Andy Bown | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Andrew Steven Bown |
Born | Beckenham, Kent, England | 27 March 1946
Genres | |
Instruments |
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Years active | 1966–present |
Member of | Status Quo |
Formerly of | |
Website | www |
Andrew Steven Bown (born 27 March 1946) [1] is an English musician, who has specialised in keyboards and bass guitar. He is a member of the rock band Status Quo.
Bown's first major band was The Herd, along with Peter Frampton. After The Herd dissolved he spent two years with Judas Jump [2] who were the opening act of the Isle of Wight Festival 1970. He played [keyboards at first] for Frampton in the 1970s then switched to bass briefly when Rick Wills departed the Peter Frampton band in early 1975. Bown himself left the Frampton entourage less than a year later, just as Frampton was on the verge of achieving worldwide success. He went back to England where he first dabbled with a solo career (recording two solo albums for Bill Gaff's GM label, US Mercury), then resumed work with Status Quo whom he started playing keyboards for in 1973 as a session musician, including sessions with Jerry Lee Lewis on the London Sessions Album. Bown first appeared on Quo's Hello! album in that year; performing on every album by the band from 1977's Rockin' All Over the World onwards, and supporting them in concert. He joined Status Quo as a full member in 1982, and has been with them ever since.
Bown released a number of singles in the 1970s, including "New York Satyricon Zany" and "Another Shipwreck", none of which charted. His most well-known song however was the theme tune to the children's series Ace of Wands , "Tarot", reissued in 2024 by Think Like A Key Music. He also released five albums, the first of which, Gone to My Head, was released in 1972.
His latest solo album, Unfinished Business , was released on 5 September 2011. The album was produced by Mike Paxman and recorded by Chris West, it features contributions from Henry Spinetti on drums, Mick Rogers on guitars, Trevor Bolder and Brad Lang on basses as well as vocalists Juliet Roberts and Sylvia Mason-James. It was recorded at State of the Ark Studios in Richmond, Surrey in 2010. [3]
He was the bass player in the "Surrogate Band" during Pink Floyd's The Wall tour in 1980 and 1981 [4] and can be heard on the live album Is There Anybody Out There? The Wall Live 1980–81 . [4] He also did some keyboards for Pink Floyd's The Final Cut album. [4] and on Jack the Lad's last album Jackpot in 1976. In addition he played Hammond organ and 12-string guitar during the recording of Roger Waters' solo album The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking in 1984, but did not take part in Waters' subsequent tours. [5]
He still plays keyboards, guitar and harmonica with Status Quo, and is an integral part of the band, having co-written many well known Quo songs on various studio albums, most prominently collaborating with Rick Parfitt on the group's 1979 hit "Whatever You Want".
During live performances Bown uses a Roland RD-700 piano, a Hammond C3 Organ and a Roland D-70 synthesizer, which are connected to a Roland U-220, an E-mu Vintage Keys module, an Akai Sampler and a Leslie speaker.
Bown uses a vintage Fender Telecaster, a Gibson Les Paul, a Washburn semi-acoustic as well as a Takamine acoustic. [6] He also uses custom Telecaster types and a Stratocaster-type made by J Davey Guitars, and sometimes uses Rick Parfitt's custom-made Fender Telecaster Thinline
Richard John Parfitt, was an English musician, best known as a rhythm guitarist, singer and songwriter with rock band Status Quo.
"Run Like Hell" is a song by the English progressive rock band Pink Floyd, written by David Gilmour and Roger Waters. It appears on their eleventh studio album The Wall (1979). It was released as a single in 1980, reaching #15 in the Canadian singles chart and #18 in Sweden, but it only reached #53 in the U.S. A 12" single of "Run Like Hell," "Don't Leave Me Now" and "Another Brick in the Wall " peaked at #57 on the Disco Top 100 chart in the U.S. To date, it is the last original composition written by both Gilmour and Waters, the last of such under the Pink Floyd banner, and the last composition recorded by all four members of the 1970s-era Floyd lineup.
"Dogs" is a song by English rock band Pink Floyd, released on the album Animals in 1977. This song was one of several to be considered for the band's 2001 compilation album Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd.
The Bleeding Heart Band was the name Roger Waters gave his backing band for a brief period of his post-Pink Floyd solo career.
"Paranoid Eyes" is a song from Pink Floyd's 1983 album The Final Cut. This song was one of several to be considered for the band's "best of" album Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd.
