Queen Are Freddie Mercury (Lead Vocals) Brian May (Guitar, Vocals) Roger Taylor (Drums, Vocals) John Deacon (Bassist)
Queen, a renowned British rock ensemble, originated in London during the 1970s. Comprising the iconic lineup of Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor, and John Deacon, these four legends left an indelible mark on the world with their incredible rock anthems and unforgettable live performances. While Queen’s early compositions drew inspiration from progressive rock, hard rock, and heavy metal, the band evolved over time, seamlessly incorporating elements of arena rock and pop rock into their repertoire, producing music that resonated both conventionally and on the radio.
Queen was established in 1971, and by 1973, they had secured their initial recording deal with EMI. During the same year, they unveiled their debut album, self-titled as “Queen.” Their inaugural significant UK tour took place, and 1974 marked the release of “Queen II” along with their first UK headlining tour. Additionally, they embarked on their maiden US tour and in November of that year, they dropped “Sheer Heart Attack,” a chart-topping success on both sides of the Atlantic.
The year 1975 brought the release of their new album, “A Night At The Opera,” featuring the iconic single “Bohemian Rhapsody.” Despite its 5 minutes and 55 seconds duration, seemingly too lengthy for successful radio play, the song became one of the greatest singles ever, reigning at No. 1 on the UK chart for an impressive nine weeks. The accompanying video, directed by Bruce Gowers, is acknowledged as the first genuine promotional video. “Bohemian Rhapsody” has consistently ranked high in major pop polls and was recently hailed once again as the best single of all time. The success of “A Night At The Opera” was equally remarkable, earning the band their inaugural platinum album.
In 1976, Queen embarked on tours of the US and Japan, and by spring, all four of their albums held positions in the UK Top Twenty. Later that year, they released “A Day At The Races” and staged a free concert in Hyde Park, drawing an estimated crowd of 200,000 fans. The album proved to be a massive success, with advance orders alone exceeding 500,000. The subsequent year featured two significant US tours, the band’s sixth album, “News Of The World,” and the legendary double A-side single, “We Will Rock You” and “We Are The Champions.”
In 1978, Queen’s album “Jazz” produced another major hit with “Bicycle Race,” and the band embarked on a tour across the US and Canada. The following year, they extensively toured Europe and Japan, releasing their inaugural live album, “Live Killers.” Additionally, Queen was approached to compose the score for the upcoming film “Flash Gordon.” Before that project, in 1980, they released “The Game,” which achieved five times platinum status in Canada. The single “Another One Bites the Dust” became Queen’s highest-selling American single, and the “Flash Gordon” soundtrack was released by the year-end, pushing Queen’s total album sales to over 45 million worldwide.
In 1981, Queen made history by being the first band to undertake a stadium tour of South America, attracting a record-breaking audience of 131,000 in Sao Paolo. The year also witnessed the simultaneous release of the albums “Greatest Hits,” “Greatest Flix,” and “Greatest Pix.” “Greatest Hits” maintained a consistent presence on the UK album charts, and “Greatest Flix” marked the first commercially released collection of promo-videos by any band. The following year, amidst a European tour, Queen released their twelfth album, “Hot Space.”
By 1984, “The Works” album and the single “Radio Ga Ga” achieved global success, reaching No. 1 in 19 countries. The memorable video for “I Want To Break Free” featured the band in drag. In 1985, Queen headlined Rock in Rio, the world’s largest festival at the time, and delivered a historic performance at Live Aid from Wembley Stadium, marking a significant turning point for the band. The post-Live Aid release, “One Vision,” became a notable success.
The year 1986 witnessed the release of Queen’s 14th album, “A Kind Of Magic,” serving as the soundtrack for the film “Highlander.” The title track became a worldwide hit, propelling the album to No. 1 on the UK charts. Later that year, their second live album, “Live Magic,” entered the charts at No. 3. From 1988 to 1991, Queen released three more albums: “The Miracle” in 1989, followed by “Innuendo” and “Greatest Hits II” in 1991. All three albums debuted at No. 1 on the UK charts, with the single “Innuendo” achieving similar success.
