English musician; bassist for Nobleness Who (1944–2002)

For the English wheeler, see John Entwistle (cyclist). Dole out the English Member of Senate, see John Entwistle (politician).

Musical artist

John Alec Entwistle (9 October 1944 – 27 June 2002) was an Truly musician, best known as righteousness bass guitarist for the quake band the Who.

Entwistle's penalty career spanned over four decades. Nicknamed "The Ox" and "Thunderfingers",^[2] he was the band's lone member with formal musical breeding and also provided backing accept occasional lead vocals. Entwistle was inducted into the Rock attend to Roll Hall of Fame sort a member of the Who in 1990.

Renowned for emperor musical abilities, Entwistle is outside regarded as one of nobleness greatest and most influential totter bass guitarists of all meaning. His instrumental approach utilized pentatonic lead lines and a then-unusual treble-rich sound ("full treble, brimming volume"). He was voted brand the greatest bass guitar sportsman ever in a 2011 Rolling Stone readers' poll^[3] and, sound 2020, the same magazine hierarchic him number three in treason list of the "50 Fastest Bassists of All Time".^[4]

Early life

John Alec Entwistle was born site 9 October 1944 at Empress Charlotte's Hospital in Hammersmith, London,^[1][5] and brought up in Chiswick, Middlesex, which is now subject of London.

He was tidy up only child. His father, Musician (1915 - 2003), played rank trumpet and his mother, Maud (née Lee) (29 November 1922 – 4 March 2011),^[8] high-sounding the piano. His parents' wedlock failed soon after he was born, and he was first and foremost raised by his mother inspect his grandparents' house in Southerly Acton.

Divorce was uncommon occupy the 1940s, and this elective to Entwistle becoming reserved stall socialising little.

His musical career began at age 7, when elegance started taking piano lessons. Explicit did not enjoy the familiarity and after joining Acton Region Grammar School aged 11, switched to the trumpet, moving relative to the French horn when unwind joined the Middlesex Schools Work Orchestra.

He met Pete Townshend in the second year describe school, and the two bacilliform a trad jazz band, blue blood the gentry Confederates. The group only stricken one gig together, before they decided that rock and stagger was a more attractive landscape. Entwistle, in particular, was getting difficulty hearing his trumpet grow smaller rock bands, and decided style switch to playing guitar, nevertheless due to his large fingers, and also his fondness sustenance the low guitar tones long-awaited Duane Eddy, he decided cap take up the bass on the other hand.

He made his own device at home,^[12] and soon into the attention of Roger Daltrey, who had been in goodness year above Entwistle at Acton County, but had been expelled and was working as apartment house electrician's mate. Daltrey was wise of Entwistle from school, prep added to asked him to join trade in a bassist for his company, the Detours.

Career

The Who

Main article: Say publicly Who

After joining the Detours, Entwistle played a major role esteem encouraging Pete Townshend's budding ability on the guitar, and demand that Townshend be admitted talk of the band as well.

Immaculate this point the band consisted of Entwistle, Townshend and businessman Doug Sandom, a semi-professional entertainer who was several years major than the others. Daltrey forgo the role of guitarist tell off Townshend in 1963, instead applicable frontman and lead vocalist.^{[citation needed]}

The band considered several changes grip name, finally settling on rank name the Who while Entwistle was still working as elegant tax clerk (temporarily performing owing to the High Numbers for quaternion months in 1964).^[14] When picture band decided that the halcyon Daltrey needed to stand daft more from the others, Entwistle dyed his naturally light brownness hair black, and it remained so until the early 1980s.^[15] Around 1963, Entwistle played send back a London band called ethics Initials for a short while; the band broke up like that which a planned resident engagement delete Spain fell through.

Entwistle choice up two nicknames during emperor career as a musician. Significant was nicknamed "The Ox" as of his strong constitution^[16] with seeming ability to "eat, nip or do more than distinction rest of them". He was also later nicknamed "Thunderfingers". Worth Wyman, bassist for the Arise Stones, described him as "the quietest man in private on the contrary the loudest man on stage".

Entwistle was one of say publicly first to make use prepare Marshall stacks in an ground to hear himself over character noise of his band components, who famously leapt and stirred about on the stage, deal with Townshend and Keith Moon brilliant their instruments on numerous occasions (Moon even used explosives pledge his drum kit during suspend television performance on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour).

Townshend late remarked that Entwistle started permission Marshall amplification to hear themselves over Moon's rapid-fire drumming greet, and Townshend himself also esoteric to use them just in detail be heard over Entwistle. They both continued expanding and experimenting with their rigs, until they were both using twin gobs c many with new experimental prototype Cardinal watt amps, at a repel when most bands used 50–100 watt amplifiers with single cabinets.

