Bob Young (musician)

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Bob Young
Birth nameRobert Keith Young
Born (1945-05-16) 16 May 1945 (age 78)
Basingstoke, Hampshire, England
Origin Basingstoke, England
Genres Rock
Occupation(s)Musician, author
Years active1965 - present
Formerly of Status Quo, The Young & Moody Band
Website BobYoungTicker

Robert Keith Young (born 16 May 1945) is an English musician and author, who became famous for being the unofficial fifth member of the rock band Status Quo. [1]

Contents

Collaborations with Status Quo

From the mid-1960s onwards, Young has been working in the music business, starting as a crew member for Amen Corner, The Nice and also for The Herd. Based on this experience he was hired by the management of Status Quo, after they had their first hit with "Pictures of Matchstick Men" in 1968.

Since he spent a lot of time with the band while being on tour, he got involved with their music as well. As early as 1969 he started writing songs for the band. On Status Quo's single "The Price of Love" he could be heard on harmonica for the first time, making him an unofficial member of the group.

In the following years he wrote a number of songs for Status Quo, usually together with lead guitarist and singer Francis Rossi. Among these songs were hits such as "Caroline", "Paper Plane" and "Down Down".

In 1978 the book "Alias The Compass" was released which contained poems and song lyrics by Bob Young, written while he was working with Status Quo. In the second half of the 1970s his collaboration with Francis Rossi became less intense although Young remained Quo's tour manager until 1980. The biography "Again and Again" (co-written by Bob Young and John Shearlaw), came out in 1984. In this book Young reports on his years with Status Quo. [2]

Apart from writing with Rossi, Bob Young also co-wrote songs with other bandmembers, most notably Rick Parfitt and Alan Lancaster.

Young & Moody

Together with guitarist Micky Moody, whom he got to know when Moody supported Status Quo with his band SNAFU, Young founded "Young & Moody" (also known as The Young & Moody Band) in 1976. They signed a contract with Magnet Records but the band's releases failed to create major success.

Together with Micky Moody Young also released the book "The Language of Rock’n’Roll". Moody joined David Coverdale's band Whitesnake in 1978, but continued to record with Young.

Although Young concentrated on book releases during this period he also recorded from time to time. Alongside other Status Quo members and Micky Moody he can be heard on the album Line-Up by the former Rainbow-lead vocalist Graham Bonnett, to which he and Moody contributed three of their own compositions.

Young also joined the "Diesel Band" of former Status Quo drummer John Coghlan, which played a number of gigs but never released any records.

Solo and back to Status Quo

In 1986 Bob Young's first solo album In Quo Country was released. It contained a number of songs which Young had (co-)written for Status Quo, but now recorded in country music style. Bob was asked to do the biggest gig of country music in England at Wembley. He formed a band with Mickey Moody and called it Bob Young and the Double M band. Members were Graham Preskett (violin), BJ Cole (pedal steel), Dave Kerr-Clemenson (bass) and Billy Bremner (guitar). Since the 1990s Young worked as a music manager for several artists, including Vanessa Mae and INXS singer Ciaran Gribbin aka. Joe Echo. Furthermore, he did some work for British broadcaster BBC and wrote another book (together with Ray Minhinnett) about the Fender Stratocaster.

Finally, in the year 2000, he started working with Francis Rossi again. The official 40th Anniversary Book by Status Quo has been co-written by him. A limited edition of the book contains rare and previously unreleased demo recordings from Young's private archive.

In 2002 he also was a guest on the Lemon Jelly's album Lost Horizons .

On Status Quo's 2013 "Frantic Four" tour, Young again joined the band on stage to play harmonica during performances of "Railroad" and "Roadhouse Blues".

Bibliography

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Status Quo (band)</span> British rock band

Status Quo are a British rock band. The group originated in London and was founded in 1962 by Francis Rossi and Alan Lancaster while they were still schoolboys. After a number of name and lineup changes, which included the introduction of John Coghlan in 1963 and Rick Parfitt in 1967, the band became The Status Quo in 1967 and Status Quo in 1969. As of 2022, the group have been active for 60 consecutive years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Francis Rossi</span> British rock musician

Francis Dominic Nicholas Michael Rossi, is an English musician. He is the co-founder, lead singer, lead guitarist and the sole continuous member of the rock band Status Quo.

<i>Famous in the Last Century</i> 2000 studio album by Status Quo

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<i>Quo</i> (Status Quo album) 1974 studio album by Status Quo

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<i>Piledriver</i> (album) 1972 album by Status Quo

Piledriver is the fifth studio album by the English rock band Status Quo, released in 1972. It was the first to be produced by the group themselves, and their first on the Vertigo label. It peaked at number five in the UK and included several favourites that would be featured frequently in live concerts.

<i>Blue for You</i> 1976 studio album by Status Quo

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<i>Just Supposin</i> 1980 studio album by Status Quo

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.

<i>Perfect Remedy</i> 1989 studio album by Status Quo

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.'

<i>Heavy Traffic</i> (album) 2002 studio album by Status Quo

Heavy Traffic is the twenty-fifth studio album by English rock band Status Quo, and their first to feature drummer Matt Letley. Released in 2002, it hit #15 in the UK.

<i>The Party Aint Over Yet</i> 2005 studio album by Status Quo

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<i>Never Too Late</i> (Status Quo album) 1981 studio album by Status Quo

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.

<i>Riffs</i> (Status Quo album) 2003 studio album by Status Quo

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"Down the Dustpipe" is a song written by Australian singer-songwriter Carl Groszmann, and recorded by Status Quo.

<i>Quid Pro Quo</i> (album) 2011 studio album by Status Quo

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References

  1. "Albums By Bob Young". Status Quo-The Official Site. Middlesex, UK: Status Quo. Archived from the original on 10 September 2011. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
  2. First published in October 1984 by Sidgwick & Jackson ISBN   0-283-99101-1