Pete Townshend was born in London in 1945 and came of age during a peak period in British rock history, leading the Who as their guitarist and main songwriter. He penned classics like 'I Can't Explain,' 'My Generation' and the 'Tommy' album before he turned 25. In 1972 he launched his solo career with 'Who Came First,' and for the next two decades he balanced the Who with records released under his own name, some of which included acoustic sketches of his band's songs. Throughout his career, Townshend has used music to explore everything from his English youth to getting older. He and singer Roger Daltrey still lead the Who, despite Townshend's hearing loss.