The group began life in 1962 as an R ‘n’
B combo called The Detours.
Although this was at best a covers band that
did a small circuit in west London, it provided the first three members
of The Who.
The Detours were not getting very far at
this point and needed a new lease of life. This came one night when they
were challenged by an arrogant youngster about their
drummers' ability.
The group duly switched names to The High
Numbers donned all the mod gear of the day and recorded a single with the
Fontana label calledI 'm The Face. The problem with this first
release was that the mods who the music and more specifically the image
was aimed at was seen as fake and so the single flopped.