Richie 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 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, 3 December 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 filled in for Parfitt again for concerts in later 2016. Parfitt died on 24 December 2016, and Malone became a permanent band member.

Richie has played on Status Quo's most recent studio release, Backbone (2019), thought to be the band's final studio album. He received a full writing credit for 'Get Out of My Head' and "Face The Music" which can be found on the Digipak Edition which contains bonus track.

He launched The Richie Malone Band with a home show in an intimate Dublin venue, following An Evening with Francis Rossi in April 2026.