The legendary Status Quo front man and lead guitarist Francis Rossi spent his birthday on tour in Bristol. He was on stage for his current Tunes and Chats show at the Redgrave Theatre in Bristol and ahead of the show, he signed a green Telecaster guitar, which be auctioned in July to raise funds for Variety the Children’s Charity.
Ahead of going on stage, he played a few riffs on the guitar before signing it as he sat down with well-known Bristol musician and entertainer, Darren ‘Daz’ Sims, who is also ambassador for Variety. Anyone who is a Quo fan, will know a green Telecaster is synonymous with the veteran rocker as he played his own for many years.
Mr Rossi told Bristol Live signing the guitar took him on a trip down memory lane. His trademark guitar started life as a 1959 Sandburst guitar, which he bought second hand in 1968.
Read next: Josie Gibson to replace Phillip Schofield on This Morning next week
He said: “I painted it black and it looked great at first, but when it dried, it became a flat, dark grey. At home I had some green paint, so I painted it green as I had to go to a gig.
“The back of it was still bare wood, it was a really bad job. I ruined the guitar, but it became iconic and popular,” he said. The guitar lasted until 2014 when it would no longer stay in tune and eventually sold on auction at Bonham’s for over £100,000.
Read next: Bristol's best fish and chips shops according to our reader poll
Mr Rossi said he was 11 years old when he went to a music teacher to learn how to play guitar, but because he liked Everly Brothers. The teacher shut him down. He said: “So I never went back here. I just learned and learned and am still learning.
“I learned showbiz as I went along. I am happiest in front of an audience,” he said. Status Quo were the opening band for Live Aid known as ‘the biggest rock concert in history’, which raised money for famine relief in Africa.
He said: “None of us wanted to do it, but this Irish fellow (Bob Geldof) was convincing everybody. No-one wanted to go before anybody else either as if you opened you were the bottom of the bill. We thought we could get out and go home early, but we hit every newsreel, none of us realised it was going to become quite so big.”
Read next:
The 60s, 70s and 80s spawned many great rock legends and Mr Rossi said that the influence of rock ‘n roll was still relatively new during the hippy era which gave rise to creativity in the music scene. He said: “It was still rock ‘n roll and shake your legs and with all the mind-altering drugs, it made you focus.”
With his current tour taking place in smaller venues than during his heydays of rock, the 74-year-old has no plans of giving up the stage any time soon, saying “I didn’t realise I’d enjoy this as much as I do, you can see and hear the audience.” He does the crossword every day, loves Italian opera and was looking forward to some sushi for lunch, which would be followed by a 12 minute power nap.
Variety ambassador, Daz said the auction winner of the signed guitar will be announced at this year’s Daz’s Rock 4 Charity event on July 14. Daz said: “It was amazing to meet him. He tried playing the guitar and thought it was great. He was very witty and a true gentleman, it was truly a privilege to meet him.”
The Daz 4 Rock Charity event is being held at The Trinity Centre on Friday, July 14, and Daz will be performing along with Bristol-based Oasis Tribute band, CiderNova. Doors open at 7pm and the concert starts at 7.30pm to 11.30pm. For more information on the auction and concert details, go to Daz’s Rock 4 Charity Facebook page.
Read next:
