Rick Parfitt
Encyclopedia
Richard John Parfitt, OBE
(born 12 October 1948) is best known for being a singer and the rhythm guitar
ist in the English
rock band Status Quo.
, Surrey
, Parfitt attended Goldsworth School, Woking and first met band member Francis Rossi
in 1965 in Butlin's
Minehead
whilst he was playing as Ricky Harrison in a musical trio called 'The Highlights'. Rossi was playing with the Spectres (forerunner of Status Quo) at the time and Parfitt was sufficiently impressed to approach him with a view to working together. Nothing came of the meeting until 1967 when Parfitt joined Rossi, Alan Lancaster
, John Coghlan
and Roy Lynes
to form the classic Quo lineup.
Parfitt has been a continuous member of the group, and has penned some of their greatest hits, sometimes in collaboration with the group's keyboard player Andy Bown
, among them "Whatever You Want
", "Again and Again", and "Rain". He recorded a solo album in 1985, but it was never released. Among musicians on the record were bassist John Edwards and drummer Jeff Rich
, formerly with the Climax Blues Band
and Judie Tzuke
. He has earned the nickname 'The WOMORR' (The Wild Old Man of Rock 'n' Roll). Parfitt is known for his trademark white Fender Telecaster
– a 1965 model.
In 2006, Parfitt released his invention, the "guitar facelift" which has the backing of guitar manufacturer Fender.
On 16 June 2007, the presenters of the British
children's television show, Tiswas
, reunited for a special one-off show. Parfitt performed with the rest of Status Quo on the show (all of whom were constantly plagued by the show's trademark practical joke
s during their performance), and presenter Chris Tarrant
alleged that during a broadcast of the show in the early 1980s, Parfitt was smoking cannabis
on live children's television.
On 15 September 2007, Parfitt and Rossi appeared on Celebrity Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
, earning £50,000 for charity.
In December 2009, Parfitt teamed up with Rolf Harris
for the single "Christmas in the Sun
". This follows on from the 2008 Status Quo hit "It's Christmas Time
", which Parfitt wrote with current songwriting partner Wayne Morris.
. In addition he also plays a Gibson SG
tuned to an Open E, a 1981 Zemaitis tuned to a B
, a Schecter, a Fender Esquire
, and a Chet Atkins
acoustic guitar. For amplification, Parfitt uses Marshall JCM800 or JCM900 amplifiers with 4x12 cabinets combined with VOX
AC30 amplifiers and a Roland GP8 signal processor.
, but after paying out more than £3 million in divorce settlements, Parfitt vowed in 2005 that he would never marry again. However, in August 2006, after meeting 46 year old fitness instructor Lyndsay Whitburn, the pair married in a £40 ceremony in Gibraltar
. On 26 May 2008, Lyndsay gave birth to twins - a boy named Tommy Oswald Parfitt, and a girl named Lily Rose Parfitt.
Parfitt had a quadruple heart bypass
in 1997. In December 2005 he underwent tests for suspected throat cancer, but just before Christmas that year, the tests found the growths to be benign. Parfitt also has one testicle after a childhood incident.
Parfitt was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire
(OBE) in the New Year Honours 2010.
's Kevin DuBrow
has said that the band's name was born of a conversation with Parfitt in which Parfitt said he'd like to name a band "Quite Right". It sounded like he was saying "Quiet Riot".
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 12 October 1948) is best known for being a singer and the rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar
Rhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
ist in the English
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...
rock band Status Quo.
Career
Born in WokingWoking
Woking is a large town and civil parish that shares its name with the surrounding local government district, located in the west of Surrey, UK. It is part of the Greater London Urban Area and the London commuter belt, with frequent trains and a journey time of 24 minutes to Waterloo station....
, 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...
, Parfitt attended Goldsworth School, Woking and first met band member Francis Rossi
Francis Rossi
Francis Dominic Nicholas Michael Rossi, OBE 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.- Career :...
in 1965 in Butlin's
Butlins
Butlins is a chain of large holiday camps in the United Kingdom. Butlins was founded by Billy Butlin to provide affordable holidays for ordinary British families....
