Francis Rossi
Encyclopedia
Francis Dominic Nicholas Michael Rossi, OBE
(born 29 May 1949) is a British
musician best known for being a co-founder of the English rock band Status Quo, in which he sings lead vocals and plays lead guitar
.
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), 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".
Some years earlier, in 1976, he appeared on the soundtrack album and film
, All This and World War II
, comprising cover version
s 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 1980, Rossi and Frost contributed vocals to Ships in The Night, a track from "Exiled", a concept album
by Bob Mitchell and Steve Coe which featured various other artists
, including Colin Blunstone
and Dan McCafferty
. In 1981, he produced and played the Coral sitar, synthesizer, and guitar on two tracks on Line-Up by Graham Bonnet
, one of which was the Top 10 hit, "Night Games".
3 May 2010 saw the release of his long-awaited second solo album, One Step at a Time, including a re-recording of Quo's 1973 classic "Caroline
". Rossi wrote and recorded three songs with Guy Johnson, who penned the UK Top 20 hit "Going Down Town Tonight" for Status Quo in 1984. On the news that Rossi will embark on a six date tour of the UK to promote the album, he commented, "I never stop writing songs and melodies but there have been many tracks over the years that just weren't right for Quo. These songs have been gathering dust in my mind for too long and now seems the right time to showcase them. It's a big step for me but I hope to see lots of the same faces out there on the road!"
which he purchased in 1968 for £70. Through the years several parts have been replaced with G&L
parts and a third pickup has been added in a configuration much like a Fender Stratocaster
. 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.
, Surrey
, England
. He has eight children by two marriages, including his current to Eileen. When not touring, Rossi keeps fit by swimming and exercising. He is a collector of koi carp
and likes clay pigeon shooting
. He is known by his bandmates for being a fan of pasta
. When not touring, Rossi is known to enjoy simply staying at home and relaxing.
Rossi recently moved from the house in which he had lived since the age of 18, because he considered it pointless to live in a ten-bedroomed house when his children had all left home. He left behind the 'ARSIS (A Roof Somewhere In Surrey)' music studio, housed in an extension to the house which he had built himself. This studio was used in the recording process of his solo effort One Step At A Time and the Quid Pro Quo album.
In March 2009 Rossi decided that his distinctive trademark ponytail
of the previous 35 years should be cut off. The ponytail was subsequently won by long-time Status Quo fan Sharon Littleton in a competition organised by The Sun
newspaper
.
Rossi was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) the 2010 New Year Honours.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 29 May 1949) is a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
musician best known for being a co-founder of the English rock band Status Quo, in which he sings lead vocals and plays lead guitar
Lead guitar
Lead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
.
Career
He has enjoyed minor success with brief projects outside the group. In 1985 when Status Quo were on hold, he recorded two singlesSingle (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
and a (so far unreleased) album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the 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
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
No. 54), and "Jealousy". In 1996 he issued a solo album, King of the Doghouse
King of the Doghouse
King of the Doghouse is the first solo album by Francis Rossi, best known as the front man in the English Rock band Status Quo, released in 1998. It was recorded between the release of the band's 1996 Don't Stop 30th anniversary covers album and the recording of their 1999 Under the Influence album...
, which was not a commercial success, although it produced a UK No. 42 single, "Give Myself to Love".
Some years earlier, in 1976, he appeared on the soundtrack album and film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
, All This and World War II
All This and World War II
All This and World War II is a 1976 musical documentary that juxtaposes Beatles songs, performed by a number of musicians, with World War II newsreel footage and 20th Century Fox films from the 1940s...
, comprising cover version
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
s of songs by The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
. Although the album sleeve credits the performance of "Getting Better" to Status Quo, the track featured Rossi's vocals and the London Symphony Orchestra
London Symphony Orchestra
The London Symphony Orchestra is a major orchestra of the United Kingdom, as well as one of the best-known orchestras in the world. Since 1982, the LSO has been based in London's Barbican Centre.-History:...
.
In 1980, Rossi and Frost contributed vocals to Ships in The Night, a track from "Exiled", a concept album
Concept album
In music, a concept album is an album that is "unified by a theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, narrative, or lyrical." Commonly, concept albums tend to incorporate preconceived musical or lyrical ideas rather than being improvised or composed in the studio, with all songs contributing...
by Bob Mitchell and Steve Coe which featured various other artists
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, including Colin Blunstone
Colin Blunstone
Colin Blunstone is an English pop singer-songwriter, best known as a member of the pop group The Zombies, and for his participation on various albums with The Alan Parsons Project.-Biography:...
and Dan McCafferty
Dan McCafferty
Dan McCafferty is the lead singer for the Scottish hard rock band, Nazareth. Under the influence of artists such as Little Richard, Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry and Otis Redding, McCafferty became one of the founding members of Nazareth in 1968...
