Daltrey was born in the Chiswick area of London, the same working class suburban neighbourhood that produced fellow Who members Pete Townshend and John Entwistle. He showed academic promise as a child in the English state school system, ranking at the top of his class on examinations that led to his enrollment at the Acton County Grammar School for boys. His parents, Harry and Irene, hoped he would eventually continue on to study at a university, but obeying the rules and learning from his teachers were not in the plans of the self-described "school rebel."
He made his first guitar from a block of wood and formed a band called, "The Detours." When his father bought him an Epiphone guitar in 1959, he became the lead guitarist for the band. Soon after, interested in nothing but rock and roll, he was expelled from school. He became a sheet metal worker during the day, while practising and performing nights with the band at weddings, pubs and men's clubs. At the time, the band included Daltrey on lead guitar, Pete Townshend on rhythm guitar, John Entwistle on bass, Doug Sandom on drums and Colin Dawson on lead vocals. After Colin Dawson left the band, Daltrey switched to vocals and Townshend to lead guitar.
Early on, Daltrey was the band's leader, earning a reputation for using his fists to exercise control when needed, despite his small stature. According to Townshend, Roger "ran things the way he wanted. If you argued with him, you usually got a bunch of fives." He generally selected the music they performed, including songs by The Beatles, various Motown artists, James Brown, and other rock standards. In 1964, he also helped decide on a new name for the group that had been suggested by Townshend's roommate, Richard Barnes — "The Who."
The Who
With the band's first record deal in early 1965, Townshend began writing original material and Daltrey's dominance of the band began to recede. (Their second single, Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere was the only song on which Daltrey and Townshend collaborated.) As Townshend developed into one of rock's most accomplished composers, Daltrey's vocals became the vehicle through which Townshend's visions were expressed, and he gained an equally vaunted reputation as an incomparably powerful vocalist. His habit of swinging the microphone around by its cord on stage became a signature sign of his exuberance.
Daltrey's stuttering expression of youthful anger, frustration and arrogance in the band's breakthrough single, My Generation, captured the revolutionary feeling of the 1960s for many young people around the world and became the band's trademark. Later, his scream near the end of Won't Get Fooled Again became a defining moment for the band.
Yet, in the midst of the band's success, Daltrey repeatedly found himself fighting to keep the other members of The Who away from the drug and alcohol dependence that he believed would destroy them. He once flushed drummer Keith Moon's pills down the lavatory and, when Moon protested, knocked him down with one punch. Later, in October, 1973, with Townshend at a low point after struggling through the Lifehouse and Quadrophenia projects while Daltrey was experiencing some success with his solo projects and acting roles, tension between the two created more sparks. During a recording session (in an incident that Daltrey claimed was overblown), Townshend whacked the singer over the head with his guitar and Daltrey responded by knocking Townshend unconscious, again with a single blow. With each of The Who's milestone achievements, Tommy, Who's Next, and Quadrophenia, Daltrey was the face and voice of the band as they defined themselves as the ultimate rebels in a generation of change. When Tommy appeared as a feature film in 1975, Daltrey played the lead role and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for "Best Acting Debut in a Motion Picture".
Solo music career
Roger Daltrey's first solo album, Daltrey
While he has always considered The Who his primary ambition in life, Daltrey has released eight solo albums. 1973's Daltrey was not the first solo release by a member of The Who, following albums by both John Entwistle and Pete Townshend. The top single off the album, "Giving It All Away," reached number five in the UK and the album, which introduced Leo Sayer as a songwriter, made the Top 50 in the United States. The emotional range displayed in Daltrey proved that the singer was capable of operating outside the context of The Who and of expressing his own moods, not just Townshend's.
When Sayer launched his own career as an artist, Daltrey called on a widening group of friends to write for and perform on his albums. Paul McCartney contributed the new song "Giddy" to "One of The Boys", where the band included Eric Clapton, Alvin Lee and Mick Ronson.
McVicar was billed as a soundtrack album for the film of the same name, which Daltrey co-produced and starred in. But since it featured all the other members of The Who — Townshend, Entwistle and Kenny Jones — it could almost have passed as a Who album. McVicar included two hit singles, Free Me and Without Your Love and was Daltrey's best-selling solo recording.
The title track to Under a Raging Moon was a tribute to Who drummer Keith Moon, who died in 1978. Each of the album's tracks, including "Let Me Down Easy" by Bryan Adams, expresses the frustration of growing older as only a man who sang "Hope I die before I get old" can. On Rocks in the Head, Daltrey is credited (along with Gerard McMahon) for co-writing seven of the eleven tracks.