Minehead
Minehead
Minehead is a coastal town and civil parish in Somerset, England. It lies on the south bank of the Bristol Channel, north-west of the county town of Taunton, from the border with the county of Devon and in proximity of the Exmoor National Park...
whilst he was playing as Ricky Harrison in a musical trio called 'The Highlights'. Rossi was playing with the Spectres (forerunner of Status Quo) at the time and Parfitt was sufficiently impressed to approach him with a view to working together. Nothing came of the meeting until 1967 when Parfitt joined Rossi, Alan Lancaster
Alan Lancaster
Alan Lancaster is a bassist and a founding ex-member of the English rock band, Status Quo...
, John Coghlan
John Coghlan (drummer)
John Robert Coghlan was an original member of the English rock band, Status Quo.The son of a Glasgow-born father and a London born half-French mother, Coghlan grew up in Dulwich, and was educated at Kingsdale Comprehensive school until leaving school at 15 to begin an apprenticeship as a...
and Roy Lynes
Roy Lynes
Roy Alan Lynes was the keyboardist and occasional singer with Status Quo...
to form the classic Quo lineup.
Parfitt has been a continuous member of the group, and has penned some of their greatest hits, sometimes in collaboration with the group's keyboard player Andy Bown
Andy Bown
Andy Bown is an English musician, who has specialised in keyboards and bass guitar. He is a member of the rock band Status Quo.-Career:...
, among them "Whatever You Want
Whatever You Want (song)
"Whatever You Want" is a rock song by the British rock band Status Quo. Written by Rick Parfitt and Andy Bown, it was released on the album of the same name in 1979 and has become one of the band's better-known works...
", "Again and Again", and "Rain". He recorded a solo album in 1985, but it was never released. Among musicians on the record were bassist John Edwards and drummer Jeff Rich
Jeff Rich
Jeff Rich also known as "Worzel" is an English rock drummer, best known as a former drummer for the English rock band, Status Quo...
, formerly with the Climax Blues Band
Climax Blues Band
Climax Blues Band was formed in Stafford, England in 1968. The original members were guitarists Peter Haycock and Derek Holt; keyboardist Arthur Wood; bassist Richard Jones; drummer George Newsome; and vocalist and harmonica player, Colin Cooper.In 1970, the group shortened its name to the Climax...
and Judie Tzuke
Judie Tzuke
Judie Tzuke is an English singer/songwriter. She is most well known for her 1979 hit "Stay With Me Till Dawn", which reached no.16 on the UK Singles Chart.-Early life:...
. He has earned the nickname 'The WOMORR' (The Wild Old Man of Rock 'n' Roll). Parfitt is known for his trademark white Fender Telecaster
Fender 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...
– a 1965 model.
In 2006, Parfitt released his invention, the "guitar facelift" which has the backing of guitar manufacturer Fender.
On 16 June 2007, the presenters of the 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...
children's television show, Tiswas
Tiswas
Tiswas was a Saturday morning children's British television series which ran from 5 January 1974 to 3 April 1982 and was produced for the ITV network by ATV Network Limited....
, reunited for a special one-off show. Parfitt performed with the rest of Status Quo on the show (all of whom were constantly plagued by the show's trademark practical joke
Practical joke
A practical joke is a mischievous trick played on someone, typically causing the victim to experience embarrassment, indignity, or discomfort. Practical jokes differ from confidence tricks in that the victim finds out, or is let in on the joke, rather than being fooled into handing over money or...
s during their performance), and presenter Chris Tarrant
Chris Tarrant
Christopher John "Chris" Tarrant, OBE is an English radio and television broadcaster, now best known for hosting the first version of the television game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? in the United Kingdom and later Ireland, as the two national versions of the show merged in 2002.Chris...
alleged that during a broadcast of the show in the early 1980s, Parfitt was smoking cannabis
Cannabis
Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants that includes three putative species, Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. These three taxa are indigenous to Central Asia, and South Asia. Cannabis has long been used for fibre , for seed and seed oils, for medicinal purposes, and as a...
on live children's television.
On 15 September 2007, Parfitt and Rossi appeared on Celebrity Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? (UK game show)
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? is a British television quiz show which offers a maximum cash prize of one million pounds for correctly answering successive multiple-choice questions of increasing difficulty...
, earning £50,000 for charity.
In December 2009, Parfitt teamed up with Rolf Harris
Rolf Harris
Rolf Harris, CBE, AM is an Australian musician, singer-songwriter, composer, painter and television personality.Born in Perth, Western Australia, Harris was a champion swimmer before studying art. He moved to England in 1952, where he started to appear on television programmes on which he drew the...
for the single "Christmas in the Sun
Christmas in the Sun
"Christmas in the Sun" is a Christmas song performed by Rolf Harris, Rick Parfitt and Wayne Morris in 2009. It was included in the compilation box set album It's Christmas Time...
