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1964

  • February: The Detours' name changed to The Who

  • April: Keith Moon joins The Who as drummer, completing their lineup that would last until 1978

  • April: The Who change their name to The High Numbers to appeal to the mod scene

  • 3 July: The High Numbers' release their debut single "I'm the Face/Zoot Suit"

  • 24 August: The High Numbers appear on The Beat Room, their first TV appearance

  • September: Pete Townshend accidentally smashes his guitar during a gig, a future trademark of The Who's live performances

  • November: The High Numbers revert back to calling themselves The Who

The Who at the Marque Club in London, 1964

Photo credit: John Miniham

1965

  • 15 January: The success of the first two singles released as The Who, "I Can't Explain" and "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere" are responsible for much of the mainstream attention received by the band

  • 29 January: The Who are featured on Ready Steady Go!, a British TV program that helped them gain exposure

  • 6 August: The Who perform at the National Jazz and Blues Festival; this festival lead to the Reading and Leeds festivals, which The Who headlined in 1970

  • 3 December: The Who's debut album, My Generation, is released 

Photo credit: http://www.rockmusictimeline.com/1965gallery.html

A promotional poster for a 1966 Who tour

Photo credit: http://www.thewho.info/Posters.htm

1966

  • Early 1966: Extensive touring in the U.K. to promote My Generation

  • 9 December: The Who's second album, A Quick One (or Happy Jack in the U.S.), is released

  • Late 1966: Further touring in the U.K. to promote A Quick One

1967

  • 25 March: The Who's first appearance in the United States; the band performed ten dates at the Brooklyn Fox Theatre in New York 

  • 18 June: The Who's participation in the Monterey Pop Festival gain them a large U.S. audience

  • 14 July: The Who begin their U.S. tour as the opening act for Herman's Hermits

  • 17 September: The Who are featured on The Smother Brothers Comedy Hour; their performance of My Generation ended with an explosion of Keith Moon's drums

  • 15 December: The Who Sell Out, the band's third album, is released

Roger at the Monterey Pop Festival

Photo credit: quest.eb.com/search/115_2781217/1/115_2781217/cite

1968

  • 5-6 April: The Who headline the Fillmore East theater, the first British rock and roll band to do so

  • 11 December: The Who participate in The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus concert 

The Who at the Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus

Photo credit: https://morethanthecurve.com/2013-election-analysis-meet-the-new-boss-same-as-the-old-boss/the-who-3/

1969

  • 23 May: Tommy, the band's fourth studio album, is released; this album was one of the first rock operas and concept albums, and shaped future albums in those genres

  • 17 August: The Who's performance at Woodstock, while in their own opinion not one of their best, solidified their reputation as one of the biggest British bands in the U.S.; upon interrupting the performance, Abbie Hoffman was hit over the head with a guitar by Pete and told to "fuck off my fucking stage"

  • 30 August: The Who perform at the 1969 Isle of Wight Festival 

Roger at Woodstock

Photo credit: https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/jason-laure.html

The Who at the University of Leeds

Photo credit: https://www.loudersound.com/features/the-vinyl-issue-album-variants 

1970

  • 14 February: The Who's performance at Leeds University is recorded for their live album, Live at Leeds

  • 16 May: Live at Leeds is released; it is popularly regarded as one of the best live albums

  • 29 August: The Who perform at the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival 

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