Net Worth. He came from a musical family: his father, Cliff Townshend, was a professional alto saxophonist in the Royal Air Force's dance band The Squadronaires and his mother, Betty (ne Dennis), was a singer with the Sydney Torch and Les Douglass Orchestras. He's very good at his chord scene, too.[82]. Since she was an immediate member of the Royal Family (at one time in her life, she. You guys sort it out. Husband of Hannah Townsend. Although known for his musical compositions and musicianship, Townshend has been extensively involved in the literary world for more than three decades, writing newspaper and magazine articles, book reviews, essays, books, and scripts. [32] In 1963, Townshend's father arranged an amateur recording of "It Was You", the first song his son ever wrote. Here, see photographs of Peter Townsend throughout his lifefrom his career in the Royal Air Force through his time as an author. He collaborated with the Faces' bassist and fellow Meher Baba devotee Ronnie Lane on a duet album (1977's Rough Mix). . he is one of famous drummer with the age years old group. Referring to that, in July 2011, Townshend wrote at his blog: "My hearing is actually better than ever because after a feedback scare at the indigO2 in December 2008 I am taking good care of it. Group Captain Townsend is best known for his romance with Princess Margaret. While not a huge commercial success, noted music critic Timothy Duggan listed it as "Townshend's most honest and introspective work since Quadrophenia." It was a moderate success and featured demos of Who songs as well as a showcase of his acoustic guitar talents. [14] At the time, he did not see himself pursuing a career as a professional musician; instead, he wanted to become a journalist. Townshend called the work an "extended meditation on manic genius and the dark art of creativity." Death: May 09, 1787 (51) New York, New York, United States. Since the late 1980s Townshend has predominantly used Synclavier Digital Audio systems for keyboard composition, particularly solo albums and projects. "We advanced a new concept", he writes. During the Who's 1989 Tour Townshend played a Rickenbacker guitar that was ironically smashed accidentally when he tripped over it. [116] However, as instrument-smashing became increasingly integrated into the Who's concert sets, he switched to more durable and resilient (and, importantly, cheaper) guitars for smashing, such as the Fender Stratocaster, Fender Telecaster and various Danelectro models. [92] In 1993 he and Des McAnuff wrote and directed the Broadway adaptation of the Who album Tommy, as well as a less successful stage musical based on his solo album The Iron Man, based upon the book by Ted Hughes. In 1941, during the war, he married Rosemary Pawle and the following year their eldest son, Giles, was born. The "large clinic" Townshend was referring to was a drug treatment facility in London that he and drug rehabilitation experimenter, Meg Patterson, had devised, but the plan failed to come to fruition. London, with the Royal family : King George VI, the Queen. It became a commercial smash, reaching number one in the UK, and spawned two successful hit singles, "Baba O'Riley" and "Won't Get Fooled Again", that featured pioneering use of the synthesizer. . [65], Townshend began writing songs for another rock opera in 1973. He also occasionally used Fender Jazzmasters on stage in 1967 and 1968[123] and in the studio for Tommy. Birth place. Townshend has woven a long history of involvement with various charities and other philanthropic efforts throughout his career, both as a solo artist and with the Who. "Destruction is art when set to music. Who is The Crown's Peter Townsend? After a lengthy delay, Townshend's autobiography, now titled Who I Am, was released 8 October 2012. [70] On 14 April 1974, Townshend played his first solo concert, a benefit to raise funds for a London community centre. He joined the Royal Air Force in 1933 and served as a pilot throughout World War II. Several of Townshend's essays have been posted online, including "Meher BabaThe Silent Master: My Own Silence" in 2001, and "A Different Bomb", an indictment of the child pornography industry, the following year. The Who continues to perform critically acclaimed sets into the 21st century, including highly regarded performances at The Concert For New York City in 2001, the 2004 Isle of Wight Festival, Live 8 in 2005, and the 2007 Glastonbury Festival. The medals, which currently belong to a private collector after they were sold by Townsend for $35,200 in 1988 to benefit a trust fund set up to assist children . He currently owns three systems, one large Synclavier 9600 Tapeless Studio system, originally installed in his riverside Oceanic Studio, later transferred to a seagoing barge moored alongside the studio on the River Thames, and currently based in his home studio. Born on in United States, Peter Townsend (drummer) started his career as drummer . By Mehera Bonner Published: Sep 22, 2022. [75] After a 1976 tour, Townshend took a year-long break from the band to focus on spending time with his family.