Status Quo | Artist

Status Quo was an English boogie rock band formed 1962 in London by Francis Rossi (guitar, vocals) and Alan Lancaster (bass). Rossi and Lancaster formed The Spectres whilst attending Sedgehill Comprehensive School, Catford. They were soon joined by John Coughlan on drums and Rick Parfitt (guitar, vocals) came on board at the end of '65. The following year The Spectres signed a deal with Piccadilly records and began releasing singles. By '68 the group went through a psychedelic phase and changed names from "The Sceptres" to "Traffic", then to "Traffic Jam" after a dispute with Steve Winwood. They finally settled on "Status Quo" in August 1967. Their first hit single, the psychedelic styled "Pictures of Matchstick Men" was released in January '68, and that was followed in Sept by their debut album Picturesque Matchstickable Messages From The Status Quo. These releases established the band in the UK and the USA. By their third album Ma Kelley's Greasy Spoon, Quo had abandoned psychedelia, donned their trademark double-denim garb and perfected their hard rock/boogie sound. What followed was a string of excellent hard rockin' albums and chart topping singles which saw Quo become one of the best loved bands of the '70s-'80s period. Outstanding albums include Matchstick Men, Ma Kelly's Greasy Spoon, Dog of Two Head, Piledriver, Hello!, Quo, On The Level, and Live!

Artist Website: statusquo.co.uk

Featured Albums: Status Quo

Related Artists: Climax Blues Band