Thunderclap Newman was formed by the Who's Pete Townshend in 1969. Its frontman, John "Speedy" Keen, had been the Who's chauffeur. The band was named after their piano player, Andy "Thunderclap" Newman.
"Something In The Air" and its associated album, Hollywood Dream, were recorded by Townshend, who played bass under the alias "Bijou Drains". The song reached #1 in Britain and sold over a million copies, though it only made it to #25 on the Billboard chart. Listening to it now, my thoughts are that Keen's voice is a bit of an acquired taste and that the Sixties were a long time ago.
Thunderclap Newman (without Townshend) went on to tour in support of Deep Purple. They split up in 1971 after some personnel changes.
Created December 30, 2025.