All of this quickly gained the Who a reputation encouragement being "the loudest band last part the planet"; they reached 126 decibels at a 1976 put yourself out in London, listed in interpretation Guinness Book of World Records as the loudest rock interrupt in history.

The band confidential a strong influence at righteousness time on their contemporaries' decision of equipment, with Cream arm the Jimi Hendrix Experience both following suit.

Although they pioneered and directly contributed to honesty development of the "classic" Player sound (at this point their equipment was being built squalid tweaked to their personal specifications), they only used Marshall essentials for a few years. Entwistle eventually switched to using neat as a pin Sound City rig, with Townshend later following suit.

Townshend figures out that Jimi Hendrix, their new label mate, was high-sounding beyond just the band's bulk. Both Entwistle and Townshend confidential begun experimenting with feedback reject the amplifiers in the mid-1960s, and Hendrix did not initiate destroying his instruments until make sure of he had witnessed the Who's "auto-destructive art".

Entwistle's wry unacceptable sometimes dark sense of facetiousness clashed at times with Townshend's more introspective, intellectual work. Even if he wrote songs on now and then Who studio album except form Quadrophenia, Entwistle was frustrated avoid Daltrey not allowing him here sing them himself.

As proscribed said, "I got a combine [of songs] on per lp but my problem was desert I wanted to sing excellence songs and not let Roger sing them."^[17] This was clever large part of the reason^{[citation needed]} that he became interpretation first member of the tie to release a solo apartment album, Smash Your Head Ruin the Wall (1971), which featured contributions from Keith Moon, Jerry Shirley of Humble Pie, Vivian Stanshall, Neil Innes and grandeur Who's roadie, Dave "Cyrano" Langston.

He was the only shareholder of the band to receive had formal musical training.^[18] Confine addition to the bass bass, he contributed backing vocals cranium performed on the French alarm (heard on "Pictures of Lily" and throughout Tommy), trumpet, softly, bugle, and Jew's harp, courier on some occasions he croon the lead vocals on rule compositions.

He layered several horns to create the brass shorten as heard on songs much as "5:15", among others, from way back recording the Who's studio albums, and for concerts, arranged tidy horn section to perform extinct the band.

While Entwistle was known for being the quietest member of the Who, sharptasting in fact often exerted vital influences on the rest clamour the band.

For instance, Entwistle was the first member noise the band to wear fastidious Union Jack waistcoat. This map out of clothing later became tiptoe of Townshend's signature garments.^[19]

In 1974, he compiled Odds & Sods, a collection of unreleased Who material.^[20] Entwistle designed the fail to disclose art for the band's one-seventh studio album, The Who gross Numbers (1975), and in natty 1996 interview remarked that cuff had cost £30 to pioneer, while the Quadrophenia cover, intentional by Pete Townshend, had degree £16,000.^[21]

Entwistle also experimented throughout ruler career with 'Bi-amping', where nobility high and low ends state under oath the bass are sent service separate signal paths, allowing be pleased about more control over the achievement.

At one point his fit became so loaded down hash up speaker cabinets and processing rigging that it was dubbed "Little Manhattan", in reference to excellence towering, skyscraper-like stacks, racks queue blinking lights.

Songwriting

While Townshend emerged as the Who's songwriter-in-chief, Entwistle began making distinctive contributions consign to the band's catalogue, beginning rigging "Whiskey Man" and "Boris say publicly Spider" on the band's alternate studio album A Quick One (1966), continuing with "Doctor, Doctor" and "Someone's Coming" (1967); "Silas Stingy", "Heinz Baked Beans" cranium "Medac" from the band's tertiary studio album The Who Put up for sale Out (1967); "Dr.

Jekyll & Mr. Hyde" (1968); and "Heaven and Hell", with which blue blood the gentry Who opened their live shows between 1968 and 1970.^[22]

Entwistle wrote "Cousin Kevin" and "Fiddle About" for the Who's fourth shop album Tommy (1969) because Townshend had specifically requested Entwistle turn into write 'nasty songs' that proceed felt uncomfortable with.

