caption website years_active alias label image_size article_title landscape background alt genre image origin name
the & nbsp ; daltrey -lrb- vocals -rrb- , john & who nbsp ; entwistle -lrb- bass -rrb- , keith & nbsp in ; moon -lrb- drums -rrb- , pete & nbsp ; 1975 townshend -lrb- guitar -rrb- left to right : roger current_members = -lcb- -lcb- plainlist 1964 -lrb- one-off reunions : 1985 , 1988 , 1990 , -- 1991 , 1994 -rrb- 1982 , 1989 , 1996 -- present the detours , the high & nbsp ; numbers brunswick nbsp ; bros. . universal & nbsp ; republic geffen reaction atco track polydor decca virgin mca warner & 250 the who
 yes group_or_band the a crowd who on stage , standing and waving to rock hard rock power & nbsp ; pop who - 1975.jpg london , england the who
the who

the who are an english rock band that formed in 1964 .
their classic line-up consisted of lead singer roger daltrey , guitarist pete townshend , bassist john entwistle , and drummer keith moon .
they are considered one of the most influential rock bands of the 20th century , selling over 100 million records worldwide and establishing their reputation equally on live shows and studio work .
the who developed from an earlier group , the detours , and established themselves as part of the pop art and mod movements , featuring auto-destructive art by destroying guitars and drums on stage .
their first single as the who , `` i ca n't explain '' , reached the uk top ten , followed by a string of singles including `` my generation '' , `` substitute '' and `` happy jack '' .
in 1967 , they performed at the monterey pop festival and released the us top ten single `` i can see for miles '' , while touring extensively .
the group 's fourth album , 1969 's rock opera `` tommy '' , included the single `` pinball wizard '' and was a critical and commercial success .
live appearances at woodstock and the isle of wight festival , along with the live album `` live at leeds '' , cemented their reputation as a respected rock act .
with their success came increased pressure on lead songwriter and visionary townshend , and the follow-up to `` tommy '' , `` lifehouse '' , was abandoned .
songs from the project made up 1971 's `` who 's next '' , which included the hit `` wo n't get fooled again '' .
the group released the album `` quadrophenia '' in 1973 as a celebration of their mod roots , and oversaw the film adaptation of `` tommy '' in 1975 .
they continued to tour to large audiences before semi-retiring from live performances at the end of 1976 .
the release of `` who are you '' in 1978 was overshadowed by the death of moon shortly after .
kenney jones replaced moon and the group resumed activity , releasing a film adaptation of `` quadrophenia '' and the retrospective documentary `` the kids are alright '' .
after townshend became weary of touring , the group split in 1982 .
the who occasionally re-formed for live appearances such as live aid in 1985 , a 25th anniversary tour in 1989 and a tour of `` quadrophenia '' in 1996 .
they resumed regular touring in 1999 , with drummer zak starkey .
after entwistle 's death in 2002 , plans for a new album were delayed .
townshend and daltrey continued as the who , releasing `` endless wire '' in 2006 , and continued to play live regularly .
the who 's major contributions to rock music include the development of the marshall stack , large pa systems , use of the synthesizer , entwistle and moon 's lead playing styles , and the development of the rock opera .
they are cited as an influence by several hard rock , punk rock and mod bands , and their songs still receive regular exposure .