. In 1981, he produced and played the Coral sitar, synthesizer, and guitar on two tracks on Line-Up by Graham Bonnet
Graham Bonnet
Graham Bonnet is an English rock vocalist, and songwriter. He has recorded and performed as a solo artist, and as a member of several hard rock and heavy metal bands including Rainbow, the Michael Schenker Group, Alcatrazz, and Impellitteri.-Early days:Bonnet was born in Skegness in 1947...
, one of which was the Top 10 hit, "Night Games".
3 May 2010 saw the release of his long-awaited second solo album, One Step at a Time, including a re-recording of Quo's 1973 classic "Caroline
Caroline (song)
"Caroline" is a single released by the British Rock band Status Quo in 1973. It was included on the album Hello!.It was written by Bob Young and Francis Rossi on a table napkin in the dining room of a hotel in Perranporth, Cornwall, in 1970. Initially a slower piece, it became their first top 5...
". Rossi wrote and recorded three songs with Guy Johnson, who penned the UK Top 20 hit "Going Down Town Tonight" for Status Quo in 1984. On the news that Rossi will embark on a six date tour of the UK to promote the album, he commented, "I never stop writing songs and melodies but there have been many tracks over the years that just weren't right for Quo. These songs have been gathering dust in my mind for too long and now seems the right time to showcase them. It's a big step for me but I hope to see lots of the same faces out there on the road!"
Musical equipment
Rossi's main guitar is a 1957 Fender TelecasterFender Telecaster
The Fender Telecaster, colloquially known as the Tele , is typically a dual-pickup, solid-body electric guitar made by Fender.Its simple yet effective design and revolutionary sound broke ground and set trends in electric guitar manufacturing and popular music...
which he purchased in 1968 for £70. Through the years several parts have been replaced with G&L
G&L
G&L is a guitar design and production company founded by Leo Fender, George Fullerton, and Dale Hyatt in the late 1970s. Fender sold his company named Fender in 1965. He designed and produced instruments for Music Man in the 1970s through his company CLF Research. When relations with Music Man...
parts and a third pickup has been added in a configuration much like a Fender Stratocaster
Fender Stratocaster
The Fender Stratocaster, often referred to as "Strat", is a model of electric guitar designed by Leo Fender, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares in 1954, and manufactured continuously by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation to the present. It is a double-cutaway guitar, with an extended top...
. 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
Vox (musical equipment)
Vox is a musical equipment manufacturer which is most famous for making the Vox AC30 guitar amplifier, the Vox Continental electric organ, and a series of innovative but commercially unsuccessful electric guitars and bass guitars...
AC30 amplifiers that are kept behind his Marshall setup.
Personal life
Rossi currently lives in PurleyPurley, London
Purley is a place in the London Borough of Croydon, England. It is a suburban development situated 11.7 miles south of Charing Cross.The name derives from "pirlea", which means 'Peartree lea'. Purley has a population of about 72,000....
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. He has eight children by two marriages, including his current to Eileen. When not touring, Rossi keeps fit by swimming and exercising. He is a collector of koi carp
Koi
or more specifically , are ornamental varieties of domesticated common carp that are kept for decorative purposes in outdoor koi ponds or water gardens....
and likes clay pigeon shooting
Clay pigeon shooting
Clay pigeon shooting, also known as clay target shooting, and formally known as Inanimate Bird Shooting, is the art of shooting at special flying targets, known as clay pigeons or clay targets, with a shotgun or any type of firearm....
. He is known by his bandmates for being a fan of pasta
Pasta
Pasta is a staple food of traditional Italian cuisine, now of worldwide renown. It takes the form of unleavened dough, made in Italy, mostly of durum wheat , water and sometimes eggs. Pasta comes in a variety of different shapes that serve for both decoration and to act as a carrier for the...
. When not touring, Rossi is known to enjoy simply staying at home and relaxing.
Rossi recently moved from the house in which he had lived since the age of 18, because he considered it pointless to live in a ten-bedroomed house when his children had all left home. He left behind the 'ARSIS (A Roof Somewhere In Surrey)' music studio, housed in an extension to the house which he had built himself. This studio was used in the recording process of his solo effort One Step At A Time and the Quid Pro Quo album.
In March 2009 Rossi decided that his distinctive trademark ponytail
Ponytail
A ponytail is a hairstyle in which most or all of the hair on the head is pulled away from the face, gathered and secured at the back of the head with a hair tie, clip or similar device, and allowed to hang freely from that point. It gets its name from its resemblance to the undocked tail of a...
of the previous 35 years should be cut off. The ponytail was subsequently won by long-time Status Quo fan Sharon Littleton in a competition organised by The Sun
The Sun (newspaper)
The Sun is a daily national tabloid newspaper published in the United Kingdom and owned by News Corporation. Sister editions are published in Glasgow and Dublin...
newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
.
Rossi was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) the 2010 New Year Honours.