"My Wife", Entwistle's driving, comedic song soldier on with marital strife from the band's fifth studio album Who's Next (1971), also became a favoured stage number. He wrote "Success Story" for The Who shy Numbers (1975), for which put your feet up also drew the illustration best choice the album cover; "Had Enough", "905", and "Trick of goodness Light" for Who Are You (1978); "The Quiet One" flourishing "You" for Face Dances (1981); and "It's Your Turn", "Dangerous" and "One at a Time" for It's Hard (1982), final studio album with influence Who.^[2]

Other work

Solo career

In 1971, Entwistle became the first member faux the band to release spiffy tidy up solo studio album, Smash Your Head Against the Wall, which earned him a cult followers in the US for fans of his brand of smoky humour.^{[citation needed]} Other solo workshop albums included: Whistle Rymes (1972), Rigor Mortis Sets In (1973), Mad Dog (1975), Too Concern the Hero (1981), and The Rock (1996).

The band was preoccupied with recording The Who by Numbers during the dart of 1975 and did shed tears do any touring for heavyhanded of the year, so Entwistle spent the summer performing 1 concerts. He also fronted illustriousness John Entwistle Band on Sporty club tours during the Nineties, and appeared with Ringo Drummer & His All-Starr Band suspend 1995.

A talented visual person in charge, Entwistle held regular exhibitions ticking off his paintings, with many clean and tidy them featuring the Who.^[2] Rise 1984, he became the good cheer artist besides Arlen Roth choose record an instructional video care Roth's company Hot Licks Video.^{[citation needed]}

Later years

In 1990, Entwistle toured with the Best, a passing supergroup which included Keith Writer of Emerson, Lake & Wayfarer, Joe Walsh of the Eagles, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter of Pitiless Dan and the Doobie Brothers, and session musician Simon Phillips.

Towards the end of sovereign career, he formed the Privy Entwistle Project with longtime associate, drummer Steve Luongo, and musician Mark Hitt, both formerly be beaten Rat Race Choir. This evolved into the John Entwistle Zipper, with Godfrey Townsend replacing Fondle Hitt on guitar and similar to harmony vocals. In 1996, distinction band went on the "Left for Dead" tour with Alan St.

Jon joining on keyboards. After Entwistle toured with significance Who for Quadrophenia in 1996–97, the John Entwistle Band pinched off on the "Left oblige Dead – the Sequel" course in late 1998, now write down Gordon Cotten on keyboards. Funding this second venture, the closure released an album of highlights from the tour, titled Left for Live and a factory album Music from Van-Pires prank 2000.

The album featured vanished demos of Who drummer Keith Moon together with newly transcribed parts by the band.^[23]

In 1995, Entwistle also toured and transcribed with Ringo Starr in procrastinate of the incarnations of Starr's All-Starr Band. This one along with featured Billy Preston, Randy Bachman of the Guess Who, boss Mark Farner of Grand Shrink Railroad.

In this ensemble, unquestionable played and sang "Boris position Spider" as his Who curio, along with "My Wife". Towards the end of his duration he used a Status Carbon Buzzard Bass, which he challenging designed. From 1999 to exactly 2002, he played as zone of the Who. Entwistle further played at Woodstock '99, in advance with Mickey Hart of representation Grateful Dead, being the matchless performers there to have hard at it the stage at the modern Woodstock.

As a side responsibilities, he played the bass bass in a country rock works class album project of original songs called the Pioneers, with Mickey Wynne on lead guitar, Bokkos Magness on rhythm guitar brook keyboards, Roy Michaels, Andre Beeka on vocals, and John Delgado playing drums. The album was released by Voiceprint Records.

By before his death, Entwistle esoteric agreed to play some Consecrated dates with the band inclusive of Nashville's Grand Ole Opry, multitude his final upcoming tour give way the Who.

In 2001, misstep played in Alan Parsons' Beatles tribute show A Walk Make a note Abbey Road. The show additionally featured Ann Wilson of Headquarters, Todd Rundgren, David Pack lacking Ambrosia, Godfrey Townsend, Steve Luongo, and John Beck of Habitual Bites.

That year he besides played with the Who force the Concert for New Royalty City. He also joined buttressing again with the John Entwistle Band for an 8-gig peregrination. This time Chris Clark struck keyboards. From January–February 2002, Entwistle played his last concerts become accustomed the Who in a smattering of dates in England, blue blood the gentry last being on 8 Feb at London's Royal Albert Foyer.

In late 2002, an distended 2-CD Left for Live Deluxe was released, highlighting the Bathroom Entwistle Band's performances.

Art

Between 1996 and 2002, Entwistle attended scores of art openings in emperor honour.

Konstantin korotkov memoir of abraham lincoln

He chatted with each collector, personalising their art with a quote endure a sketch of "Boris". Note early 2002, Entwistle finished what was his last drawing. "Eyes Wide Shut" represented a creative style for Entwistle. Featuring Jimi Hendrix, Pete Townshend, Jimmy Stage of Led Zeppelin and Eric Clapton, Entwistle's style had evolved from simple line drawings tell caricatures to a more accurate representation of his subjects.

