Roger Daltrey is the founder and lead vocalist of the legendary rock band the Who. The possessor of rock music's most thunderous voice, Daltrey was born in London on March 1, 1944, and grew up in Shepherd's Bush, where he met future Who bandmates Pete Townshend and John Entwistle. Following grammar school, Daltrey formed a skiffle band called the Detours, drawing inventively on local talent to synthesize a unique approach to rhythm and blues. By 1965, the band's line-up included Daltrey on vocals, Entwistle on bass, and Townshend on lead guitar. The final addition of madman drummer Keith Moon completed the band that would go on to become rock music's most thrilling live act. In addition to supervising the band's stage productions, Daltrey would, over the course of the next decade, emerge as a singer of incredible power and creativity, emboldening Townsend's thoughtful lyrics with both epic scope and swaggering street credibility. His performances as the immortal voice of the titular character in the rock opera Tommy continue to enthrall worldwide audiences. On stage the singer's persona matches the power of his voice; the indelible image of Daltrey twirling his microphone like a lasso is a fixture in rock and roll history.
An artist of expansive talent, Daltrey's solo career evidences his range as a vocalist and performer beyond his work
with the Who. His first solo album, Daltrey, featuring "Hard Life/Giving It All Away" and "One Man Band," was released in
1973. In addition to releasing Ride a Rock Horse in 1975, Daltrey also starred to great acclaim in Ken Russell's films
Lisztomania (as composer Franz Liszt) and the hit adaptation of Tommy. Following the album One of the Boys in 1977 and an
appearance in the 1978 film, The Legacy, Daltrey co-produced and starred in the film McVicar, a biography of train robber
John McVicar. The highly regarded soundtrack of the film featured members of The Who supporting Daltrey's artistic vision.
1985's critically hailed Under a Raging Moon was highlighted by Daltrey's dramatic treatment of Townshend's "After the Fire," and Daltrey's rendering of Elton John's "Don't Let the
Sun Go Down on Me" impressed in 1987. Following the Who's 1989 reunion tour, Daltrey has continued to act in television and
film roles, releasing the solo album Rocks in the Head in 1992.
In 1994 Daltrey presented two standing-room-only "Daltrey Sings Townshend" tribute shows at New York's prestigious
Carnegie Hall. The star-studded bill featured Lou Reed, Alice Cooper, Eddie Vedder and the Spin Doctors, as well as the
Juilliard Orchestra. That same year he appeared in the feature film Lightning Jack.
As a patron of the Teenage Cancer Trust, Daltrey has organized benefit concerts at the Royal Albert Hall and helped raise more than 2 million pounds for the organization. In December of 2004, Daltrey was honored by Queen Elizabeth II, being named CBE (Commander of the British Empire) for services to music, the entertainment industry, and charity.
A long-time pioneer in concert production, Daltrey guided the Who to its former glory as one of rock's most exciting live acts in the 1990s. His energy and stage presence remain unparalled in popular music. In 2005 he released the comprehensive career retrospective, Moonlighting - The Anthology.