Perhaps the biggest hurdle the band were faced with was the tragic death of their friend and bandmate, Keith Moon – one of the greatest rock drummers of all time. Not long after the death of Moon, The Who were witness to more tragedy when a crush at one of their shows in Cincinnati resulted in the deaths of 11 young fans. In the mind of Daltrey, however, his ultimate low point came with the sacking of the band’s management.
Speaking to Classic Rock 2021, Daltrey looked back upon his celebrated career, placing a particular emphasis on the impact of Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp, who managed the band for much of their early career. “We couldn’t have done it without them,” claimed Daltrey, “They were geniuses in their creative vision for The Who.
It was incredibly painful having to get rid of Kit and Chris. I never really wanted to get rid of them. I just wanted them to take a back seat, be creative, rather than run our business.”
Lambert and Stamp were continuously pushing the band towards commercially-viable tracks, as well as encouraging the writing of original material rather than R&B cover songs. Nevertheless, the relationship between The Who and the management pair became illustrated by high tensions and resentment during the early 1970s, ultimately breaking down around the time of Quadrophenia in 1973.
Despite the “painful” experience of severing ties with Lambert and Stamp, Daltrey also noted that he wouldn’t have done anything differently. “I don’t have regrets,” he shared, “I can’t regret any of it. I’ve made huge mistakes, but I don’t regret any of it, because it’s turned me into who I am now.”
Roger Daltrey Wraps the US tour in Ravinia Highland Park, IL on June 29 and ppost on X/Twitter this message:
It's the last day of 2024 North American tour and it's all gone way too quickly. We're back in Highland Park, IL and tonight we'll be on stage at the
@RaviniaFestival
headlining with our special guest the fabulous
@KTTunstall
. It's a beatiful day and the weather looks to be pretty good for tonight's show. We look forward to seeing you at the Festival. Have a great day and a great night with us. See you all later! (Roger)
