The British rock band The Who has been hailed as the world's greatest live rock and roll act, if not the greatest rock band, period. In the band's prime, its members—Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle, Keith Moon and Peter Townshend—frequently clashed, but their conflicts also resulted in ten years of remarkable music. In 1990, The Who was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Profiled here are the people who influenced, were influenced by, or were in some other way connected with one or more members of The Who. Readers will find a vast array of entries, ranging from musicians such as Billy Idol, who took part in live performances of Tommy and Quadrophenia, and AC/DC guitarist Angus Young, who said Pete Townshend was the only guitarist ever to influence him, to behind-the-scenes people such as Glyn Johns, the English recording engineer and producer who helped create the acclaimed "Who's Next" (1971) and "Quadrophenia" (1973), and Nicky Hopkins, the much in-demand pianist who was among The Who's earliest studio collaborators. Seemingly unrelated personalities such as Muppets creator Jim Henson are in—he is believed to have modeled The Muppet Show's maniacal drummer Animal after The Who drummer Keith Moon.
