Alan Lancaster

Alan Lancaster
Alan Lancaster performing with Status Quo in Manchester, 2013
Background information
Born	(1949-02-07) 7 February 1949 (age 68)
Origin	London, England
Genres	Hard rock, rock and roll, blues rock, boogie rock, psychedelic rock
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instruments	Bass guitar, vocals, drums, guitar
Years active	1962-present
Associated acts	Status Quo, The Party Boys, The Bombers
Notable instruments
Fender Mustang Bass

Alan Charles Lancaster (born 7 February 1949) is an English bassist, best known as a founding member of the English rock band Status Quo. As well as contributing to songwriting, he was also one of the lead vocalists on albums and live concerts taking the lead on tracks such as "Backwater", "Bye Bye Johnny", "High Flyer" and "Roadhouse Blues", etc.

Alan Lancaster formed the group in 1962 with his then schoolmate Francis Rossi. His final performance as a full-time member of Status Quo was at Wembley Stadium on 13 July 1985 for the opening of Live Aid. In March 2013 he collaborated with his old bandmates for a series of "Frantic Four" concerts in the UK.

Born in Peckham in 1949, in the 2012 Status Quo documentary Hello Quo, Lancaster stated that he had a great upbringing. He attended Sedgehill Comprehensive School, where he met future "Quo" frontman Francis Rossi in the school orchestra. Rossi and Lancaster became close friends and, along with other schoolmates John Key and Jess Jaworski, formed the band "The Scorpions" - an early Quo forerunner.

While Lancaster was attending Sedgehill Comprehensive School in 1962, he became close friends with future Status Quo singer and guitarist Francis Rossi while playing in the school orchestra. The two, along with other classmates Alan Key (drums) and Jess Jaworski (keyboards), formed a band called "The Scorpions", who played their first gig at the Samuel Jones Sports Club in Dulwich. At another gig at the sports club, manager Pat Barlow approached the band, and Lancaster's mother agreed to let him manage the band. Key was later replaced by Air Cadets drummer and future "Quo" member John Coghlan, and the band was renamed "The Spectres". The Spectres wrote their own material and played live shows, and in 1965 they played at a Butlins holiday camp in Minehead. It was here that the band met future "Quo" guitarist Rick Parfitt, who was playing as part of a cabaret act called "The Highlights". The band became close friends with Parfitt, and they agreed to continue working together. In 1966, The Spectres signed a five-year deal with Piccadilly Records, releasing three singles that failed to chart. The group again changed their name, this time to "Traffic Jam", after embracing psychedelia.