Francis Rossi

Francis Rossi

Performing with Status Quo in Örebro, Sweden on 18 July 2007
Background information
Birth name Francis Dominic Nicholas Michael Rossi[1]
Born (1949-05-29) 29 May 1949
Forest Hill, London, England
Genres
Occupation(s) Musician, songwriter
Instruments Guitar, vocals
Years active 1962–present
Associated acts Status Quo, Band Aid, Graham Bonnet, John Du Cann
Website www.francisrossi.com
Notable instruments
Fender Telecaster

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.

Early life

Rossi[1] was born on 29 May 1949 in Forest Hill, London. His father's side of the family were Italian ice cream merchants of the Rossi Ice Cream fame, and his mother was a Northern Irish Roman Catholic from Liverpool.[2][3] Rossi grew up in a household with his parents, grandmother, and "lots of aunts and uncles", and was given a Roman Catholic upbringing, having been named after Saint Francis of Assisi.[4] He attended Our Lady and St Philip Neri Roman Catholic Primary School in Sydenham, and Sedgehill Comprehensive School for high school, from which he was expelled on his last day.[5] It was at Sedgehill where Rossi met Alan Lancaster, with whom he formed the band "The Scorpions" - a predecessor to Status Quo.[6] Rossi's desire to become a musician began after seeing The Everly Brothers live on television at a young age, after which he asked his parents to buy him a guitar for Christmas.[4]

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.[7] 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[7] 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.[6][8][9]

Status Quo

Main article: Status Quo (band)
Rossi (far left), with Status Quo in 1978

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. Shortly afterwards, Parfitt joined the band, completing the original lineup, and beginning an almost 50-year partnership with Rossi that continues to this day. 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.[8] "Quo" would continue to enjoy major success in the UK, Europe, Japan, Australia and New Zealand through the 1970s and 1980s.[7] 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 are the only original members in the band, and have remained with the group for its entire duration. In 2013 and 2014, Rossi 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.[7]

Other projects

In 1984, the year before Quo would open Live Aid, Rossi and Parfitt appeared on the Band Aid charity single, "Do They Know It's Christmas?" Rossi has also enjoyed minor success with brief projects outside Quo. In 1985 when the band was on hold, he recorded two singles and a (so far unreleased) album – which was provisionally titled Flying Debris – with his longtime writing partner Bernie Frost. The single releases were "Modern Romance (I Want to Fall in Love Again)" (UK No. 54[10]), and "Jealousy". In 1996 he issued a solo album, King of the Doghouse, which was not a commercial success, although it produced a UK No. 42 single, "Give Myself to Love".[10] Some years earlier, in 1976, he appeared on the soundtrack album and film All This and World War II comprising cover versions of songs by The Beatles. Although the album sleeve credits the performance of "Getting Better" to Status Quo, the track featured Rossi's vocals and the London Symphony Orchestra. In 1977, he produced and played guitar on John Du Cann's solo album The World's Not Big Enough. 3 May 2010 saw the release of his second solo album, One Step at a Time, including a re-recording of Quo's 1973 classic "Caroline".

In 2013, Rossi starred as himself alongside Quo bandmate Parfitt in the adventure comedy film Bula Quo!, which followed the duo on an adventure in Fiji, getting involved in local Mafia operations on the island.

Musical equipment

Rossi's trademark green Telecaster (alongside Rick Parfitt's white model) regularly appears on "Quo" merchandise, such as the cover of the band's 1989 album Perfect Remedy (pictured)

Rossi's guitar of choice is the Fender Telecaster, and he has used several over the years including his trademark green 1957 model with a maple fretboard, which he purchased in 1968 for £70. It was originally sunburst, but was painted green in 1970. Through the years several parts had been replaced with G&L parts, and a third pickup had been installed in a configuration much like a Stratocaster. He also owns two other green Fender Telecasters that are both brighter in colour and feature rosewood fretboards. One is used for the song "Down Down" and the other for "Whatever You Want". Like his main guitar they are both in a three-pickup configuration.

After 46 years of use, in December 2014 Rossi was said to be "heartbroken" when the trademark green Telecaster finally become worn beyond use - the wood having become too soft to be able to properly tune the instrument.[11]

For amplification Rossi uses Marshall JCM800 or JCM900 Lead series amplifiers with 4x12 cabinets and a Roland GP8 to boost his signal. The sound from his Marshall rig is blended with Vox AC30 amplifiers that are kept behind his Marshall setup. He also uses software like Amplitube in the studio.[12]

Style

Rossi, along with the rest of Status Quo, has often been accused of being "uncool", even by Rossi himself, calling Status Quo circa 1974 "the most uncool band in the world" in March 2013.[13] Since the early days of the band, Rossi has worn an earring in his left ear. On stage, Rossi would normally sport a black waistcoat, blue jeans and a pair of white trainers. In a December 2000 review of a Status Quo concert at Wembley Arena, Andrew Gilchrist writing for The Guardian called the white trainers "the only "visual" [the band] really have", referencing their simplistic stage show.[14] In 2012, the Time Out London blog put Rossi in their list of "top five waistcoat wearers", calling Rossi's waistcoat a sign of "trying to maintain standards in an otherwise rather poorly dressed milieu".[15]

