Status Quo

Status Quo

Status Quo are a British boogie rock band from London, active since 1967. Their line-up includes Francis Rossi, Alan Lancaster, Roy Lynes, John Coghlan, Rick Parfitt, Peter Kircher, Andy Bown, Jeff Rich, John Edwards, Matthew Letley and Richie Malone.

Career

The band first reaches major chart success with “Pictures of Matchstick Men” in 1968. They go on to place more than 60 singles in the UK chart, with 22 reaching the top 10 and 57 reaching the top 40. Among their better-known hits are “Caroline”, “Down Down”, “Rockin’ All Over the World”, “Whatever You Want” and “What You’re Proposing”.

Status Quo release more than 100 singles and 33 studio albums. Their 1972 album Piledriver reaches number five in the UK Albums Chart and marks the start of a long period of commercial success. They later place 29 consecutive studio albums on the UK Albums Chart, including 20 top-10 entries.

Notable appearances and recognition

In July 1985, Status Quo open Live Aid at Wembley Stadium with “Rockin’ All Over the World”. In 1991, they receive the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. In 2014, they receive the Service to Rock award at the Kerrang! Awards ahead of their appearance as Download Festival headliners.

Impact and output

The band are reported as one of the most frequent acts on Top of the Pops. They also sell more than 118 million records worldwide and, by 2015, are among a small number of artists to have spent more than 500 weeks on the UK Albums Chart.

Studio albums

Their studio albums include Picturesque Matchstickable Messages from the Status Quo, Spare Parts, Ma Kelly’s Greasy Spoon, Dog of Two Head, Piledriver, Hello!, Quo, On the Level, Blue for You, Rockin’ All Over the World, If You Can’t Stand the Heat..., Whatever You Want, Just Supposin’, Never Too Late, 1+9+8+2, Back to Back, In the Army Now, Ain’t Complaining, Perfect Remedy, Rock ’til You Drop, Thirsty Work, Don’t Stop, Under the Influence, Famous in the Last Century, Heavy Traffic, Riffs, The Party Ain’t Over Yet, In Search of the Fourth Chord, Quid Pro Quo, Bula Quo!, Aquostic (Stripped Bare), Aquostic II and Backbone.