Daltrey celebrated his fiftieth birthday in 1994 by performing at Carnegie Hall in a show called, "Daltrey Sings Townshend," accompanied by The Juilliard Orchestra, Townshend, Entwistle, Irish dancers and a group of folk musicians. Later he had a short weekly series on BBC Radio 2, presenting a personal choice of rock'n'roll.
Walking The Dog
Roger Daltrey Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Silver buttons all down her back
High hose, tippy toes
She broke the needle and she can sew
Walking the dog
I'm just a walking the dog
If you don't know how to do it
C'mon now c'mon
I asked her mother for fifteen cents
I see you ever jumped the fence
I jumped so high, touched the skies
Didn't get back until a quarter to five
Walking the dog
I'm just a walking the dog
If you don't know how to do it
I'll show you how to walk the dog
C'mon c'mon now
Tell me Mary, what's your twelve
How does your garden grow
What with silver bells and cockle shells
And pretty maids all in a row
Walking the dog
I'm just a walking the dog
If you don't know how to do it
I'll show you how to walk the dog
C'mon now c'mon
Baby back, dressed in black
Silver buttons all down her back
High hose, tippy toes
She broke the needle and she can sew
Walking the dog
I'm just a walking the dog
If you don't know how to do it
I'll show you how to walk the dog
C'mon now c'mon
Yeah, j-j-just a walking
Uh, j-j-just a walking
Uh, j-j-just a walking
Now, if you don't know how to do it
I'll show you how to walk the dog
C'mon now c'mon
If you don't know how to do it
I'll show you how to walk the dog
C'mon now
If you don't know how to do it
I'll show you how to walk the dog
C'mon
The song "Walking the Dog" by Roger Daltrey features a unique combination of blues, rock, and R&B sounds that come together to create an upbeat tune. The song tells the story of a girl, described as "baby back, dressed in black" who can break a needle and sew it back together. The lyrics have a playful quality to them, with the verses describing the singer asking a girl's mother for fifteen cents, jumping over fences, and touching the skies. The chorus, "I'm just a walking the dog," repeats throughout the song and invites the listener to join in by showing them how to "walk the dog."
On the surface level, "walking the dog" refers to the dance move that involves moving one's left foot forward and back while moving the right foot back and forth. However, the song may also have a deeper meaning as "walking the dog" can be interpreted as a metaphor for overcoming obstacles and achieving mastery. The girl described in the song, with her sewing skills and ability to "break and then sew" the needle, could be seen as a metaphor for perseverance and resilience.
Overall, "Walking the Dog" is a lively and fun song that showcases Roger Daltrey's musical talent and demonstrates how a simple dance move can be turned into a catchy tune with meaningful lyrics.
Line by Line Meaning
Baby back, dressed in black
Describing a woman who is wearing black clothes and has a youthful appearance
Silver buttons all down her back
Her black dress has silver buttons that decorate the back
High hose, tippy toes
She is wearing high socks and shoes with pointed toes
She broke the needle and she can sew
Despite breaking the needle, she is skilled at sewing
Walking the dog
The singer is taking his dog for a walk
I'm just a walking the dog
He repeats his activity of walking the dog
If you don't know how to do it
The singer is offering to teach someone how to walk a dog
I'll show you how to walk the dog
He repeats his offer to teach someone how to walk a dog
C'mon now c'mon
An encouragement to the person to join him
I asked her mother for fifteen cents
He borrowed fifteen cents from the girl's mother
I see you ever jumped the fence
He is impressed that she can jump over a fence
I jumped so high, touched the skies
He boasts about his ability to jump high
Didn't get back until a quarter to five
He was out for a long time and returned home late in the afternoon
Tell me Mary, what's your twelve
He is asking Mary about the time or her plans for the day
How does your garden grow
He is asking Mary about the condition of her garden
What with silver bells and cockle shells
He describes her garden as having silver bells and cockle shells
And pretty maids all in a row
He describes Mary's garden as having rows of pretty flowers
Yeah, j-j-just a walking
He repeats his activity of walking the dog
Uh, j-j-just a walking
He repeats his activity of walking the dog
Now, if you don't know how to do it
He is offering to teach someone how to walk a dog
I'll show you how to walk the dog
He repeats his offer to teach someone how to walk a dog
C'mon now c'mon
An encouragement to the person to join him
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Rufus Thomas
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@leiltonriosbittencourt5315
Voz possante impressionante .dom! Roqueiro.
@jmslmonteiro
Demais!
@mariajoseramudo5074
Un genio
@frankies9465
Great song. Met roger many times. One of my heroes. Love this album. This is my childhood. I love the who, roger, and elton john. Goodbye 70s, i miss you
@fondazionetimpano
Veramente notevole
@mctavish23
Still have the LP
@frankrogowski5608
Lucky person.