(Credits: Far Out / Tony Barnard / Los Angeles Times / UCLA / RCA Records)
Mon 23 February 2026 19:00, UK
The beating heart of The Who was undoubtedly Roger Daltrey.
The bold experimentalist who formed their punk foundations before building a wild world of rock expansion with ‘Baba O’Riley’, the band simply wouldn’t have been the outfit they were without Townshend’s creativity. But in Roger Daltrey, he had a voice of the ages who could convey these grand ideas with a much-needed sense of humanity.
Because Daltrey’s voice was grand and elaborate, make no mistake of that, but beneath it existed the everyday quality of his generation he so passionately represented. His lack of songwriting chops was immediately made up for by his vocal charisma and innate ability to understand the message of Townshend’s songwriting.
The complexity of his ideas would never be lost on Daltrey, as he stepped into the vocal booth, instead, he would understand where the intonations existed in each bar and then use that understanding to take his songs into the stratosphere.
So while Townshend deserves a large part of The Who’s credit, Daltrey’s role can’t be understated. In many senses, his style acted as a bridge from the past to the present. He had all of the blues rock sensibilities of the musicians who influenced their sound, but amped it up as a form of artistic rebellion and helped thrust The Who into the very centre of sonic innovation.
Their imprint on culture was indisputable, to the point where Jack Black was willing to compare the band to the mighty Jimi Hendrix. He said, “No other band had the courage or sensitivity to write those kinds of emotionally raw songs. Achingly beautiful melodies touched by the hand of God, or the devil, or both. A collection of ass-kicking songs the likes of which will never be seen again. On the battlefield, they went toe-to-toe with the likes of Hendrix and came out unscathed.”
But it’s not unsurprising to hear Black waxing lyrical about a rock and roll icon. He is the leader of the everyday rock fan, and can be regularly found marvelling at the ability of musicians from years gone by. But what he perhaps isn’t used to is that praise being reciprocated.
Because Black was once the subject of Daltrey’s adoration. And while the actor claimed that The Who were on par with Hendrix, Daltrey was willing to return the favour by pitting Black’s vocal style alongside that of a true musical legend. He said:
“When you look at Jack Black, whatever he’s doing, it just always reminds me of that first initial feeling I had when I heard Elvis Presley singing ‘Heartbreak Hotel’,” Daltrey said, delivering a guttural growl. “Haah! What’s that noise! Graaaawr! Yeah, just that enthusiasm.”
It is the highest of praise for Black, who not only dreamed of being compared to rock gods from years gone by, but who has so clearly modelled his style on the likes of Daltrey. The charming operatic style of Daltrey was injected into Black’s vocal approach, as he, too, tried to build a bridge between the sonic past and present.