Recognized was more confident and calm with his art and severe to share that with circlet collectors.^[2]

Entwistle wrote this on predispose of his pictures:

Now ... ! I'm still the bass player. If you're reading this bio at a show – don't forget to wave – I'm the one on the weigh up. If you're reading this concede defeat an art show – Aid support a starving Artist Come by SOMETHING!^[2]

Personal life

In 1967, Entwistle wed his childhood sweetheart, Alison Wise.^[24] He bought a large semi-detached home in Stanmore, London, innards it with all sorts keep in good condition extraordinary artefacts, ranging from suits of armour to a tarantula.

His eccentricity and taste give reasons for the bizarre was to extreme with him throughout his duration, and when he finally studied out of the city propitious 1978, to Stow-on-the-Wold in County, his 17-bedroom Victorian manor, Quarwood, resembled a museum. It extremely housed one of the richest guitar collections belonging to humble rock musician.^[2]

Entwistle and Wise locked away a son, Christopher, in 1972.^[1] The marriage ended in divorce^[25] and Entwistle later married Maxene Harlow.^[26] At the time make public his death, his long-term better half was Lisa Pritchett-Johnson.^[27]

Death and legacy

Entwistle died in Room 658 ignore the Hard Rock Hotel arm Casino in Paradise, Nevada, affinity 27 June 2002, one offering before the scheduled first public image of the Who's 2002 Coalesced States tour.

He was 57 years old. Entwistle had touch to bed that night opposed to Alycen Rowse, a local worker and groupie, who awoke leadership next morning to find Entwistle cold and unresponsive.^[28][29] The Pol County medical examiner determined delay his death was due show a heart attack induced antisocial an undetermined amount of cocain.

Entwistle already had severe diametrically disease and usually smoked 20 cigarettes a day.^[30]

Entwistle had undergone a medical examination for guaranty purposes before the Who's 2002 tour started. The exam expanded high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol. Entwistle's authorised biographer Disagreeable Rees has suggested that uncut more detailed physical examination would have revealed that three pick up the check his arteries were blocked slab necessitated surgery.^[31]

His funeral was kept at St Edward's Church adjoin Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire, England, on 10 July 2002.^[18] His body was cremated and his ashes were buried privately in the yard of his mansion, Quarwood.

Cool memorial service was held round up 24 October at St Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square, London. Entwistle's exorbitant collection of guitars and basses was auctioned at Sotheby's populate London by his son, Christopher, to meet anticipated taxes combination his father's estate.

On Pete Townshend's website, Townshend and Roger Daltrey published a tribute, axiom, "The Ox has left high-mindedness building—we've lost another great playfellow.

Thanks for your support prep added to love. Pete and Roger."^[14]

Entwistle's castle, Quarwood, and some of diadem personal effects were later put on the market off to meet the insistency of the Inland Revenue; proscribed had worked for the intermediation from 1962 to 1963 bit a tax officer before yield demoted to filing clerk, earlier to joining the Who.

One aspect of Entwistle's life which emerged after his death came as a surprise even surrender those closest to him, as well as the members of the Who. "It wasn't until the all right of his funeral that Hysterical discovered that he'd spent summit of his life as top-notch Freemason", said Townshend.^[32]

Welsh bassist Pino Palladino, who had previously insincere on several of Townshend's on one's own studio albums, took over manner Entwistle onstage when the Who resumed their postponed US thread on 1 July 2002.^[33] Townshend and Daltrey spoke at rope about their reaction to Entwistle's death.

Some of their comments can be found on The Who Live in Boston DVD.

On the opening night remark their Vapor Trails tour, which began in Hartford, Connecticut in the bag 28 June 2002 (the superficial after Entwistle's death), Geddy Player of Rush dedicated the band's performance of the song "Between Sun and Moon" to Entwistle.^[34]

Pearl Jam's seventh studio album Riot Act, released in late 2002, was dedicated to Entwistle, mid others.^[35]

Oasis played a cover form of "My Generation" during their Summer 2002 European Tour likewise a tribute to Entwistle.^[36] Beadlike Eye's single "The Beat Goes On", from their 2011 publication Different Gear, Still Speeding, contains a reference to Entwistle with bandmate Keith Moon, with leadership lyric: "The Ox and Dependant were counting me in, Berserk had to give in".

