Rick Parfitt
| Rick Parfitt OBE | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Richard John Parfitt |
| Born | 12 October 1948 Woking, Surrey, England |
| Genres | Hard rock, rock and roll, boogie rock |
| Occupations | Musician, songwriter |
| Instruments | Guitar, vocals |
| Years active | 1960s–present |
| Associated acts | Status Quo |
| Website | www.statusquo.co.uk |
| Notable instruments | |
| Fender Telecaster | |
Richard John Parfitt, OBE (born 12 October 1948) is best known for being a singer and the rhythm guitarist in the English rock band Status Quo.
Contents |
[edit] Career
Born in Woking, 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'.[citation needed] 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"[1] 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 jokes 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.[2]
[edit] Musical equipment
One of Parfitt's guitars is a white 1965 Fender Telecaster. 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.[3]
[edit] 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 Teddington, 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.[4][5] On 26 May 2008, Lyndsay gave birth to twins - a boy named Tommy Oswald Parfitt, and a girl named Lily Rose Parfitt.[6]
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 was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the New Year Honours 2010.[7][8]
[edit] References
- ^ "Guitar Facelift". Guitar Facelift. http://www.guitarfacelift.com/about.htm. Retrieved 2011-11-11.
- ^ "Status Quo - "It's Christmas Time"". Amazon.co.uk. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Its-Christmas-Time-Status-Quo/dp/B001KL35WI/. Retrieved 2009-12-03.
- ^ "Rick Parfitt". Statusquo.co.uk. 1948-10-12. http://www.statusquo.co.uk/quo/rickparfitt.htm. Retrieved 2011-11-11.
- ^ "Rick dumps love & weds mystery girl". The Sunday Mirror. 2006-09-03. http://www.sundaymirror.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=17670281%26method=full%26siteid=62484%26headline=rick%2ddumps%2dlove%2d%2d%2dweds%2dmystery%2dgirl-name_page.html. Retrieved 2008-07-13.
- ^ "Exclusive: Rick the Rat.. By the lover Quo star dumped". The Sunday Mirror. 2006-09-10. http://www.sundaymirror.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=17716740%26method=full%26siteid=62484%26headline=rick%2dthe%2drat%2d%2d%2dby%2dthe%2dlover%2dquo%2dstar%2ddumped%2d-name_page.html. Retrieved 2008-07-13.
- ^ "Status Quo's Rick Parfitt and wife welcome twins Tommy and Lily". Celebrity Babies. 2008-05-29. http://www.celebrity-babies.com/2008/05/rick-parfitt-an.html. Retrieved 2008-07-13.
- ^ "Status Quo stars and Formula One champion honoured". BBC News. 31 December 2009. http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8435197.stm. Retrieved 31 December 2009.
- ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 59282. p. 11. 31 December 2009.
