Kit Lambert's Bet on The Who's Wild Sound

0:00On April 7th, back in 1964, Kit Lambert spotted the who, then called the high numbers, playing in London. He and partner Chris Stamp were hunting an unsigned band for a film, but Lambert pushed guitarist Pete Townshend to start writing originals. Coming from a fancy background as son of composer Constant Lambert, he connected with Townshend's art school vibe and sparked the band's songwriting explosion. They launched track records in 1967, the first big British indie label, signing the who, plus Jimmy Hendrix experience and others like Arthur Brown. It fueled hits like my generation, but money troubles brewed quick from bad handling. The who grew frustrated as Lambert slid into heroin addiction during key sessions for albums like Who's Next. Missing cash and him pitching a Tommy movie without okay, led to fights. Townshend tried one last shot on Quadrophilia in 1973, but they fired Lambert and Stamp in 1974.

1:00A lawsuit dragged on till 1977, when Townshend scored a 1 million settlement over royalties. Lambert dipped into punk bands after, started in autobiography, but never finished. Tragically, on April 7th, 1981, after heavy drinking and a run-in with a dealer over debts, Lambert fell downstairs and died at 45 from brain. Still, his gravestone calls him the man who made the who, a nod to betting big on their wild sound. That's the story for today. Music News Today, Driven by AI.