Intro

Hello and Welcome to this episode of the podcast, "The Mnemonic Tree", where we add a single mnemonic leaf to our Tree of Knowledge.

I’m Jans your Mnemonic Man and today's episode will be on one of the biggest bands of the 1960s, The Who. And in doing my research for this episode, it really dawned upon me just how many huge bands came out of London in the ‘60s. Bands like The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Kinks, and of course, The Who.

Roger Daltrey started the band the Detours in 1959, which was to evolve into The Who in 1964. The original members included Pete Townshend (guitarist), Roger Daltrey (vocalist), Keith Moon (drummer), and John Entwistle (bassist).

They rose to fame with hits like “My Generation,” “Pinball Wizard,” and “Who Are You.” While their biggest selling album was “Tommy” in 1969 which has sold around 20,000.000 copies.

Tragedy struck the band in 1978 when Keith Moon died from an accidental overdose of the prescription drug Heminevrin (clomethiazole), a drug intended to treat or prevent symptoms of alcohol withdrawal. Fellow band member John Entwistle was also to pass away from an overdose, when he died of a heart attack in 2002, induced by cocaine.

The Who were trailblazers and, along with their dynamic and energetic live performances, which included Woodstock, they also innovated with rock opera with the albums “Tommy” and “Quadrophenia.”

The surviving members, Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey, continued to tour as a duo, and Roger also embarked on a solo tour of the US and Canada in 2009. As of 2025, there is still a possibility of The Who doing something in the near future.

Today’s mnemonic will be on The Who’s classic lineup band members.

So, with that being said, we will begin with a summary from Wikipedia.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Who_-_1975.jpg

Wikipedia Summary

The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964. The main lineup from 1964 to 1978 was guitarist Pete Townshend, vocalist Roger Daltrey, bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon.

They became known for their high-energy live shows. The Who have sold about 100 million records. Many people think that The Who are the greatest live band of all time.

The Who rose to fame in the United Kingdom with a series of top ten hit singles including: "I Can't Explain", "The Kids Are Alright", "My Generation", "Who Are You", and "Love Reign O'er Me".

The albums "My Generation", "A Quick One" and "The Who Sell Out," followed. Their fame grew with memorable shows at the Monterey Pop and Woodstock music festivals. "Tommy," released in 1969, was the first in a series of top ten albums in the United States.

Keith Moon died in 1978. The band released two more studio albums with drummer Kenney Jones before disbanding in 1983. They re-formed at events such as Live Aid and for reunion tours such as their 25th anniversary tour and the Quadrophenia tours of 1996 and 1997.

In 2002, planning for recording an album of new material was put on hold after John Entwistle's death at the age of 57. Townshend and Daltrey continued to perform as The Who, and in 2006, they released the studio album titled "Endless Wire."

The Who were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990.

Extracted from: [https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Who]

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Who_in_1965.png

Mnemonic

The Who – Classic Lineup Band Members Mnemonic – PaRK Jam

(Picture The Who jamming in the middle of Hyde Park to thousands of amazed onlookers)

1. Pete Townshend – Guitarist

2. Roger Daltrey – Vocalist

3. Keith Moon - Drummer

4. John Entwistle - Bassist

Five Fun Facts

1. Who were “The Who” before they became “The Who.” Well, they were founded under the name of the “Detours” in 1959. The name “The Who” was raised by one of Pete Townshend’s friends in 1964, but this was overruled by their publicist who turned them into a mod band and gave them the name “The High Numbers.” After their first album was a flop, they then switched their name back to “The Who” that same year.

2. The Who held many records, but they made a Guinness World Record on 31st May, 1976 at their London show for the loudest concert. Once this record had been created, it was like showing a red rag to a bull, and several other bands amped it up and surpassed this record. So much so, that Guinness World Records had to stop listing the record to save the hearing of concert goers.

3. Along with the hard rock came a fair share of violence and violence within the band! Roger Daltrey, who was very much anti-drug, found out that Keith Moon had supplied drugs to the other two bandmates, John Entwistle and Pete Townshend. He promptly flushed the drugs down the toilet and went on to beat up Keith Moon, to which they then expelled Roger from the band. Another time a drunk Pete Townsend was constantly poking and hitting Roger with his guitar, to which Roger Daltrey responded by knocking Pete Townshend out with a single blow. This ended up with an ambulance trip to the hospital and a very apologetic Roger Daltrey!

4. Tragedy struck the band on 3 December 1979 at Cincinnati. Concert goers were eagerly waiting outside the gates when they heard the band playing. This was a sound check, but the crowd thought that the concert had already started, and an overly exuberant and excited crowd forced their way inside, and as a result of the crush, 11 fans were killed. The Who band members were unaware of the tragedy until the show was over, after which they were then informed.

5. Keith Moon could have probably filled all five facts with his antics, but one of his most famous or infamous incidents was the one at The Holiday Inn at Flint, Michigan. Moon was celebrating his 20th birthday and already had a fair head start in the drinking stakes. A food fight started and, in the mayhem, his front tooth was knocked out to which he was taken to the hospital. When he arrived back, he started throwing guests in the pool, the furniture, and then started a fire. A Lincoln Continental also ended up in the pool during the night’s activities. Needless to say, they were banned from all Holiday Inns for life!

Now, apparently, at the time, they were also wildlife warriors and were reported to have let a number of canines out from a local pound. Eventually, they were all retrieved and found to be ok, but at least, we know now who let the dogs out!

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_who_chris_burns.png

Three Question Quiz

Q.1. At which London club did The Who keep a residence in the 60s? Options are The Scene Club, The Lynx Club, or The Marquee Club

Q.2. Which Muppet is inspired by Keith Moon? Options are Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, or Animal

Q.3. Every hit single of the band “The Who” was written by which band member?

Bonus Q. Why did Pete Townshend start smashing guitars? Options are he didn’t like to reuse them, he accidentally stuck it into a low ceiling and the crowd loved it, or he was inspired by Keith Moon smashing drums

Bonus Q. Which rock opera did The Who compose?

Mnemonic Recap

The Who – Classic Lineup Band Members Mnemonic – PaRK Jam

(Picture The Who jamming in the middle of Hyde Park to thousands of amazed onlookers)

1. Pete Townshend – Guitarist

2. Roger Daltrey – Vocalist

3. Keith Moon - Drummer

4. John Entwistle - Bassist

Three Question Quiz Answers

Q.1. At which London club did The Who keep a residence in the 60s? Options are The Scene Club, The Lynx Club, or The Marquee Club

A. The Marquee Club

Q.2. Which Muppet is inspired by Keith Moon? Options are Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, or Animal

A. Animal

Q.3. Every hit single of the band “The Who” was written by which band member?

A. Pete Townshend

Bonus Q. Why did Pete Townshend start smashing guitars? Options are he didn’t like to reuse them, he accidentally stuck it into a low ceiling and the crowd loved it, or he was inspired by Keith Moon smashing drums

A. He accidentally stuck it into a low ceiling, and the crowd loved it

Bonus Q. Which rock opera did The Who compose?

A. Tommy

Word of the Week

amaranthine

[ am-uh-ran-thin ]

adjective

unfading or everlasting

Example

The amaranthine music of The Who can be compared to that of other great bands such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, and many others.

Extracted from: [https://www.dictionary.com/]

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