|
John Entwistle |
| 1944 - 2002 |
John Entwistle with Steve Luongo
and Godfrey Townsend
"The John Entwistle Band"
Born John Alec Entwistle on October 9, 1944, to Herbert & Maud "Queenie" Entwistle in Chiswick, England. The Entwistle's marriage failed shortly after John' s birth and he spent most of his childhood living with his grandparents.
At Middlesex School, Entwistle played a tenor horn purchased by the school. After school, Entwistle played in trad bands. Trad jazz is where Entwistle met Pete Townshend. Entwistle and Townshend kicked around in a few bands together. Entwistle eventually went to a better band.
At around 14, Entwistle became a fan of Duane Eddy and John wanted to play loud like Eddy. Entwistle stated, "I just wanted to be louder. I really get irritated when people could turn up their guitar amps and play louder than me. So I decided that I was going to play guitar."
Entwistle's family couldn't afford to purchase a bass guitar. So, Entwistle obtained a piece of mahogany that was in the shape of the popular bass of 1960, a Fender Precision body. Entwistle had the bass fretted like a Hofner bass.
Entwistle then became a member of Roger Daltrey's band called the Detours. In fact it was Entwistle who recommended Pete Townshend to Daltrey to join the band on rhythm guitar.
At this time, the members of the Detours were Townshend on rhythm guitar, Entwistle on bass, Daltrey on lead guitar, Doug Sandom on drums, and Colin Dawson on lead vocal.
In late 1962 and early 1963, the Detours opened for Johnny Kidd & the Pirates, a power trio with a lead singer band setup. After a change of lead singers, the Detours decided to go to a power trio plus singer with Daltrey switching to lead vocal and Townshend switching to lead guitar. Entwistle would then change his sound to be more of a second guitar than as a traditional bass.
In February of 1964, the Detours decided to change their name to The Who because Entwistle saw on television an Irish band called the Detours.
In April 1964, drummer Doug Sandom left the band. Keith Moon became The Who 's drummer. Moon's addition changed Entwistle's role. Townshend remarked, "What's interesting in our group is that the roles are reversed. John's the lead guitar, and although I'm not the bass player, he produces a hell of a lot of lead work."
The Who were developing a powerful stage presence. Entwistle, though, just stood there as a straight quiet bass player. As Townshend stated, "John doesn't demand attention. For years, nobody even noticed John was there."
At this time The Who were going through numerous management changes. The Who met Pete Meaden, a Mod. Under Meaden, the band's name was The High Numbers. The band dressed like Mods and appealed to Mods even though they were not Mods. The Mods were amphetamine takers who wore tab collars and Italian shoes and drove Lambretta scooters. The Mod credo was "clean living under difficult circumstances."
In August 1964, Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp took over management of the band. In October 1964 The Who again became the band's name.
The Who signed a record deal which forced them to write their own material. In January 1965, Townshend composed "I Can't Explain." The next single was "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere." During a live performance of this song on Ready, Steady, Go!, Entwistle's bass playing is fluid, loud, and rumbling. This live "Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere" can be found on The Kids Are Alright soundtrack album.
In December 1965, The Who released the My Generation album. The revolutionary title track featured an Entwistle bass solo using a Danelectro bass which strings break easily. Replacement strings required the purchase of a new bass guitar. Entwistle bought three basses in order to finish the song. Entwistle co-wrote "The Ox" (Entwistle's nickname within The Who), a Mod instrumental take-off on surf's "Wipe Out." Notably, the cover of My Generation has Entwistle wearing an Union Jack jacket.
Spring 1967, The Who began their first appearances in the U.S. Entwistle roomed with Keith Moon where the rock & roll's finest rhythm section repeatedly ordered caviar, lobster, and champagne that totaled over $5,000 at the time."
1968 was a year of inactivity for The Who. There were rumors that that Entwistle and Moon were going to form a band with Jimmy Page called Led Zeppelin. However, The Who stayed together releasing the single "Call Me Lightning" with the B-side of Entwistle's "Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde," a homage to Moon's personality splits.
Spring 1971, Entwistle released his first solo album, Smash Your Head Against The Wall. Summer 1971, The Who released the album Who's Next with one Entwistle song with John singing "My Wife" about marital discord that would become a Who concert perennial. Entwistle's bass playing on "Bargain" and "Won't Get Fooled Again" is revelatory and explosive. Fall 1971, The Who released the single "Let's See Action" with the B-side of Entwistle's "When I was A Boy."
In 1972, Entwistle released his second solo album, Whistle Rhymes.
Summer 1973, Entwistle released his third solo album, Rigor Mortis Sets In. In Fall 1973, The Who released the double album Quadrophenia composed by Townshend in its entirety. Quadrophenia is about the four-faceted Jimmy, a Mod from 1964-1965, who climbs on The Rock to examine his life. Each member of The Who has a theme. Entwistle's theme was "a romantic, is it me for a moment," about the quiet, reflective, and laconic aspect of Jimmy's personality. "The Punk and The Godfather," "5:15," "Doctor Jimmy" are the significant tracks.
December 1973 during The Who's tour of Quadrophenia, The Who smashed a suite at a Montreal hotel. The Who were arrested. Entwistle wrote a song based on the events called "Cell Number 7" appearing on his future solo album, Mad Dog.
In 1975, Entwistle released his fourth solo album, Mad Dog. Entwistle formed a band named after his nickname, The Ox, and embarked on his first solo tour of America.
September 8, 1978, Keith Moon, Who drummer, died in his sleep. Entwistle burst into tears upon hearing of Moon's passing.
In 1979, Entwistle completed the musical soundtracks for the feature films, Quadrophenia and The Kids Are Alright, The Who's bio-pic. Also, The Who added Kenney Jones as the drummer to embark on a tour. Unfortunately, a concert in Cincinnati resulted in 11 deaths due to a pre-show stampede for festival seating.
In 1985, Entwistle performed with The Who at the benefit concert Live Aid.
In 1994, Entwistle appeared at Carnegie Hall for Roger Daltrey's 50th Birthday as part of the Daltrey Sings Townshend shows. Entwistle then toured as the part of Daltrey's band for a tour called Daltrey Sings Townshend that also had a symphony orchestra.
In 1995, Entwistle toured America and Japan with the Ringo Starr All-Star Band which gave John "the dubious pleasure of knowing that he has performed 'Yellow Submarine' more times than Paul McCartney." In 1996, Entwistle formed a band called the John Entwistle Band that went a "Left for Dead" tour. Entwistle and The Who revived Quadrophenia as a theater piece for 1996-1997 tours.
In 1997 during the Quadrophenia tour, Entwistle sold his art, including the cover of The Who By Numbers to cartoons of rock stars such as Rod Stewart and the Rolling Stones.
Entwistle, also known as The Ox, Thunderfingers, and many other nicknames, is arguably rock and roll's greatest bass player, ever.
John Entwistle has been married two times and has a son, Christopher, from his first marriage.
John Alec Entwistle died of an apparent heart attack on June 27, 2002 in a Las Vegas Hotel Room, the day before The Who were to begin a U.S. Tour.
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Live at the Royal Albert Hall on DVD