Pete Townshend, widely recognized as one of rock’s finest rhythm guitarists, has long acknowledged the strengths and limitations of his musicianship. In a 1980 interview with Sound International, he confidently stated, “In that particular area [rhythm guitar], I don’t think I’m topped.” However, Townshend has also been candid about his shortcomings in improvisational lead guitar work.
Over the years, he has admitted that many of his most iconic solos, such as those in “I Can’t Explain” and “Love Reign O’er Me,” were composed in advance rather than improvised. In a 1972 interview with Guitar Player, he reflected, “I started out as a rhythm player, and a few of my lead licks are things I’ve basically developed in recording sessions… I’ll never be able to play the kind of leads I want. I was happiest listening to Jimi Hendrix — that, to me, was like heaven.”
From the start of his career, Townshend concentrated on rhythm guitar, developing a signature approach that included bold chord work and his distinctive windmill strumming style. His 16th-note rhythmic motif on “Pinball Wizard,” played on a Gibson J-200 acoustic guitar from Tommy (1969), exemplifies his innovation in rhythm guitar.
Although his lead guitar capabilities have evolved over the decades—as demonstrated on songs like “Join Together” and David Bowie’s “Slow Burn” from Heathen (2002)—Townshend’s power as a guitarist lies in his emotional resonance and performance energy, not technical virtuosity.
From the beginning of The Who’s career, the band’s real “lead guitarist” was arguably bassist John Entwistle. It was Entwistle who performed the memorable solo in “My Generation” and whose bass work increasingly took the spotlight from Tommy onward, even as Townshend grew more confident in lead playing.
Townshend discussed this dynamic in his Sound International interview, explaining, “What’s interesting is our group is, of course, that the roles are reversed. John is the lead guitar player… he does produce a hell of a lot of the lead work.”
He humorously recalled a moment from performing “Dreaming From the Waist” (from 1975’s The Who by Numbers), saying, “John is doing this blinding bass solo and making Alvin Lee look like he plays in slow motion, and I’m just standing there strumming a chord. And the audience looks at me and goes, ‘How does he do it? How does he produce that noise?’”
Townshend also noted how Entwistle’s low-key stage presence led many fans to overlook his contributions. “He used to wear all black and nobody ever put a lamp on him… if we appeared on TV you never saw him unless the camera was whipping from Roger to Keith.”
Entwistle himself shared similar observations in a 1975 Guitar Player interview. “I’ve never truly considered myself a bass player. I think I’m a lead/rhythm bass player,” he said. The Who’s trio format required him to step forward musically, often using a plectrum and executing rhythm figures on his bass to recreate the sound of their studio recordings.
As the band’s music became more complex, particularly with Tommy, Entwistle developed a lead-oriented approach. “Occasionally before that, when the guitar went off, I’d have to take over a solo and turn everything full up and go into a solo,” he explained. “Maybe if I’d been with another band I might be one of those very tasteful bass-y players… a proper bass player, really.”
Entwistle switched to a Rickenbacker 4001 bass for live shows, maintaining full treble to ensure his parts cut through the mix and reached the back of the venue. “We found that it cut to the back of the audience as well, so you could hear what the bass was playing, instead of a blur.”
He also confirmed Townshend’s account of audiences misattributing his solos. “A lot of people in England, when ‘My Generation’ first came out, thought that Pete was playing the solo — the bass solo. And for months, when we were playing it onstage, that solo would come up, and they always used to look at Pete. And after the bass solo was over they used to clap for Pete.”
The similarity of Entwistle’s bass tone to a guitar sound added to the confusion. “I use a very guitar-like sound, so if the audience don’t know about the instruments they’re obviously going to get confused,” he added. “The offensive thing is they automatically think it’s Pete. Yet they can’t understand why Pete just has his hands on a chord he’s just strummed, and there’s a lead figure coming out, and they’re still looking at him and saying, ‘How’s he doing that?’”
With Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon now gone, Townshend and frontman Roger Daltrey remain the only original members of The Who. On May 8, the duo announced their final tour: The Song Is Over North America Farewell Tour, named after their 1971 classic. The farewell series kicks off on August 16 in Sunrise, Florida, and concludes on September 28 in Las Vegas.
Ticket presales for the tour begin on Tuesday, May 13, available through Citi and the Who Fan Club.
Townshend recently signaled a retreat from live performance. “I don’t hate it,” he said, “but it doesn’t fill my soul in the way that you see some performers — just their soul is filled through being on the stage. That’s not me.”
As The Who prepare to take their final bow, Townshend’s reflections underscore a legacy defined not just by his own iconic riffs, but also by the unassuming brilliance of John Entwistle — the band’s stealthy lead guitarist hiding in plain sight.
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