Keith John Moon was born to working-class parents in Wembley, London, England on August 23, 1946. At the age of 12, he joined the Sea Cadet Corp and received his first musical instrument, the bugle. He left school by 15 and formed his first band, The Beachcombers, around summer 1963.
Keith was rumored to be self-taught, but it was actually Carlo Little, the original drummer for The Rolling Stones and Screaming Lord Sutch's band, The Savages, who taught him how to play. By the age of 18, he had joined a local London band, The High Numbers, which would later become The Who.
Moon's unique drumming style, characterized by rolling his sticks along the skins instead of banging out a typical beat, made him a charismatic performer. His desire to be the center of attention often led to destructive behavior, both on and off stage.
As the self-proclaimed centerpoint and self-publicist for The Who, Moon's flair for the dramatic and ridiculous often overshadowed his music. Behind the scenes, he was known to be aggressive and difficult to live with, leading to his daughter Mandy's mother, Kim, leaving him and taking their daughter with her.
Moon's later years were marked by a high life in California, where he socialized with John Lennon, Harry Nilsson, and Ringo Starr. He even became godfather to Ringo's son, Zak, who would later play with The Who in the 1990s and beyond.
In 1975, Moon released his only solo album, Two Sides of the Moon, featuring guest artists and showcasing his singing and drumming abilities. However, he rarely played the drums outside of The Who, and his on-stage antics, fueled by drug and alcohol use, became increasingly destructive and unpredictable.
Moon's addiction issues continued to worsen throughout the 1970s, affecting his drumming and relationships with his bandmates, family, and friends. He put on significant weight and eventually died on September 7, 1978, due to an accidental overdose of medication designed to help him overcome his addiction.