Just Supposin' is the thirteenth album by Status Quo. Co-produced by the group and John Eden, it was recorded at Windmill Lane Studios, Dublin. Released on 17 October 1980, it entered the UK albums chart at number 4.
Ain't Complaining is the eighteenth studio album by British rock band Status Quo. Initially released on the Vertigo label on 6 June 1988, it was the group's first album on that label to fall short of the UK Top 10, breaking a streak of 12 studio albums in the process. It reached no higher than its entry position of number 12 in the UK Albums Chart. The band, however, reentered the Top 10 three years later with Rock 'til You Drop in 1991.
Perfect Remedy is the nineteenth studio album by English rock band Status Quo. In terms of British chart success, it marked a new low for the band, reaching a high of only No. 49 during a two-week run. The two singles from it, 'Not at All' and 'Little Dreamer', peaked at No. 50 and No. 76 respectively. In the memoir, 'XS All Areas: Francis Rossi and Rick Parfitt', Rossi said that it sold well in Europe and Australia, but they were back to square one in Britain. 'I don't know why it did so poorly. You could argue that the scene had moved on.'
Rock 'til You Drop is the twentieth studio album by English rock band Status Quo and their last on the Vertigo label after nearly 20 years. Singer and guitarist Francis Rossi produced the album.
The Party Ain't Over Yet... is the twenty-seventh album by English rock band Status Quo, released 19 September 2005.
Never Too Late is the fourteenth studio album by English rock band Status Quo, coproduced by the group and John Eden. Released on 13 March 1981, it had been recorded at the same sessions – at Windmill Lane Studios, Dublin – as its predecessor Just Supposin'. It reached number 2 in the UK Albums Chart.
Frampton is the fourth studio album by English rock musician Peter Frampton, released in 1975. It was his last studio release before he went on tour and recorded his live album Frampton Comes Alive!. The most popular songs from the album are "Show Me the Way" and "Baby, I Love Your Way", which became big hits when released as singles from Frampton Comes Alive! The album peaked No. 32 on the US Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart.
K.A.O.S. On the Road was a concert tour performed by Roger Waters in 1987 in support of the album Radio K.A.O.S. (1987). The shows included material from the album as well as songs from well known Pink Floyd albums such as The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), Wish You Were Here (1975) and The Wall (1979). The tour started in North America on 14 August 1987 and ended on 22 November 1987 with two performances at Wembley Arena in London, England.
1+9+8+2 is the fifteenth studio album by the English rock band Status Quo, released on 16 April 1982. It was the first to include new drummer Pete Kircher, who had recently replaced John Coghlan, and also the first to credit keyboard player Andy Bown as a full member of the band; on the previous few releases he had merely been listed as a guest musician although he had long been an integral member in all but name.
Riffs is the twenty-sixth studio album by the English rock band Status Quo, released in November 2003. Ten tracks were cover versions of pop and rock standards, the other five were re-recordings of songs they had previously issued during the 1970s. The initial release also included a bonus 9-track DVD, featuring footage recorded for television programs and also the video for the 2002 Top 20 hit 'Jam Side Down', recorded on HMS Ark Royal. This was originally planned to be released one week after the album "Heavy Traffic", but was pushed back in time by the record company.
In Search of the Fourth Chord is the twenty-eighth studio album by English rock band Status Quo, released on 17 September 2007. The title is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the rumour that the group always plays the same three chords, and a reference to the album In Search of the Lost Chord by British rock band the Moody Blues. The album's artwork is a parody of the Indiana Jones films.
Judas Jump was a British short-lived progressive rock supergroup, formed in 1969. The band released one album and three singles before disbanding in 1971. They are best known for their members who had success before and after Judas Jump.
Unfinished Business is an album by Andy Bown, currently the keyboard player in Status Quo and a former member of Judas Jump and The Herd. The album was Bown's first solo album since joining Status Quo in 1976, and was released by Cherry Red Records in September 2011.
Bula Quo is the thirtieth studio album and the first soundtrack album by English rock band Status Quo, it was released on Monday 10 June 2013. It is the last Status Quo album recorded with drummer Matt Letley, who announced his departure from the band before the album had been released.
Willie Wilson is an English rock drummer, known for his work with Pink Floyd and his long-time association with their guitarist, David Gilmour.