Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in 1970.
Queen | |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Baselstone, England |
| Genres | Rock |
| Years active | 1970–present |
| Labels | |
| Associated acts | |
| Website | queenonline |
| Members | |
| Past members |
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They are among the most commercially successful bands in history. They have sold over 300 million albums worldwide. The first members of the band were Freddie Mercury (lead vocals, piano), Brian May (lead guitar, vocals), Roger Taylor (drums, vocals), and John Deacon (bass guitar). Their current guest lead singer is Adam Lambert.
Freddie Mercury died of AIDS-related bronchopneumonia on November 24, 1991 at the age of 45.[1] In 1997, John Deacon retired from music to spend more time with his family. The other two members toured with Paul Rodgers from 2005 to 2006. In December 2018 it was announced that Queen & Lambert would bring its Rhapsody Tour to The Forum[2] in 2019. Three of Queen's biggest hits were"Bohemian Rhapsody”, "We Will Rock You", and "We Are the Champions".[2]
Formation
With his friend Tim Staffell, Brian May started a band called 1984 in the mid-1960s. The band broke up after a short time, then May started another band, teaming up with two fellow college students, Tim Staffell and Roger Taylor. They called themselves Smile with Roger Taylor on drums and vocals, Tim Staffell on vocals and bass, and Brian May on guitar and vocals. They had a few hits such as "April Lady". Tim Staffell became friends with another college student, Farrokh "Freddie" Bulsara (to be later known as Freddie Mercury) and Freddie became a big fan of Smile and encouraged them a lot. Later on, Tim left Smile to join Humpy Bong, and Freddie subsequently joined the band on vocals and piano in 1970. Freddie came up with the name Queen, so they changed it from Smile to Queen. They then started auditions for a new bassist. They were going through several bassists during this time and none of them stuck. None of the auditioners managed to suit the place of the new bassist, but finally, in 1971, John Deacon joined the band. Queen's first album was released in 1973 and it was called Queen with songs such as "Seven Seas of Rhye" and "Liar". Freddie then changed his name to Freddie Mercury after the lyrics "Mother Mercury, look what they've done to me" in the song "My Fairy King".
Personnel
Freddie Mercury - lead vocals, piano (1970–1991)
Paul Rodgers - lead vocals (2004–2009)
Adam Lambert - lead vocals (2009–present)
Brian May - lead guitar, backing vocals (1970–present)
Fred Mandel - synthesizer, rhythm guitar (1982–1984)
Spike Edney - synthesizer, rhythm guitar (1984–present)
Mike Grose - bass guitar (1970–1970)
Barry Mitchell - bass guitar (1970–1971)
Doug Bougie - bass guitar (1971–1971)
John Deacon - bass guitar, rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar, keyboards (1971–1997)
Neil Fairclough - bass guitar (2011–present)
Roger Taylor - drumset, percussion, backing vocals (1970–present)
Tyler Warren - percussion (2011–present)
Album Hits
- Queen – "Keep Yourself Alive" – 1973
- Queen II – "Seven Seas of Rhye"– 1974
- Sheer Heart Attack – "Killer Queen" – 1974
- A Night at The Opera – "Bohemian Rhapsody", "You're My Best Friend", "I'm In Love With My Car "– 1975
- A Day at the Races – "Somebody to Love", "Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy" – 1976
- News of the World – "We Are The Champions" / " We Will Rock You" (Double A side single) – 1977
- Jazz – "Bicycle Race" / "Fat Bottomed Girls" (Double A side single), "Don't Stop Me Now"– 1978
- The Game – "Another One Bites the Dust", "Crazy Little Thing Called Love"– 1980
- Flash Gordon – "Flash's Theme" – 1980
- Hot Space – "Under Pressure" – 1982
- The Works – "Radio Ga Ga", "I Want To Break Free", "Hammer To Fall"– 1984
- A Kind of Magic – "One Vision", "A Kind of Magic", "Who Wants to Live Forever"– 1986
- The Miracle – "I Want It All"– 1989
- Innuendo – "The Show Must Go On", "These Are the Days of Our Lives"– 1991
- Made in Heaven – "Heaven For Everyone" – 1995
- The Cosmos Rocks – "C-lebrity"– 2008
Studio albums
- Queen (1973)
- Queen II (1974)
- Sheer Heart Attack (1974)
- A Night at the Opera (1975)
- A Day at the Races (1976)
- News of the World (1977)
- Jazz (1978)
- The Game (1980)
- Flash Gordon (1980)
- Hot Space (1982)
- The Works (1984)
- A Kind of Magic (1986)
- The Miracle (1989)
- Innuendo (1991)
- Made in Heaven (1995)
Queen (band) Media
Queen in 1970. Left to right; Mike Grose (who was the first of the band's three early bass players before John Deacon joined in 1971), Roger Taylor, Freddie Mercury and Brian May
PRS for Music heritage award at Prince Consort Road commemorating Queen's first performance in London
Queen guitar (right, next to a Rolling Stones guitar) at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, marking a 31 October 1970 Queen concert at the venue
Queen performed "Killer Queen" at BBC Television Centre (pictured) on the music chart show Top of the Pops in December 1974. This was their second appearance on the show; their previous (performing "Seven Seas of Rhye") brought them overnight fame.
Queen press photo in early 1977 in promotion of News of the World
Queen in New Haven, Connecticut in November 1977
Queen performing in Norway during the Hot Space Tour in 1982
Queen on stage in Frankfurt, West Germany in 1984
Mercury's yellow military jacket (one of three designed by Diana Moseley) worn during the 1986 Magic Tour
Following Mercury's death on 24 November 1991, his tribute concert was held at the original Wembley Stadium in London on 20 April 1992, the same venue where Queen performed at Live Aid in July 1985
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