[76]. [156], On 4 November 2011, Roger Daltrey and Townshend launched the Daltrey/Townshend Teen and Young Adult Cancer Program at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, to be funded by the Who's charity Who Cares. In support of Tommy, the Who launched a tour that included a memorable appearance at the Woodstock Festival on 17 August. He was a writer, known for Passeport pour le monde (1959), L'invit du dimanche (1968) and This Week (1956). ", "The Who's Pete Townshend's 15 million London home has been sold", "Talkin' 'bout my National Trust generation", "Pete Townshend put on sex offenders register", "Pete Townshend says court 'would have destroyed me', "Pete Townshend book describes 'insane' attempt to expose internet child abuse", "Pete Townshend: I paid for child porn to prove British banks were channelling sex-ring cash", "Flashback: Watch the Who Blow Up 'Smothers Brothers' in Primetime", "The Who's Future Uncertain as Townshend's Tinnitus Returns", "Pete Townshend Says Don't Be 'Fooled' By Michael Moore", "The Hypertext Who Article Archive Penthouse Interview (1974)", "The Who Guitarist Says He Is A Neoconservative", "The Who on a new album, ageing and artistic differences", "Pete Townshend Smashes Guitar for Charity", "The Who launch teen cancer program at LA hospital", "David Gilmour | Music | About Face | Official Website", "Bruce Springsteen to Honor Pete Townshend for Addiction Charity Work", "Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement", Pete Townshend's commercial Eelpie web site, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pete_Townshend&oldid=1140839083, "Lonely at the Top" and "Hard Woman" with, This page was last edited on 22 February 2023, at 01:10. The two split when Townshend was a toddler and he was sent to live with his maternal grandmother Emma Dennis, whom Pete later described as "clinically insane". [49] He developed this style after watching Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards warm up before a show. Upon their marriage, Antony was bequeathed the title 'Earl of Snowdon'. The SG was clearly marked as a Pete Townshend limited edition model and came with a special case and certificate of authenticity, signed by Townshend himself. Townsend (center) with the royal family leaving St Paul's cathedral. Between 1997 and 2002, Townshend played five benefit shows for Maryville Academy, raising at least $1,600,000. In 1993, Townshend authored another book, The Who's Tommy, a chronicle of the development of the award-winning Broadway version of his rock opera. [103] On 24 January 2012 Townshend sold the rights to all of his back catalog and much of his future work including Floss The Musical if it is ever completed. Townshend's 198586 band, Deep End, played two benefits at Brixton Academy in 1985 for Double-O Charities. He was a family practice physician in Syracuse his entire career; he was also a lifetime member of Temple Adath Yeshurun. The column provided Townshend's perspective on an array of subjects, such as the media and the state of US concert halls and public address systems, as well as providing valuable insight into Townshend's mindset during the evolution of his Lifehouse project. Townshend remained the primary songwriter and leader of the group, writing over 100 songs which appeared on the band's eleven studio albums. In 1983, Townshend received the Brit Award for Lifetime Achievement and in 1990 he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Who. [93][94], From the mid-1990s through the present, Townshend has participated in a series of tours with the surviving members of the Who, including a 2002 tour that continued despite Entwistle's death.[95]. Peter Townsend was born 1914 in Rangoon, Burma, and was educated at Haileybury School. The opening of his personal website and his commerce site Eelpie.com, both in 2000, gave Townshend another outlet for literary work. While recording Face Dances and the collaborative album Rough Mix, Townshend made use of a Peavey Vintage 410 amplifier in the studio. He is voiced by Christopher Meloni, who also played John Taylor in Call of Duty: Black Ops III, Nick Sax in Happy!, and Chris Keller in Oz. A further limited release, With Love, was released in 1976. The show was earmarked as a benefit for the London-based Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Foundation, an organisation which helps children with autism and intellectual disability. For much of the 1970s, he used a Gibson Les Paul Deluxe, some with only two mini-humbucker pick-ups and others modified with a third pick-up in the "middle position" (a DiMarzio Superdistortion / Dual Sound). Peter Townsend, one of the first members of the now famous Institute of Community Studies, gives here the first detailed answer to these questions by presenting, sympathetically and vividly, the results of his interviews with more than two hundred old people in Bethnal Green. When this established that millions of people were living in abject hardship, the shockwaves went beyond the academy, making Townsend a public figure - "the man who rediscovered poverty". Group Capt. Princess Margaret (L), Princess Elizabeth and Group Captain Peter Townsend, Ascot, 1951. The Met stated that "it was established that Mr Townshend was not in possession of any downloaded child abuse images". Rangoon, Burma. Date of birth. It was on one of these trips in the summer of 1956 that he repeatedly watched the 1956 film Rock Around the Clock, sparking his fascination with American rock and roll. He decided it would explore the mod subculture and its clashes with Rockers in the early 1960s in the UK. His father Cliff played the alto saxophone with the RAF dance band The Squadronaires, and his mother Betty Dennis sang professionally. Dubbed Lifehouse, it was designed to be a multi-media project that symbolised the relationship between a musician and his audience. Barnes, Richard. [102] The musical has been a work in progress at least since 2009 with an original estimated release of 2011. In 1947, Margaretthe daughter of King George VI and the Queen Mother and younger sister to Queen . [56], By 1968, Townshend became interested in the teachings of Meher Baba. [34] Townshend's roommate Richard Barnes came up with "The Who", and Daltrey decided it was the best choice. As a result, Townshend, with Entwistle's encouragement, became the sole guitarist. [57] He began to develop a musical piece about a deaf, dumb, and blind boy who would experience sensations musically. Townshend played keyboards on several Who songs. [66] Entitled Quadrophenia, it was the only Who album written entirely by Townshend, and he produced the album as well due to the souring of relations with Lambert. "[60], In 1970, the Who released Live at Leeds, which several music critics cite as the best live album of all time.