Neville Ness House

Publisher's comment . . . . Pete Townshend was only too happy to give his seal of approval (and a generously long Prologue) to this book by the band’s first drummer, Doug Sandom, who filled a mountain of exercise books with his early recollections of the band before Keith Moon replaced him.

THE WHO Before THE WHO by Doug Sandom

About THE WHO B​efore THE WHO


DOUG Sandom's part in the making of the most exciting rock band in the world can never be underestimated.  He joined The Who - then known as The Detours - as their drummer in 1962 after an unexpected meeting with Roger Daltrey on a west London street.  It was a time when fires were being lit under the music scene worldwide, everything had to change and The Detours had a long way to go to become revolutionary leaders in their field.


Having finally decided to write his memoirs, Doug Sandom chronicles each stage of the band's transition right up to his, Roger Daltrey's, Pete Townshend's and John Entwistle's emergence from their chrysalis as The Who.  It is a punchy tale of gritty determination and ever-burning passion for music.  As PeteTownshend writes in his moving Foreword,  'Doug Sandom's work with our band gave me the confidence to drive the band as a writer and creative thinker   . . . '