Interviewed by Simon Hattenstone for The Guardian in 2007, Rossi explained that he had idolised Little Richard saying, "I think that's where we got the energy. To me it's synonymous with doing rock'n'roll. If you don't commit physically, rock'n'roll doesn't really work." Asked about his food preferences Rossi said, "My favourite is pasta e fagioli, pasta with beans, soupie thing, gorgeous. The older I get, the more I'm into food. ... When you grow up with Italians, food is important. I've always been like that with food. Apart from when I was doing cocaine - there was no food whatsoever then."[16]

Personal life

History with drugs and alcohol

Rossi is teetotal and stays away from drugs, but not before a long "rock and roll lifestyle" of alcohol and drug habits, which made him and long-time Status Quo partner Rick Parfitt notorious at the height of the band's fame. Rossi has claimed to have spent £1.7 million on cocaine in the 1980s.[17] This heavy cocaine use resulted a piece of his nasal septum falling out, leaving a hole inside his nose which he once "pushed a cotton ball through during a TV interview" in order to demonstrate the dangers of drug addiction to young people.[18] In October 2014, Rossi told BBC's HARDtalk that alcohol was the gateway that led to his cocaine habit.[19]

Despite his teetotalism, in 2010 Rossi became chairman of the Glen Rossie brand of whiskey, which the band used to drink whilst on tour.[20]

Recent life

Rossi (right) and long-time Status Quo partner Rick Parfitt in 2013, at the premiere of Bula Quo!

After being estranged from Rossi for seventeen years after his relationship with Gurnon broke up, daughter Bernadette and her father were reunited in 2007, and Bernadette and The North supported Status Quo on that year's tour.[21] In a 2011 interview with The Guardian, Rossi described himself nowadays as a "lapsed Catholic", and "generally anti-religion". When not touring, he enjoys spending time at home with his family.[4]

Rossi was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2010 New Year Honours for services to music and charity, along with Parfitt.[1][22] Rossi said "It's one thing going out to play in front of 50,000 people but talking to the Queen - well that's quite another. We were both so humbled by the experience. I mean, this is the Queen after all. She is England, isn't she? We have grown up with her as our figurehead since we were tiny children and she's still going strong at 83. Not a very rock and roll thing to say I know, but she is simply amazing."[23]

Discography

For a more comprehensive list, see Status Quo discography.

References

  1. 1 2 3 The London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 59282. p. 11. 31 December 2009.
  2. ↑ "Interview: Status Quo's Francis Rossi". Nottingham Post. 7 August 2014. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  3. ↑ "Francis Rossi, a man's man". The Independent. 20 July 1996. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 "Francis Rossi: My family values". The Guardian. 11 June 2011. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  5. ↑ "Passed/Failed: An education in the life of Francis Rossi, lead guitar player and singer of Status Quo". The Independent. 28 September 2006. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  6. 1 2 Young, Bob (2000). Status Quo: Just Doin' It! (1st ed.). London: Cassell Illustrated. p. 27. ISBN 1-84403-562-X.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Parker, Alan (2012). "Hello Quo". BBC.
  8. 1 2 Roberts, David (1998). Guinness Rockopedia (1st ed.). London: Guinness Publishing Ltd. p. 417. ISBN 0-85112-072-5.
  9. ↑ Strong, Martin C. (2000). The Great Rock Discography (5th ed.). Edinburgh: Mojo Books. pp. 927–929. ISBN 1-84195-017-3.
  10. 1 2 Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 471. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  11. ↑ "EXCLUSIVE: Quo star Rossi forced to ditch guitar he's played for 46 years". Express. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  12. ↑ "Official Rossi at the official Status Quo website". statusquo.co.uk. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  13. ↑ "The Making Of… Status Quo's Down Down". Uncut. December 12, 2013. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  14. ↑ "Quo do the hokey cokey". The Guardian. December 18, 2000. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  15. ↑ "The Chap Magazine's top five waistcoat wearers". Time Out London blog. November 30, 2012. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  16. ↑ Hattenstone, Simon (3 November 2007). "Better the denim you know". The Guardian. Retrieved 24 September 2016 – via The Guardian.
  17. ↑ "Francis Rossi: 'I spent £1.7m on cocaine in the Eighties'". The Telegraph. 17 June 2013. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  18. ↑ "Status Quo Singer Washed His Nose Off During $2.5m Coke Habit". MusicFeeds. 17 June 2013. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  19. ↑ "Alcohol led me to cocaine says Status Quo's Francis Rossi". BBC News. 30 October 2014. Retrieved 1 June 2015.
  20. ↑ "Status Quo star Francis Rossi to head Glen Rossie whisky". The Scotsman. 26 April 2010. Retrieved 2 June 2015.
  21. ↑ "Meeting Dad strikes a chord". Daily Echo. 30 October 2007. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  22. ↑ "Status Quo stars and Formula One champion honoured". BBC News. 31 December 2009. Retrieved 31 December 2009.
  23. ↑ "Knighthood: Status Quo stars Rick Parfitt and Francis Rossi recieve(sic) OBE". iranian.com. Retrieved 24 September 2016.
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