Francis Rossi

Born: 29 May 1949 (age 70); Forest Hill, London, England

Instruments: Guitar, vocals
Years active: 1962–present
Associated acts: Status Quo, Band Aid, Graham Bonnet, John Du Cann
Website: www.francisrossi.com

Francis Dominic Nicholas Michael Rossi, OBE (born 29 May 1949) is an English singer, songwriter and musician. He is best known as the co-founder, lead singer and lead guitarist of the rock band Status Quo.
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Career

Early career

In 1962 when Rossi was attending Sedgehill Comprehensive School, he became close friends with future Status Quo bassist Alan Lancaster while playing trumpet in the school orchestra. The two, along with other classmates Alan Key (drums) and Jess Jaworski (keyboards), formed a band called "The Scorpions", who played their first gig at the Samuel Jones Sports Club in Dulwich. Key was later replaced by Air Cadets drummer and future "Quo" member John Coghlan, and the band was renamed "The Spectres". The Spectres wrote their own material and played live shows, and in 1965 they played at a Butlins holiday camp in Minehead. It was here that Rossi met his future long-time Status Quo partner Rick Parfitt, who was playing as part of another band called "The Highlights". The two became close friends and agreed to continue working together. In 1966, The Spectres signed a five-year deal with Piccadilly Records, releasing three singles that failed to chart. The group again changed their name, this time to "Traffic Jam", after embracing psychedelia.

Status Quo

Main article: Status Quo (band)

In 1967, Traffic Jam changed its name to "The Status Quo", but would eventually drop the definite article. Rossi had written a song called "Pictures of Matchstick Men", which hit the charts in both the UK and the US the line up included Redhill-based keyboard player Roy Lynes who they had seen performing with a band called the Echoes who were also based in Redhill. Shortly afterwards, Parfitt joined the band, completing the original lineup, and beginning an almost 50-year partnership with Rossi until Parfitt's death in 2016. After some years of minor success, the band came to fame in 1972 with their album Piledriver on Vertigo Records with "Paper Plane", a song penned by Rossi and Bob Young, released as a single. With the band's fame, Rossi became famous as their charismatic frontman. "Quo" would continue to enjoy major success in the UK, Europe, Japan, Australia and New Zealand through the 1970s and 1980s. They were the opening act of 1985's Live Aid, and Rossi wrote and co-wrote some of their most famous songs, including "Caroline" and "Down Down".

Rossi and Parfitt were the only remaining original members in the band until Rick Parfitt's death in 2016. In 2013 and 2014, Rossi and Parfitt reunited with original Quo bandmates Lancaster and Coghlan for a series of reunion concerts on what would be called the "Frantic Four" tour. To this date, Quo have sold over 128 million albums worldwide.
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