Tommy at 50: The Mood, the Music, the Look, and the Legacy of The Who’s Legendary Rock Opera

Tommy at 50 is the definitive, illustrated guide to The Who's legendary rock opera album Tommy, and released to celebrate its 50th anniversary. Rock legend Pete Townshend, The Who's cofounder, singer, and guitarist, provides the foreword and was interviewed for the retrospective, which showcases 200 images, including original art from the album's designer and rare photos.

On May 23, 1969, The Who released their breakthrough album, Tommy. It was their fourth studio album and would sell more than twenty million copies, receive wide critical acclaim, and be inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Now, in honor of Tommy's fiftieth anniversary, acclaimed music journalist, The Who expert and memorabilia collector, and friend of the band Chris Charlesworth has teamed up with Mike McInnerney, a longtime friend of Pete Townshend and the artist for Tommy's original album cover, to create an extraordinary keepsake volume that is a tribute to the unforgettable album and its namesake song.

With eye-opening text and two hundred color photos, Tommy at 50 considers the album Tommy from four distinct angles, examining the mood of its creation, the origins and content of its music, the look of its iconic artwork, and the album's enduring legacy. It draws on new interviews from key players in the story with fun and revealing insight into the making of the album and features art created exclusively for the book by Mike McInnerney, as well as rare photos of the band. An insightful guide and collector's edition volume for all fans of The Who, Tommy at 50 offers an unparalleled window into The Who's finest hour and is a celebration of one greatest albums ever made.

Chris Charlesworth is a music journalist who joined the staff of Melody Maker—at the time, one of Britain’s leading music publications—in 1970 and went on to serve as its news editor and American editor before leaving the paper in 1977. During this period, he became particularly close with The Who, traveling with them on tour and visiting them at their homes in a social capacity. In 1977, he joined Sir Productions, the New York–based company that looked after The Who’s US affairs. Charlesworth later became the editor-in-chief of Omnibus Press, a position he held for thirty-three years. He’s written and edited a number of books on The Who, including The Who: An Illustrated Biography (Omnibus, 1982). At Pete Townshend’s request, he compiled the four-CD Who boxed set, Thirty Years of Maximum R&B, in 1994, and went on to oversee the wholesale renovation of the group’s back catalog for remastered CD. In this capacity, he selected bonus tracks, commissioned and edited new sleeve notes and artwork, and contributed track details. Charlesworth has an extensive collection of Who memorabilia that includes every book written about them, scores of vinyl singles and albums, over one hundred CDs, and numerous videos. Charlesworth lives in the UK.

Mike McInnerney was an active member of the counterculture movement in London during the sixties. His psychedelic posters, painted murals, and work for alternative journals helped promote the music, arts, politics, and events of the era. Following a stint as art editor of the International Times, he designed record sleeves, including that of The Who’s Tommy album, and produced editorial illustrations for leading journals such as Britain's Sunday Times and Nova magazine. His work is exhibited at major institutions around the world, including London’s Whitechapel Art Gallery and Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Whitney museum in New York. McInnerney also wrote a chapter in Sgt. Pepper at 50. He lives in the UK.

Chris Charlesworth is a music journalist who joined the staff of Melody Maker—at the time, one of Britain's leading music publications—in 1970 and went on to serve as its news editor and American editor before leaving the paper in 1977. During this period, he became particularly close to The Who, traveling with them on tour and visiting them at their homes in a social capacity. In 1977, he joined Sir Productions, the New York–based company that looked after The Who's US affairs. Charlesworth later became the editor-in-chief of Omnibus Press, a position he held for thirty-three years. He's written and edited a number of books on The Who, including The Who: An Illustrated Biography (Omnibus, 1982). At Pete Townshend's request, he compiled the four-CD Who boxed set, Thirty Years of Maximum R&B, in 1994, and went on to oversee the wholesale renovation of the group's back catalog for remastered CD. In this capacity, he selected bonus tracks, commissioned and edited new sleeve notes and artwork, and contributed track details. Charlesworth has an extensive collection of Who memorabilia that includes every book written about them, scores of vinyl singles and albums, over one hundred CDs, and numerous videos. Charlesworth lives in the UK.

Mike McInnerney was an active member of the counterculture movement in London during the sixties. His psychedelic posters, painted murals, and work for alternative journals helped promote the music, arts, politics, and events of the era. Following a stint as art editor of the International Times, he designed record sleeves, including that of The Who's Tommy album, and produced editorial illustrations for leading journals such as Britain's Sunday Times and Nova magazine. His work is exhibited at major institutions around the world, including London's Whitechapel Art Gallery and Victoria and Albert Museum, and the Whitney museum in New York. McInnerney also wrote a chapter in Sgt. Pepper at 50. He lives in the UK.

Pete Townshend is best known as the guitarist and principal songwriter of the legendary British rock group The Who. Born in 1945, he joined Roger Daltrey's group The Detours alongside John Entwistle in 1962 and, as the band gradually morphed into The Who, became its primary creative force. He would go on to write more than one hundred songs for The Who, including such classics as "My Generation" and "Won't Get Fooled Again," as well as the bulk of the pioneering "rock opera" album Tommy and all of Quadrophenia. Considered one of rock's all-time great guitar players, he has also recorded eight solo albums, performed solo, and worked with everyone from David Bowie to the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. With The Who, Townshend was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2005, and won the George and Ira Gershwin Award in 2016. He received a "Lifetime Achievement" award from the BRIT Awards in 1993 and the Ivor Novello Awards in 2001. Tommy was named "Best Original Score" at the Tony Awards in 1993 and "Best Musical Show Album" at the Grammy Awards in 1994.