Pete Townshend

Pete Townshend is a rock icon renowned for his conceptual songwriting, iconic windmills, and restless spirituality.

Born in London in 1945, the guitarist obsessed over American rock and R&B before cofounding The Who, who emerged from the Mod subculture to become one of the great groups of the ’60s and ’70s.

Having shared lead vocals on early landmarks like 1966’s “A Quick One, While He’s Away,” Townshend dropped his solo debut, Who Came First, in 1972.