Jeff Rich
Jeff Rich is an English rock drummer, best known as a former drummer for the English rock band Status Quo. He attended school in Hackney at Upton House Comprehensive, and whilst there he appeared in the opera Tosca at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.
He helped out Def Leppard in August 1986 and played alongside Rick Allen who had lost his left arm in a car accident in December 1984. However, during Def Leppard's warm-up mini tour of Ireland, Rich missed a gig, and the rest of the band realised Allen could drum alone.
Rich played with Stretch, Judie Tzuke and the Climax Blues Band prior to joining Status Quo, where in late 1985 he replaced Pete Kircher on drums. In April 2000, Rich announced his intention to leave Status Quo after 15 years in the group, due to exhaustion and family commitments. He was replaced on drums by Matt Letley.
During his time with Status Quo, Rich used Paiste cymbals and Premier drums, with a 22" Tama bass drum. Up until the Under the Influence tour in 1999, Rich had his cymbals free floating from a steel frame, which fans noted as making him look like he was 'drumming in a cage'.
After leaving Status Quo, he began touring schools across the UK giving masterclasses in drumming and percussion, which he continues today. He approximates that he's given 6,500 separate masterclasses across the country. Rich also is drumming for 'Stealer', a tribute band to Free.
