On This Day, May 19, 1945 …
Future Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Pete Townshend was born in Chiswick, West London.
Co-founder, guitarist, main songwriter and co-vocalist of legendary British rockers The Who, Townshend is responsible for writing over 100 songs from the band’s catalog, including songs like “My Generation," "I Can't Explain" and "Substitute,” as well as the band’s rock operas Tommy and Quadrophenia.
Townshend has also had a successful solo career, releasing seven solo albums, with songs like the top 10 hit "Let My Love Open the Door," as well as "A Little Is Enough" and "Rough Boys."
Townshend was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with The Who in 1990; they also received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001. The band received a Kennedy Center Honors in 2008, and in 2016, Townshend and The Who's frontman, Roger Daltrey, were awarded the George and Ira Gershwin Award for Lifetime Musical Achievement at UCLA.
Townshend also won a Tony for the Broadway adaption of The Who’s Tommy.
Earlier this year, Townshend released the tune "Can't Outrun The Truth," which was his first solo single in 29 years. The Who kick off a European tour June 14 in Barcelona, Spain.
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