‘The First Heavy Metal Band,’ According to The Who’s Daltrey

Were The Who the first ever heavy metal band? Singer Roger Daltrey seems to think so, as he relayed in a recent interview with Rolling Stone.

The vocalist lays out his reasons and even cites a musician from another band who often gets cited for their early metal leanings that credits The Who for their influence.

Why Does Roger Daltrey Think The Who Pioneered Heavy Metal?

Within the chat with Rolling Stone, Daltrey was asked about The Who’s legacy.

He responded, “We were just different than everybody else. Americans don’t really know the Who from the early ’60s, but as the drummer of Deep Purple [Ian Paice] said recently in a magazine, ‘The Who started it all.’ We were the first heavy metal band.”

He continued, “Jim Marshall invented the 4×12 [speaker cabinet], 100-watt stack for Pete Townshend. All the guitar smashing that Jimi Hendrix became famous for, in his style, was basically copied from Pete Townshend, first of all. And the first rock opera, of course, we elevated rock to be maybe up its own ass in a way, you could say it. We were doing it before anyone, but it’s not important in the long run.”

What Did Ian Paice Say About The Who + Heavy Metal?

So what exactly did Ian Paice say about The Who’s role in heavy metal’s beginnings?

The Deep Purple drummer was appearing on the Metal Sticks podcast co-hosted by Iron Maiden’s Nicko McBrain when he gave The Who credit for Deep Purple’s early inspiration.

He shared (as transcribed by Ultimate Guitar), “We helped create what I call ‘the second coming’ of [metal]. Everything else, the band that did it first — The Who did it before everybody. They were the first on the big amp; they were the first to push rock ‘n’ roll beyond pretty little pop songs. Let’s not forget the importance of The Who.”

He continued, “They just changed everything for kids who wanted to do something a little more violently [laughs]. [Pete] Townshend’s notion onstage, [Roger] Daltrey’s aggressive singing and then the control of John Entwistle and the madness of Keith [Moon]. I mean, the whole thing should never have worked.”

While also shouting out Jimi Hendrix for showcasing the more melodic side of heavy playing, he concluded, “I would say The Who were so important. I mean, people tend to forget them, ’cause they’ve been around for so long. But that was a big spark.” He also cited Vanilla Fudge as one of Deep Purple’s early influences as well.

What Else Has Been Said About The Who’s Ties to Heavy Metal’s Start?

Daltrey isn’t the only member of The Who that feels they had a hand in heavy metal’s birth. Guitarist Pete Townshend also made that claim in a 2019 interview with the Toronto Sun.

“We sort of invented heavy metal with Live at Leeds,” noted the guitarist citing their 1970 concert album.

“We were copied by so many bands, principally by Led Zeppelin, you know heavy drums, heavy bass, heavy lead guitar and some of those bands, like Jimi Hendrix for example, did it far better than we did. Cream, with Eric Clapton and Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker, they came along in ‘67, same year as Jimi Hendrix, and they kind of stole our mantle in a sense,” added Townshend.

The Who always remained a rock band but their sound evolved over the years. Admittedly, Townshend confessed, “So people who want to hear that old heavy metal sound there are plenty of bands that can provide it. So it’s not really what we can actually do today. Even if we wanted to, it was never high on my list of wishes.”

Did The Who create heavy metal? Some have pointed to Black Sabbath. Others may shout out Led Zeppelin. Deep Purple definitely trafficked in a heavier style early in the ’70s. And there’s also arguments to be made for different styles of music in the pre-’60s era that portended what perhaps was to come. But with Daltrey’s statement, the Paice backing and the timeline in which The Who arrived on the music scene, there’s a definite case to be made.

Below, check out 16 bands who are considered pioneers of heavy metal.