Richie Malone

Richie Malone (born 18 March 1986) is an Irish musician who plays rhythm guitar for English rock band Status Quo. Malone first played with the band in July 2016, when previous guitarist Rick Parfitt was no longer able to tour due to a heart attack, and permanently joined the group later in the year.

Malone was the frontman of RAID, a rock band based in Dublin. He was a fan of Status Quo through his father, first seeing them live in concert in 1999. He was particularly a fan of rhythm guitarist Rick Parfitt, emulating his playing style from a young age, and travelling to England in order to have a replica of Parfitt's trademark white 1965 Fender Telecaster made.

Rick was just everything I admired – his stage presence, his guitar playing, even his hair. I had long curly blond hair myself for a while but now it’s short which is better, since I don’t want to try to imitate him.

— Richie Malone, AntiHero Magazine, December 03, 2016

Malone met the band a number of times backstage after concerts, and became close friends with them. In June 2016 whilst touring with Status Quo on their "Last of the Electrics" tour, Parfitt suffered a severe heart attack, and was unable to finish the tour. Malone was selected to substitute for Parfitt for gigs in Belgium and Edinburgh in July, before Freddie Edwards, the son of Status Quo bassist John "Rhino" Edwards, took over. Malone would fill in for Parfitt again for concerts in later 2016. Parfitt died on 24 December 2016, and Richie Malone became the band's new rhythm guitarist, and will tour with the band for the remainder of their "Last of the Electrics" tour.

Malone uses three Fender Telecasters on tour with Status Quo. The first is a custom build designed by Malone himself with .13-56 strings called the "AC Cobra". The second is a replica of his predecessor Rick Parfitt's white Telecaster also with .13-56 strings, which was a birthday present from his father Karl, and which Malone has reportedly played at every gig since he was 21. The third is a Fender American Special with 11-.49 strings, used for performances of "Hold You Back".

Malone is married to Jessica, and the pair have three daughters. When not touring, he works as a project engineer for a system integration company, and, according to the band's official website, enjoys running, swimming and sightseeing, and is a supporter of football team Chelsea F.C..