Bob Young

The title of this article is ambiguous. For other people of the same name, see Robert Young .

Robert Keith Young (born May 16, 1945 in Basingstoke , Hampshire , England ) is a British musician and writer, who was best known for his collaboration with the rock group Status Quo .

Cooperation with Status Quo

Since the mid-1960s, he has been primarily active in the music business. First he was a stage worker for Amen Corner , later for The Nice and briefly for The Herd . Because of this experience, he was hired by the management of The 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 on touring, he was also more closely involved in the band's music. As early as 1969, the first songs of the band were co-written by him and on the single The Price of Love he was heard for the first time on the harmonica, so that he became an unofficial member of the group.

In the following years he wrote a variety of songs for Status Quo, mostly with lead singer and guitarist Francis Rossi . These tracks also include hits Caroline, Paper Plane and Down Down .

In 1978 the book Alias ​​the Compass was published, which contained poems and lyrics by Bob Young from the time at Status Quo. In the second half of the 1970s, however, the intensity of his collaboration with Francis Rossi decreased, although he remained tour manager of Status Quo until 1980. He reports on his years with the band in the 1979 biography Again and Again (co-authored with John Shearlaw), which has been updated several times.

In addition to Rossi, he also wrote several pieces over the years with the other band members Rick Parfitt and Alan Lancaster .

Young & Moody

With the guitarist Micky Moody , whom he met when Moody was playing in the opening act for Status Quo with his band Snafu at the time, he founded the band Young & Moody in 1976 , but their releases were comparatively unsuccessful.

Together with Micky Moody he also published the book The Language of Rock 'n' Roll . Moody joined David Coverdale's band Whitesnake in 1978 , but released recordings with Bob Young in sporadic fashion.

Although Young concentrated more on books during this period, there were also isolated music recordings with his participation. Particularly noteworthy is his participation in the album line up of former Rainbow member Graham Bonnet .

Without an official record release his participation in the "Diesel Band" of the ex-drummer of Status Quo, John Coghlan .

Solo and back to Status Quo

In 1986 the solo album In Quo Country was released, which contains pieces from his time at Status Quo in the style of country music , co-written by Bob Young and reinterpreted by him .

Bob Young has been a full-time manager in the music business since the 1990s, including for Vanessa-Mae and INXS singer Ciaran Gribbin. He also worked for the BBC and wrote a book with Ray Minhinnett on the Fender Stratocaster .

In 2000, to the delight of many fans, Bob Young resumed his collaboration with Francis Rossi. The 2002 album Heavy Traffic featured new pieces co-written by Young for the first time. The official book for Status Quo's 40th birthday, published in September 2006, also comes from his pen. The CD included with the limited edition book also contains various rare recordings from Young's private archive. Since then, Young has been Francis Rossi's main songwriting partner again for Status Quo, with pieces by the successful duo on every album. Rossi / Young songs are also featured on Rossi's solo albums "One Step At A Time" and "We Talk Too Much".

For the band Lemon Jelly he was a guest musician on the album Lost Horizons in 2002 .

In 2013 and 2014 he appeared again live with the band as part of the reunion of the classic "Frantic Four" lineup of Status Quo and played the harmonica for "Railroad" and "Roadhouse Blues".

Works

• John Shearlaw, Bob Young: Again & Again . Sidgwick & Jackson, October 1984, Paperback, ISBN 0-283-99101-1 (1st edition (1979) and 2nd edition (1982) as The Authorized Biography of John Shearlaw).
• Bob Young: Quotographs - Celebrating 30 Years of Status Quo, IMP International Music Publications Limited, 1985, ISBN 1-85909-291-8
• Francis Rossi , Rick Parfitt , Bob Young "Status Quo": The Official 40th Anniversary Edition . Cassell Illustrated, October 2006, hardcover, ISBN 978-1-84403-562-5 .

Web links

• www.bobyoungticker.de - Homepage of Bob Young

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Ciaran Gribbin new INXS lead singer ; Bob Young Ticker; Retrieved December 6, 2011.