How Keith Moon secured The Who’s first record deal
While it’s impossible to envision Keith Moon not being a member of The Who, he wasn’t actually a founding member of the group, and if it wasn’t for a harsh intervention from a record label executive, the drummer may have never joined the fold at all.
Initially, The Who comprised of Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle and drummer Doug Sandom. While the three members who’d go on to find fame were barely out of school, Sandom was already in his 30s when they formed in 1962, creating a generational divide between him and the rest of the band.
However, despite their different stages in life, Sandom was a talented instrumentalist who played a pivotal role in the band’s early years. Yet, no recordings from his chapter as the drummer of The Who have been released, which has partially erased him from the history books.
Although the band knew of Moon and his vast talent before he joined The Who, they didn’t oust Sandom with his eventual successor in mind; his dismissal was instead made in response to feedback from a record label. In a meeting, the company revealed they’d only sign The Who if they removed the drummer from his position.
Reflecting on their journey in 1994 with David Sheff, Townshend explained how Moon became a part of The Who: “We were struggling to get a record deal. We had a very good drummer, but he was much older, about 36. We were about to get a record deal with Philips, and the record-company guy told us, ‘Listen, we’ll give you a deal, but you have to get rid of the drummer.'”
The guitarist continued: “We said we weren’t sure, and the guy goes. ‘Listen, you have to get rid of him now. You have to tell him now.’ So John, Roger and I had a meeting. It was a big question of loyalty because this guy was somebody we loved very much. And at that moment my heart turned to stone and I said, ‘I’ll go tell him.’ And I went out and said. He said he would give us a record deal but not if you’re in the group, so you’re out.”
Unsurprisingly, Sansom, who passed away in 2019, was angered by their decision to sacrifice him for success. Townshend revealed that the drummer refused to speak to him for many years following the incident.
Following Sansom’s departure, they employed session drummers temporarily before Moon auditioned for the role and was immediately hired. A recording contract soon followed, and within a year, they’d released their debut album, My Generation, on Brunswick Records.
While it was a disloyal move to remove Sandom from his position, The Who needed to put their future first, and it inadvertently led to Moon finding a home within the band, dramatically elevating their sound. If they were signed while Sandom was a member, Moon would never have become part of the band, and their legacy would be utterly unrecognisable.