". This follows on from the 2008 Status Quo hit "It's Christmas Time
It's Christmas Time
"It's Christmas Time" is a Christmas song recorded by the British Rock band Status Quo in 2008. It was included in the compilation box set album Pictures - 40 Years of Hits...
", which Parfitt wrote with current songwriting partner Wayne Morris.
Musical equipment
One of Parfitt's guitars is a white 1965 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...
. In addition he also plays a Gibson SG
Gibson SG
At the launch of the SG in 1961, Gibson offered four variants of the SG; the SG Junior , the SG Special, the SG Standard, and the top-of-the-line SG Custom. However, Gibson's current core variants as of 2010 are the SG Standard and the SG Special...
tuned to an Open E, a 1981 Zemaitis tuned to a B
B tuning
B Tuning or B Standard Tuning or Cb Tuning is the standard tuning for a seven string guitar, where the strings are tuned B-E-A-D-G-B-E. B tuning can also be achieved on a six string guitar, when the strings are tuned B-E-A-D-F♯-B, known then as Baritone Tuning...
, a Schecter, a Fender Esquire
Fender Esquire
The Fender Esquire is a solid body electric guitar manufactured by Fender, and was the first guitar sold by Fender in 1950. Shortly after its introduction a two-pickup version named the Broadcaster was introduced while the single pickup version retained the Esquire name...
, and a Chet Atkins
Chet Atkins
Chester Burton Atkins , known as Chet Atkins, was an American guitarist and record producer who, along with Owen Bradley, created the smoother country music style known as the Nashville sound, which expanded country's appeal to adult pop music fans as well.Atkins's picking style, inspired by Merle...
acoustic guitar. For amplification, Parfitt uses Marshall JCM800 or JCM900 amplifiers with 4x12 cabinets combined 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 and a Roland GP8 signal processor.
Personal life
Parfitt had a relationship with his childhood sweetheart Patty after meeting her in 1968. After the pair split up, Parfitt married Marietta Boeker, and the pair had a son, Richard (born 1978). They had also a baby girl Heidi Marie Elizabeth Parfitt who drowned in the family pool at the age of 2. Parfitt and Marietta then divorced, and he married Patty – the pair had a son, Harry (born 1989). However, they also divorced, before Parfitt reunited with Patty in 2000. The couple lived in a £1 million mansion in TeddingtonTeddington
Teddington is a suburban area in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames in south west London, on the north bank of the River Thames, between Hampton Wick and Twickenham. It stretches inland from the River Thames to Bushy Park...
, but after paying out more than £3 million in divorce settlements, Parfitt vowed in 2005 that he would never marry again. However, in August 2006, after meeting 46 year old fitness instructor Lyndsay Whitburn, the pair married in a £40 ceremony in Gibraltar
Gibraltar
Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...
. On 26 May 2008, Lyndsay gave birth to twins - a boy named Tommy Oswald Parfitt, and a girl named Lily Rose Parfitt.
Parfitt had a quadruple heart bypass
Coronary artery bypass surgery
Coronary artery bypass surgery, also coronary artery bypass graft surgery, and colloquially heart bypass or bypass surgery is a surgical procedure performed to relieve angina and reduce the risk of death from coronary artery disease...
in 1997. In December 2005 he underwent tests for suspected throat cancer, but just before Christmas that year, the tests found the growths to be benign. Parfitt also has one testicle after a childhood incident.
Parfitt was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire
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...
(OBE) in the New Year Honours 2010.
Trivia
Quiet RiotQuiet Riot
Quiet Riot is an American Heavy Metal band. They are best known for their hit singles "Metal Health" and "Cum On Feel the Noize". They were founded in 1973 by guitarist Randy Rhoads and bassist Kelly Garni, under the original name Mach 1, before changing the name to Little Women and finally Quiet...
's Kevin DuBrow
Kevin DuBrow
Kevin Mark DuBrow was an American rock singer best known as the lead vocalist of the Heavy Metal band Quiet Riot from 1975 until his death in 2007...
has said that the band's name was born of a conversation with Parfitt in which Parfitt said he'd like to name a band "Quite Right". It sounded like he was saying "Quiet Riot".