The Who

The Who rose to fame in the United Kingdom with such singles as I Can't Explain, and albums including My Generation (1965), A Quick One and The Who Sell Out (1967). The Who first made the U.S. Top 40 charts in 1967 with the single Happy Jack, and hit the Top 10 later that year with I Can See for Miles. Originally comprised of Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwhistle, and Keith Moon, the band performed at Woodstock and the Monterey Pop Festival, as well as numerous other festivals and small venues. The album Tommy, released in 1969, was the first in a string of Top 10 albums in the U.S., closely followed by Live at Leeds, Who's Next, Quadrophenia, The Who by Numbers, and Who Are You.

Following the death of Keith Moon at the age of 32 in 1978, the band released two more studio albums before disbanding in 1983. The Who sold over 100 million records and had 27 Top 40 singles, plus 17 Top 10 albums, with 18 gold, 12 platinum, and five multi–platinum awards in the U.S. alone. The Who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990, the first year they were eligible.

Time magazine wrote in 1979 that “No other group has ever pushed rock so far, or asked so much from it.”  Rolling Stone Magazine wrote that “Along with The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, The Who complete the holy trinity of British rock."