best queen biography band

Freddie Mercury (born 5 September 1946, vocals & keyboards) Brian May (born 19 July 1947, lead guitar & vocals) Roger Taylor (born 26 July 1949, percussion & vocals) John Deacon (born 19 August 1951, bass guitar)

In 1970, Tim Staffell left the group 'Smile' and a keen follower of the group, Farookh Bulsara, convinced the remaining members Roger Taylor and Brian May that he should be their new singer. He duly set about moulding the group into his own image, by changing the group's name to 'Queen' and his own name to 'Freddie Mercury', after the messenger of the Gods. The group tried out three bass players until February 1971, when John Deacon became their fourth and final permanent member. The band played several small concerts for close friends, before they were offered the chance to test a new recording studio, called 'De Lane Lea'. In return for testing the studio and equipment, they could make their own demo tapes. In 1972 they signed a recording contract with Trident, and were given 'down time' at the studio to record an album. In July 1973, their debut album 'Queen', was released, after which they were offered a big break by playing support to Mott The Hoople, on a tour which began in November. In February 1974, their fan club was first established by Roger's friends, sisters Pat and Sue Johnstone, which is now recognised by the Guiness Book Of World Records as the longest running fan club for a band. The second album 'Queen II', was released in March 1974, delayed due to a minor printing error. The band then embarked on a first headlining tour of Britain, which also started in March, before an extensive American tour, again as support to Mott The Hoople, beginning in April. In May, Brian collapsed with Hepatitis, so the group were forced to cancel the remaining tour dates. Work on the third album began without Brian, who was eventually well enough to return to the studio to record his guitar and vocal parts. The resulting album, called 'Sheer Heart Attack', was released in November 1974 and gave Queen their first #2 album and single, 'Killer Queen'. In January 1975, Queen embarked on their first headlining tour of the USA, with phenomenal demand for tickets. However, some shows on the tour were cancelled as Freddie had developed throat problems. Queen hired Jim Beach as a lawyer to sever their links with Trident. They flew off to Japan in April, and arrived to a riotous reception, as 'Sheer Heart Attack' was the #1 album at the time. Work on the new album began in June, and links with Trident were severed in August. In September, Queen enlisted John Reid as their new manager. They revealed their new single 'Bohemian Rhapsody', but at 5 minutes and 55 seconds everyone told them it was too long. However, Freddie gave a copy to his close friend, DJ Kenny Everett, who managed to play it on national radio 14 times in 2 days. This, and the first true promotional video, helped the single to reach no. 1, where it remained for 9 weeks. 'A Night At The Opera' was Queen's fourth album, and at the time the most expensive ever recorded. Released in November 1975, it too went straight to no. 1, and gave Queen their first platinum selling album. January saw another US tour begin, which was completed in March, before flying off to Japan then Australia for further tours. In 1976, all four Queen albums were in the UK top twenty, the first time this had ever happened. Work on the next album began, before a short UK tour, during which, Queen played a huge free concert in Hyde Park to thank their fans, attended by upto two hundred thousand people. 'A Day At The Races' was released in December 1976 and gave Queen their second no. 1 album, and the #2 single 'Somebody To Love'. In January 1977 they began an extensive tour of the USA and Canada, whilst May 1977 saw Queen begin another tour of Europe, featuring a new 'Crown' lighting rig costing £50,000. The 'News Of The World' album followed in October 1977, containing the classics 'We Will Rock You' and 'We Are The Champions', which again reached #2 in the singles chart. November 11th saw Queen embark on another American tour, before returning to the UK in time for Christmas, with an hour long interview with the band being broadcast on Radio 1 on Christmas Eve. On 1 February 1978, Queen parted with their manager, John Reid, while a short European tour began in April, before work on the next album began. The first single from that album, 'Bicycle Race', was promoted with a bicycle race featuring 50 naked girls, and public outcry lead to the single's artwork being changed in many countries worldwide. Further tours of the USA and Canada began in October, whilst the album Jazz was released in November, featuring a poster of the legendary race. The album's launch party was held in New Orleans, and has since gone down in history. The tour of North America finished in late December, before they flew to Europe to begin the European tour which began in January 1979. During this tour they recorded many concerts and set about working on their first live album, which they produced at Mountain Studios in Montreux, which they liked so much they eventually bought. They flew out to Japan in April 1979 for another tour, and in June approached the All England Lawn Tennis Club to play a concert on Wimbledon's centre court, but permission was refused. 'Live Killers', the first live album, was released in June, reaching no. 3 in the charts. Queen also began work on their next album in June. October 1979 saw the release of 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love', and a new image for Queen, with short hair and clad in leather. The single became Queen's fourth UK no. 2 hit, and their first US no. 1. November and December saw Queen embark on the 'Crazy Tour', where they visited many smaller venues within London. On Boxing Day, they appeared as part of the 'Concert For Kampuchea' series of charity concerts, organised by Paul McCartney.

At the start of 1980, work was continuing on the new album, which was the first to use synthesisers. In June, the album was released and went to no. 1 in the UK and USA, and went 5 times platinum in Canada alone. The final single from the album, 'Another One Bites The Dust', became the band's biggest ever worldwide single, and gave Queen their second US no. 1 in less than a year. In December, the soundtrack album to 'Flash Gordon', a futuristic sci-fi film, was released, with both album and single ('Flash') reaching no. 10 in the charts. At the close of 1980 they had sold over forty five million albums worldwide. In February 1981, Queen flew to Rio De Janeiro to begin their first tour of South America, becoming the first band to do so, playing 5 sold out stadiums in just eight days. They then moved on to the Morumbi Stadium in Sao Paulo, performing in front of 131,000 people, the largest paying audience for a single band. During the tour, all of Queen's albums were in the Argentinean top 10, another first for any band. Whilst in Sao Paulo, Queen celebrated that their single 'Love Of My Life' had been in the Brazilian singles chart for an incredible 12 months. They returned to South America in September for the second leg of the tour. In October, Queen released 'Greatest Hits', which went straight to no. 1 and became one of the best selling albums of all time. 'Greatest Flix', the world's first full-length release of promotional videos by any band, also became a best seller. 'Greatest Pix' was also released, a collection of photos of Queen from the previous decade. October also saw the release of 'Under Pressure', a collaborative single with David Bowie, which gave Queen their second no. 1. May 1982 saw the release of 'Hot Space', an album with a disco flavour, which lost the band some fans, though it still got to no. 4 in the charts. The album was released during an extensive tour of Europe, which included a concert at the huge Milton Keynes Bowl, regarded by Brian as one of Queen's best ever concerts. At the end of December, Queen were listed in the Guinness Book of Records as Britain's highest paid executives. 1983 was a year off for Queen. Roger, Brian and Freddie all worked on solo material, only coming together as Queen to work on their new album in August. The result was 'The Works', released in February 1984, which gave them 4 hit singles including the hugely successful 'