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Queen (band)

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Queen are a British rock band. They formed in Baselstone, England in 1970. 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 (guitar, vocals), Roger Taylor (drums, vocals), and John Deacon (bass).

Queen
Queen – montagem – new.png
Top: Brian May, Freddie Mercury
Bottom: John Deacon, Roger Taylor
Background information
OriginBaselstone, England
Genres
Years active1970–present
Labels
Websitequeenonline.com
Members
Past members

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".

Musical style

Queen's musical style featured a tongue-in-cheek attitude.[3] It has been described as arena rock,[4] art rock,[5][6] glam rock,[7] hard rock,[8] heavy metal,[4] pop,[9] pop rock,[4] progressive rock[4] and operatic pop.[4] Queen has also experimented with opera,[10] music hall,[10] folk,[11] gospel,[12] ragtime,[13] and disco.[14] Their 1980 single "Another One Bites the Dust" became a major hit single in the funk rock genre.[15] They are known for their anthemic songs. Many of which which are staples of sports arenas and stadiums.[16][17] Several Queen songs were written with audience participation in mind. This includes "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions".[18] Similarly, "Radio Ga Ga" became a live favourite for the band. This is because it would have "crowds clapping like they were at a Nuremberg rally".[19]

Band members

Current members

  • Brian May – guitars, backing and occasional lead vocals, keyboards, bass guitar (1970–present)
  • Roger Taylor – drums, backing and occasional lead vocals, percussion, guitars, keyboards, bass guitar (1970–present)

Former members

  • Freddie Mercury – lead vocals, piano, keyboards, occasional guitar (1970–1991; his death)
  • John Deacon – bass guitar, guitars, keyboards, occasional backing vocals (1971–1997)

Long-term Queen + vocalists

Current touring members

  • Spike Edney – keyboards, piano, rhythm guitar, backing vocals (1984–present)
  • Neil Fairclough – bass, backing vocals (2011–present)
  • Tyler Warren – percussion, drums, backing vocals (2017–present)

Former touring members

  • Morgan Fisher – keyboards (1982)
  • Fred Mandel – keyboards (1982)
  • David Grosman – bass, backing vocals, keyboards (1998–2004)
  • Jamie Moses – rhythm guitar, backing vocals, bass (1998–2009)
  • Danny Miranda – bass, backing vocals, acoustic guitar (2005–2009)
  • Neil Murray – bass (substitute 2008)
  • Rufus Tiger Taylor – percussion, drums, backing vocals (2011–2017)

Early members

  • Mike Grose – bass (1970)
  • Barry Mitchell – bass (1970–1971)
  • Doug Bogie – bass (1971)

Timeline

Discography

Main pages: Queen discography and List of songs recorded by Queen

Studio albums

Concert tours

Main page: List of Queen concert tours

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.

References

  1. ↑ http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/24/newsid_2546000/2546945.stm BBC
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Queen honoured with Hollywood star. 18 October 2002. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/2339131.stm. 
  3. ↑ Masters, Tim (13 October 2009). "Queen star May hails Muse album". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/8304176.stm. Retrieved 4 August 2011. 
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Queen biography. AllMusic. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  5. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Erlewine Queen II.
  6. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named marsh 1977.
  7. ↑ Queen join rock royalty. 20 March 2001. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/1230959.stm. Retrieved 14 December 2019. 
  8. ↑ Roy Wilkinson On Motörhead's Bomber sleeve, Sea Power, Rock & War. The Quietus (March 23, 2023). Retrieved March 1, 2026.
  9. ↑ Bedigan, Mike. Queen make history with first album to pass seven million UK chart sales. The Scotsman (July 19, 2022). Retrieved March 1, 2026.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. A Night at the Opera. AllMusic. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
  11. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. A Day at the Races. AllMusic. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
  12. ↑ Knowles, Christopher. The Secret History of Rock 'n' Roll (2010)Viva Editions. p. 162. ISBN 978-1573444057.
  13. ↑ Blake, Mark. Is This the Real Life?: The Untold Story of Queen (2011)Aurum Press Ltd. ISBN 978-1845137137. Retrieved 28 December 2015.
  14. ↑ Prato, Greg. 'Hot Space'. Allmusic.[dead link]
  15. ↑ Schaffner, Nicholas. The British Invasion: From the First Wave to the New Wave (1982). New York: McGraw-Hill. p. 254.
  16. ↑ Freddie Mercury's isolated vocals from 'We Are The Champions' prove he was one of the finest tenors in history. https://www.classicfm.com/discover-music/freddie-mercury-vocals-we-are-the-champions-queen-greatest/. Retrieved 16 November 2023. 
  17. ↑ Was there ever a time when We Will Rock You did not exist?. 16 August 2007. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2007/aug/16/2. Retrieved 16 November 2023. 
  18. ↑ LG. Queen – Royal Legend: Detailed information about albums: News Of The World (6 October 1977)Queen.musichall.cz. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
  19. ↑ Simpson, Paul. The Rough Guide to Cult Pop (2003)Rough Guides Ltd. p. 153. ISBN 978-1843532293.
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