Alan Lancaster - singer, musician, songwriter, bass guitarist. He gained popularity as one of the founders and members of the cult band Status Quo. After leaving the group, Alan took up the development of a solo career. He was called the British king of rock music and the god of the guitar. Lancaster lived an incredibly eventful life.
Childhood and youth Alan Lancaster
The artist's date of birth is February 7, 1949. He was born in the territory of Peckham (London). Alan was brought up in a traditionally intelligent family, in which they respected and often listened to music.
Like everyone else, Lancaster attended high school. Against the background of other peers, he was distinguished by an original approach to solving non-standard problems. He always thought “differently”, and later, this feature helped a lot at the start of his creative career.
He attended Sedgehill High School. Alan was a member of the school orchestra. There he met Francis Rossi. The guys got along great. Somewhat later, they decided to create a common brainchild, which brought both the first portion of popularity.
The creative path of the artist Alan Lancaster
School friends “put together” a beat group: Francis was responsible for guitar and vocals, Alan was responsible for bass guitar and also vocals. Soon an organist and drummer joined the group. Alan's room became the team's rehearsal base.
Rehearsals and hard work meant that the musicians were ready to perform in front of a large audience. Soon they showed up at the gym and played the first concert.
When John Coglan joined the line-up, a completely different history of the group began. But before gaining recognition, the beat band released a couple of unsuccessful singles.
Before changing their name to Status Quo, the band performed under the banner of Traffic Jam. It seemed to them that by changing the name, they would get rid of that mountain of “heita” that had fallen on them. However, this did not solve the problem at all.
The guys were in a "hanging" state until the talented Rick Parfitta from the cabaret band The Highlights joined the line-up. At first, the team acted as accompanists for solo singers, but then the discography began to replenish with their own singles and long plays.
At the end of the 60s of the last century, the artists, together with Alan, presented their debut single, which from a commercial point of view can definitely be called successful. We are talking about the composition Pictures of Matchstick Men.
But the next work, Black Veils of Melancholy, was not received as warmly as the musicians expected. Track Ice in the Sun managed to correct the current situation.
On the waves of popularity
In the 70s, the artists presented the track Down the Dustpipe to the fans. Heavy blues rock with a bang was accepted by fans and music critics. In the wake of popularity, the musicians release the LP Ma Kelly's Greasy Spoon, but it "passes" by the ears of music lovers.
The Status Quo team pleased the "fans" with the regularity of concerts. This approach helped to gain a loyal army of fans. The performance at the Reading Festival and The Great Western fests significantly increased the authority of the entire team, including Alan.
Then the musicians signed a contract with Vertigo Records. On this label, the musicians recorded the disc Piledriver, which took the honorable 5th place in the prestigious hit parade.
Alan Lancaster's work with Status Quo
Lancaster's relationship with Rossi, since gaining popularity, began to deteriorate. The musicians pulled the "blanket" over themselves. Everyone wanted recognition of their talent at the highest level. The atmosphere escalated after Rossi began recording the compilation on his own. Status Quo. The musician did this without warning the rest of the team and Phonogram Records. He took advantage of the advance, which was intended for the entire group.
Alan was replaced by John Edwards. After that, some legal issues began. The litigation process was finally completed in 1987. Lancaster agreed to transfer the name to Rossi. Then the artist lived in Sydney.
Lancaster has released more than 15 LPs with the band. The last time he performed as a member of the group was in the mid-80s of the last century at the Live Aid concert, but as it turned out later, this was not the last appearance with Alan's team. Already in the new century, he pleased with the appearance of Status Quo.
For that period of time, he did not want to be idle. Alan joined The Party Boys. As part of the new team, he recorded an album and a top single. The song peaked at number one on the local charts.
In the late 80s, he became the "father" of The Bombers. Soon the guys signed a contract with A&M Records.
Alan's activities outside the Status Quo project
After the collapse of the presented group - Alan continued to look for himself. He founded The Lancaster Brewster Band and then Alan Lancaster's Bombers. Before the team broke up, he managed to release a collection and give the public an unrealistic number of "credit" concerts.
Lancaster was noted for writing the music for the film Indecent Obsession. In addition, he produced the longplay of Roger Woodward (Roger Woodward). In Australia, the record reached the so-called platinum status. In the late 90s, Lancaster released his solo LP Life After Quo.
In 2013-2014, he took part in the reunions of the original Status Quo lineup. Together with the guys he went on tour. Although he appeared physically frail on stage, his vocals were well received by the audience. Alan became a permanent member of the cult group. After the tour, he continued to engage in solo work.
Alan Lancaster: details of the artist's personal life
In 1973, Alan met a girl who captivated his heart. Daly got stronger "settled" in the heart of the musician, and soon after they met, she received a marriage proposal from a celebrity. She remained faithful to him for the rest of Lancaster's life.
Death of Alan Lancaster
He passed away on September 26, 2021. It was already known earlier that the artist suffered from multiple sclerosis, but still continued to work.
