Iconic British Rock Band The Who were honoured in a special ceremony, on 19th November 2019, in London’s Camden Town, at the main crossroads in the heart of what is still one of the vibrant hubs of the London music scene. Roger Daltrey and Pete Townsend attended the unveiling of the first stone on the new 'Music Walk of Fame' (MWOF) in recognition of the band's enduring contribution over fifty years.

As the organisers stated "when the brains trust sat to select the first recipient on the Music Walk Of Fame, the criteria were simple: the act had to have their roots in London, their career had to have spanned multiple decades, they must have sold millions of records worldwide, topped the charts and gained a following of global proportions. And, perhaps most importantly, they had to have changed the face of popular music forever. Subsequently, one name rose to the top of the shortlist… "

Roger: "We're proud of the British music business’s achievements, and to have it in Camden – London's centre of music, especially in the '60s and '70s – it's just an honour, it's great".

Pete: "We're really pleased to get this, and not just because we're the first. If we weren't the first it would've been just as wonderful."

During his presentation address, Pete couldn't resist noting that he would have loved the Walk to have been in Shepherd's Bush, the area of West London where the band first formed and played their early gigs, at small local venues like the White Hart Hotel at 264 Acton High Street and Goldhawk Social Club at 205 Goldhawk Road.

He was clearly grateful that Camden Council had walked the walk-talk and helped bring this project to fruition, given the apparent lack of interest of Hammersmith and Fulham council, to honour the contribution of live music to the London borough where iconic venues like the Hammersmith Odeon (now Eventim Apollo) are located. No doubt, he bitterly remembers the failure of the campaign to prevent developers from closing Cooke's famous 'pie and mash' shop at 48 Goldhawk Road, the longstanding mod-hang-out, most memorably featured in the beloved film version of 'Quadrophenia'.

By 1965, the band had graduated to more prestigious venues, like The Ealing Club, The Marquee and Notre Dame Hall in Leicester Square. However, they didn't play in Camden until the infamous New Year's Eve all-night rave in 1966, alongside Pink Floyd at the Roundhouse. It would be another two years until they would return with three headline 'Sell Out' shows at the reknown venue at the Chalk Farm end of Camden High Street.

As a quicker option than the magic #31 London bus, that runs between White City and Camden Town, Pete and Roger opted to arrive in style on-board a Who-themed taxi, decorated with the striking artwork by Pete Blake that adorns their long-awaited new album 'Who' (released 6th December 2019 via Polydor).

There were no parka restrictions, as the mod-themed ceremony was further enhanced by a raucous Vespa-fuelled scooter drive-by. The presence of a number of the cast of 'Quadrophenia', including Gary Shail (Spider), Mark Wingett (Dave) and Leslie Ash (Steph), as well as popular 'ModCast' presenter Eddie Piller, ensured that the spirit of Goldhawk Road was brought to life in the streets of Camden, with The Who's permanent stone ensuring that the setting of their legacy in artistic, social and popular culture was truly cemented.

The 60-minute ceremony attracted world-wide media interest with film crews jostling for space in the press-pen. The event was as well-orchestrated as band's recent sold-out run of arena shows. The tour is set to continue well into 2020, accompanied by a 40-piece orchestra and with a set-list that will incorporate choice cuts from the meaty and definitely beaty new album (‘Who’), such as the powerful 'Ball and Chain' and the epic 'Hero Ground Zero'.

Roger was particularly effusive when talking about the new album at the tour-preview Q&A at The Who pop-up shop in central London on 13th June 2019: "He (Pete) gave me complete melodic freedom. And I gotta tell you that after being very skeptical, I’m now incredibly optimistic. I think we’ve made our best album since ‘Quadrophenia’...Pete hasn’t lost it, he’s still a fabulous songwriter and he’s still got that cutting edge.”

Prior to main ceremony, respected broadcaster and music journalist Phil Alexander gave the opening address and introduced the founder of the Music Walk of Fame, local entrepreneur Lee Bennett. He spoke of the long journey that culminated in the project finally coming to fruition: "what a great day for music, fans, the world, London and Camden. To cap it off, by having one of the greatest bands of all time, I'm thrilled to bits".

Local dignitaries, including London's 'Night Czar' Amy Lamé and Camden's councillor, and Cabinet Member for Promoting Culture and Communities, Jonathan Simpson, spoke eloquently about the social and economic importance of music to the area.

Soul-II-Soul's Jazzie B, formally announced the opening of this important new London landmark, highlighted by the founding stone at the head of the walk, adjacent to the exit of Camden Town tube station. His message about the importance of support for young musicians and emerging artists was underpinned by a brief yet gutsy series of performances by the youngsters of the local Haverstock School Rap Club.

Yet, it was Primal Scream's Bobby Gillespie, whose passionate and moving induction speech on what The Who meant to him, that best encapsulated the event and embodied the spirit of the new walk.

Flourishing his lovingly-crafted handwritten speech, his passion for music and joy at introducing one of his favourite bands were mesmerising and deeply touching.

He recalled watching 'The Kids are All Right' and being transfixed by "the unforgettable opening scene of the band performing 'My Generation' on the Smothers Brothers’ TV show with Pete windmilling and smashing his guitar into his vox amps and Keith blowing-up the pop-art with explosives, hidden behind his kit. It was all proof that these guys were punk before punk, despite their mod roots, which were informed and sharpened by Mod visionary Peter Meaden, whose legendary description of Mod Life was "clean living under difficult circumstances"“.

He went on to describe his deep respect of Roger and Pete's ability, after over fifty years of touring, to continue to perform with the zest and zeal of young men.

"It's incredible that Roger still sings so hard and powerful and with as much feeling as he does for two and a half hours. Younger men would shatter and break - they don't have the chops, history, stamina or talent. He's a one-off. Irreplaceable"

"Pete gave a masterclass in rock and roll guitar playing. All killer rhythm and stinging leads. All played with deadly precision. It was unreal".

"The were magnificent. As a life-long Who-freak, it's a honour to announce that the first stone on the music walk of fame is for 'The Who'."

The vision of the organisers is to add up to 20 stones per year to the walk, in order to recognise the diverse talent that has contributed to the wealth of London's music scene. The route of the pavement walk will first head North-West along the Camden High Street past the 'Electric Ballroom' towards Camden Market, home of the still-thriving 'Dingwalls' and a short distance from the 'Roundhouse'.

There's further scope to extend to the walk in the opposite direction to the other end of the high street, near Mornington Crescent, where the one-time 'Camden Palace' now lives-on as the impressively ornate 'Koko'.

The long-term vision of the founders, that includes legendary songwriter and MWOF managing director, Dave Courtney, and the support of the local community is sure to establish a worthy and popular living testimonial to the London music scene.

Also, there's much more to the Walk that simply a series of stones to be laid on this busy North London high street. The organisers are taking advantage of on-line resources and the latest augmented reality (AR) technology to provide a compelling virtual experience to enhance this physical monument.

The latest details can be found on-line: at www.musicwalkoffame.com and @MusicWalkOfFame, including newly released mobile apps that can be downloaded here:

As additional artists are recognised and stones added to the Walk, new and exclusive content will be available to registered users. For example, just in time for 'The Who' induction, MWOF app users were able to listen to a preview of 'I don't want to get wise' the new single taken from The Who's forthcoming album 'Who'.

Naturally, the hot topic, at the aftershow at the Camden Blues Kitchen, was which artists would be honoured next. Given her strong association with Camden, during her sadly short lifetime, Amy Winehouse is hotly-tipped. A number of other potential candidates were also in the room, including Suggs of local legends Madness, iconic Camden Palace producer and promoter Rusty Egan and his contemporary counterpart, Camden Rocks promoter, Chris McCormack.

Irrespective of which names are added to the walk, this new attraction is a recommended and worthy new cultural landmark for an area of London, where music continues to provide its economic and social lifeblood.

https://www.themusicwalkoffame.com/
https://petetownshend.net/news/the-who-honoured-with-blue-plaque-at-goldhawk-club
https://www.ealingclub.com/ealingclubhistory/
https://www.standard.co.uk/news/celebritynews/theres-no-substitute-for-threatened-eel-and-pie-shop-says-who-star-pete-7441849.html
https://www.cookespieandmash.com/
http://www.themarqueelondon.com/
https://50.roundhouse.org.uk/content-items/psychedelicamania-nye-1966-featuring-move-pink-floyd
https://www.thewho.com/tour/

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