One of the longest running rock bands in British history, Status Quo are still remembered primarily as a psychedelic band that produced the hit "Pictures of Matchstick Men." The song would define them as a one-hit wonder in the states. In the U.K., however, they would have a long and prosperous career, evolving from a '60s head trip band to a boogie rock band similar in style to Canned Heat.

The genesis of Status Quo began in the Spectres, a group that formed in the '60s and consisted of vocalist and guitarist Francis Rossi, bassist Alan Lancaster, drummer John Coughlan and organist Roy Lynes. After struggling for a few years and temporarily changing their name to Traffic Jam, the band added guitarist and vocalist Rick Harrison to round out the lineup and changed their name to Status Quo.

"Pictures of Matcstick Men," their debut single under the new moniker, would shoot up the English charts to become a Top 10, but lingered at 12 in the states. Still, it was an impressive opening for the band. Sadly, the other singles they released hardly seemed to register with the American charts, and they would disappear completely from the American scene by the early '70s.

Whereas their debut, 1969's Square Pants, was a plunge into a rippling pool of psychedelia, the band's follow-up, Ma Kelly's Greasy Spoon, showed they had tired of the psychedelic sound and moved on to boogie rock. This brand of rock 'n' roll earned them a steady following domestically, and little by little, as they kept touring and releasing albums, the crowds kept getting bigger. They would go on to release records and survive several lineup changes (not without some feelings being bruised) throughout the '80s and '90s, and would continue to tour well into the '00s.