Pete TownshendImagine being tasked with putting together a catalog of the greatest and most influential lyricists in the rock and roll genre. Such a list would inevitably include names like John Lennon, Bob Dylan and Elton John; however, if one scrolled down the list a little further, one would come across a man named Pete Townshend. Townshend rose to fame as the lead guitarist and primary songwriter for a rock band called The Who. Through his work with The Who as well as the compositions of his solo career, Pete Townshend has become known as a hugely respected figure in the musical world as well as one of the most influential members of the unique ideological movements he has touched..