BassGuitar

John Entwistle

History

He was described by Bill Wyman as “the quietest man in private but the loudest on stage.” Whether quiet or loud, public or private, old or young, one thing John Entwistle was, without a doubt, was influential. His aggressive, pounding sound was the driving force behind the success of The Who for 40 years. How many bassists don’t own a copy of Tommy? Who on earth doesn’t own a copy of Tommy for that matter! And, make no mistake, although the album was composed mostly by Pete Townshend, it was Entwistle’s mastery of the bass, trumpet, French horn, and piano, that made one of the most influential rock alums of all time what is was then, and still is today. The same can be said about what he did for every musical venture he ever partook.

John Alec Entwistle was born, in 1944, in the London suburb of Cheswick, England. Both of his parents had musical backgrounds which afforded John a great deal of exposure to music at an early age. It was his mastery of the piano and the French horn which got him accepted into the Middlesex Youth Orchestra in his early youth. At the age of 14, Entwistle picked up his first bass guitar. It was shortly afterwards that he would be a co-founding member of a band called The Detours. This band included members Keith Moon, Roger Daltrey, and Pete Townshend, and would later be known as The Who.

The Who began their rise to fame in the United Kingdom in 1965. Their first three albums, My Generation, A Quick One, and The Who Sell Out, had several Top 10 singles in the UK. Two years later, they broke through in the United States with hits like “Happy Jack” and “I Can See for Miles.” One of the staples of The Who’s acts became the frequent smashing of their instruments onstage. Entwistle was the only member of the band to not partake in this ritual. Being the only member of the band with any formal music training, he had too much respect for his instrument to indulge in destroying it. It was this formal training which afforded John the ability to play French horn, trumpet, bugle, and Jew’s Harp on several tracks.

With the 1968 release of The Who’s rock opera Tommy, Entwistle’s pioneering musical talents and styles were revealed to the world. Unlike many musicians of the time, Entwistle’s style changed from song to song, at times even during a song. At any time he could be using a plectrum, his fingers, harmonics, or the “typewriter” finger movement which earned him the nickname “Thunderfingers.” His playing style, however, is only one of the things that made him a pioneer. In the mid-60’s he was one of the first bassists to experiment with the use of multiple Marshall stacks. According to Pete Townshend, Entwistle began the experimentation so that he could hear himself playing over the animalistic sounds of Keith Moon’s drums. It was not long afterward that Townshend also switched to Marshall stacks.

Entwistle became known for constantly experimenting with his equipment. He was one of the first to use “bi-amping.” This method takes the low and high signals from the bass guitar and runs them through channels. This allows more control over the overall sound. John’s gear became so elaborate that it earned the nickname “Little Manhattan” for resembling a downtown scene with its flashing lights, wires, and towering stacks.
The Who rode success through the 60’s and into the 70’s. In 1973 they released their second full-length rock opera, Quadrophenia. Although the majority of their writing came from Townshend, Entwistle made several contributions along the way, such as “Cousin Kevin,” “My Wife,” and “Fiddle About.” However, it wasn’t his songwriting or his musical talent which earned him his second nickname, “The Ox.” This name came from John’s iron constitution and his ability for excess. It was this ability which fueled his drug addiction at an early stage in his career.

Partying and touring became a staple of the life of all four members of The Who. The overindulgence which came along with it became a staple as well. Shortly after the 1978 release of Who Are You, the band’s eighth studio album, drummer Keith Moon died from a mixture of sedatives and alcohol. Unfortunately, Moon’s death did not slow Entwistle’s lifestyle at all. He enjoyed touring. His talents were always better expressed onstage than they were in the studio. Poor recording quality and equipment left many of The Who albums short of displaying Entwistle’s brilliance. However, when he took the stage his rhythmic, melodic tones would bring the band’s music to life. It was largely the live performance at Woodstock in 1969 that played the biggest part in The Who’s rise to popularity in the States.

The 80’s did not fare as well for The Who. They released two early albums, Face Dances and It’s Hard, before deciding to call it quits. By this time, all three remaining original members were addicted to either cocaine or heroin. Despite a couple of brief reunions with The Who, the 80’s and 90’s featured Entwistle working largely on solo projects or filling in with other performers such as Roger Daltrey, Susanna Hoffs, and Ringo Starr.

By 1996, John had formed “The John Entwistle Band” with longtime friend and drummer, Steve Luongo. He also toured with Ringo Starr’s “All-Starr Band.” There were various other collaborations until 1999, when he reunited with The Who one more time. The band toured the US and UK in 2000. They also performed at “The Concert for New York City” shortly after 9/11. Later in 2001 he would reunite with The John Entwistle Band for an 8-gig tour. Not long after, he would play his last dates ever with The Who. Their short tour spanned the UK and took place in January and February 2002.

On June 27, 2002, John Entwistle went to bed at The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas and never woke up. The medical examiner determined that John died of a heart attack brought on by an undetermined amount of cocaine. It was revealed that he did not have a vast amount of the drug in his bloodstream; however, the long-term use throughout much of his adult life was a major contributor to damage of his coronary arteries. He passed one day before The Who’s scheduled US Tour was to begin.

Playing Style

If there were one word to describe the musical talents of John Entwistle, it would have to be diverse. He found a way to be both drummer and bassist at the same time. With the random, wild pounding of Keith Moon on drums, John developed his “typewriter” approach to playing the bass. This method involved placing his right hand over the strings so that all four fingers could percussively tap them against the fretboard. He would also frequently change his thumb position from the top of the pickup to the E-string when he wasn’t using a plectrum. John was also a frequent of the pentatonic scale in his playing, incorporating slides for changes in octaves.

Equipment

Just as his playing styles were diverse, so was his taste in instruments. John played everything from a 1965 Fender P-Bass to a Status Graphite JE Buzzard. He had several Fenders, Gibsons, Rickenbackers, Alembics, even a Modulus and a Warwick. He also used Marshall stacks with Hiwatt heads and, at times, Sunn cabinets. In the 60’s through the 80’s he used Rotosound Swing Bass roundwound strings (.045 - .105). Later, he used Maxima Gold hand-plated handmade strings. His strings were changed daily throughout his career. He used Herco and Manny’s picks, typically either .80mm or 1.14mm.