some of the worst diseases known to man thanks to being vaccinated when we were young. We owe it to the young to prove its safety."
On the 8th, Pete's first guitar, given to him by his mother, again goes up for auction in Beverly Hills. The 1936 Radiotone cello guitar sells for $41,600.
On the 14th, Roger is interviewed by Keith Levenson, conductor of the orchestra for Who concerts during 2019 for Fustercluck, an orgainzation that benefits live music workers unemployed during the pandemic.
On the 18th, a two-disc vinyl charity album called Carfest is released featuring a performance by Roger.
Also on the 18th, Roger sends out a message to road crews during the LEVL UP Festival streamed online to raise money to support them. Roger says The Who will be back on the road as soon as they can.
On the 19th, Billboard puts the WHO album at #49 on the Top Rock Albums of 2020.
On Christmas Day, Pete joins a live streaming telethon to save the West Bank Café in New York.
On the 28th, Roger sends out a message asking for donations for The Who's charity Teen Cancer America.