The Who

Year:
1990
Inducted by:
U2
Category:
Performers

John Entwistle
Keith Moon
Pete Townshend
Roger Daltrey

Introduction

The window-breaking, earth-quaking, soul-shaking Who.

We’re not exaggerating when we say that they were the world’s loudest band at one point—they held a Guinness World Record. The Who went from stylized mods to an explosion of anarchy and energy. Their powerhouse performances changed lives.

U2 Induct The Who

at the 1990 Induction Ceremony

U2 Induct The Who

00:05:04
The Who Acceptance Speech

00:04:20
"Substitute"

00:05:48
"Won't Get Fooled Again"

00:05:21

Hall of Fame Essay

1990

Parke Puterbaugh

With the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, the Who round out a triumvirate of British bands that revolutionized rock & roll, turning it into the preeminent pop-culture art form of the past quarter century.

The members of the Who never simply played rock & roll,- they attacked it (along with their instruments), making music that was physically liberating and disarmingly literate. In their early days they were masters of the single, articulating in explosive bursts less than three minutes in length the frustrations of their generation.