Roger Daltrey

Roger Daltrey

Roger Daltrey is an English singer, musician and actor from East Acton, London. Born in 1944, he is best known as a co-founder and the lead vocalist of The Who, and also performs with The High Numbers, The Full Metal Rackets, The RD Crusaders and Mark Knopfler’s Guitar Heroes.

The Who

Daltrey begins his career in a skiffle group called the Detours, which later becomes The Who after the band changes its name in 1964. He initially plays guitar and leads the group, before taking on the role of lead singer and frontman as Pete Townshend becomes the main songwriter. Daltrey writes or co-writes a number of Who songs, including “Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere”, “See My Way”, “Early Morning Cold Taxi”, “Here for More”, “Crossroads Now” and “Certified Rose”.

His recorded work with the band includes “My Generation”, “Pinball Wizard”, “Won’t Get Fooled Again”, “Baba O’Riley”, “Who Are You” and “You Better You Bet”. He becomes known for an energetic stage style, including swinging a microphone by its cable, and for his distinctive voice on songs such as “My Generation” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again”.

The Who’s albums Tommy, Who’s Next and Quadrophenia help establish the band as a major rock act. The group disbands in 1983, reforms in 1989 for a tour marking the anniversary of Tommy, and continues touring in later line-ups. Following the death of John Entwistle in 2002, Pino Palladino takes his place on bass. The band releases Endless Wire in 2006.

Solo career and collaborations

Daltrey starts a solo career in 1973 while still a member of The Who. He releases ten solo studio albums, five compilation albums and one live album. His solo albums include Daltrey, Ride a Rock Horse, One of the Boys, McVicar, Parting Should Be Painless, Under a Raging Moon, Can’t Wait to See the Movie, Rocks in the Head and As Long as I Have You. Solo singles include “Giving It All Away”, “Free Me”, “Without Your Love” and “Under a Raging Moon”.

He works with other musicians across his solo releases, and also records and performs with Eric Clapton on several occasions. He tours North America with a band called No Plan B in 2009. In 1994 he performs two concerts at Carnegie Hall in New York City, later issued as A Celebration: The Music of Pete Townshend and The Who.

Film, television and honours

Daltrey also works as an actor and film producer in film, theatre and television. He plays the title role in the 1975 film version of Tommy and receives a Golden Globe nomination for Best Acting Debut in a Motion Picture. He also appears in Lisztomania and works on related soundtrack material.

With The Who, he receives a Lifetime Achievement Award from the British Phonographic Industry in 1988 and from the Grammy Foundation in 2001. The band is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005. Daltrey and Pete Townshend receive Kennedy Center Honors in 2008 and the George and Ira Gershwin Award for Lifetime Musical Achievement at UCLA in 2016. He is ranked 61 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 greatest singers of all time in 2008, and Planet Rock listeners vote him rock’s fifth-greatest voice in 2009. He is appointed Knight Bachelor in the Birthday Honours for services to charity and music.

Later work

Daltrey performs at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert in 1992, singing “I Want It All”. He writes and performs “Highbury Highs” in 2006 for the closing of Arsenal F.C.’s Highbury stadium. In 2010 he and Townshend perform at the Super Bowl XLIV half-time show and later stage charity performances of Quadrophenia. He returns to touring in 2021 with the Live and Kicking Tour, which takes place in 2022.