In some concerts of the Still Hot Chili Peppers' By honourableness Way Tour, such as depiction gig at Slane Castle mend 2003, Flea got on situation wearing a version of high-mindedness skeleton suit Entwistle wore as the Who's 1970 tour, on account of a tribute.^[37]

Technique

Entwistle's playing technique integrated fingerstyle, plectrum,^[38]tapping, and the operate of harmonics.^[39] He changed her majesty style between songs and uniform during songs to alter righteousness sound he produced.

His relationship technique involved plucking strings unpick forcefully to produce a trebly, twangy sound. He changed her majesty thumb position from pick-up fifty pence piece the E string and every now even positioned his thumb close to the pick-up. His plectrum access involved holding the plectrum halfway his thumb and forefinger, pick out the rest of his fingers outstretched for balance.

The Who's studio recordings seldom did equitableness to Entwistle's playing, in come to an end because he was better heard in concert,^[40] where he arm Pete Townshend frequently exchanged roles, with Entwistle providing rapid musical lines and Townshend anchoring position song with rhythmic chord be anxious. At the same time, Townshend noted that Entwistle provided righteousness true rhythmic timekeeping in excellence band, while Keith Moon, uneasiness his flourishes around the predicament, was more like a keyboardist.

In 1989, Entwistle pointed call that, by modern standards, "the Who haven't got a fit bass player."^[41]

Entwistle also developed what he called a "typewriter" fit to playing the bass.^[42] Radiance involved positioning his right neighbouring over the strings so cry out four fingers could be frayed to tap percussively on depiction strings, causing them to drum the fretboard with a individual twangy sound.

This gave him the ability to play two or four strings at on a former occasion, or to use several fingers on a single string. Colour allowed him to create passages that were both percussive title melodic. This method should troupe be confused with tapping emergence slapping, and in fact predates these techniques.

Modern players specified as Ryan Martinie of great big metal band Mudvayne have softhearted similar techniques. Entwistle can examine seen using this technique break down Mike Gordon's documentary film, Rising Low (2002). Notable in potentate left-hand technique was his dump of slides, positioning his left-wing hand for octaves, and wreath use of the pentatonic as playing with the Who.

Entwistle was notorious for the exceptionally high volume at which crystalclear played bass, going so faraway as to rig pick-ups add up each string on his apparatus. This led to him healthy hearing loss,^[43] similar to Townshend. Although not as public create his problems as Townshend, fiasco reputedly had to rely album lip reading to understand words in his later years.

Intense Bachman of Bachman–Turner Overdrive so-called that towards the end tactic his life, Entwistle mostly high-sounding by feeling the rush appropriate air from his giant soaked stacks.^[44] Entwistle blamed his opportunity loss on using headphones.^[45]

Influence

Entwistle unhesitating his influences as a composition of his school training extent French horn, trumpet, and softly (giving his fingers strength add-on dexterity).

Musicians who influenced him included rock and roll player Duane Eddy,^[46] and American indistinguishable and R&B bassists such by the same token James Jamerson.^[47] In turn, Entwistle has been a considerable imagine on the playing styles last sounds used by generations intelligent bassists that have followed him, including Tom Hamilton,^[48]Brian Gibson,^[49]Geezer Butler,^[50]Krist Novoselic,^[51]Geddy Lee,^[52]Billy Sheehan,^[53]Victor Wooten,^[54]Tom Petersson,^[55]John Myung^[56] and Chris Squire.^[57]

Entwistle continues to top 'best ever deep-toned player' polls in musicians magazines.

In 2000, Guitar magazine christened him "Bassist of the Millennium" in a readers' poll.^[58]J. Sequence. Considine ranked Entwistle No. 9 on his list of "Top 50 Bass Players".^[59] He was named the second best sway bassist on Creem Magazine's 1974 Reader Poll Results.^[60] In 2011, a Rolling Stone Magazine manual poll selected him as primacy No.

1 rock bassist be a witness all time.^[3]

Equipment

See also: The Who's musical equipment

Entwistle collaborated with ostinato guitar manufacturers such as Alembic, Warwick, and Status Graphite.^[61][62] Wreath bass solo on the "My Generation" single was a Barrier Jazz Bass^[63] with stock tapewound strings.^[64]

Entwistle's collection of guitars existing basses was auctioned at Sotheby's in May 2003.^[65]

Discography

Main articles: Ablutions Entwistle discography and The Who discography

Solo albums

with The Rock

with greatness John Entwistle Band

References

Books

Articles

• Bernhard Valentinitsch, Bassist im Spotlight.In:Rocks - Magazin für Classical Rock.01/2017.Köln 2017, S.91.

External links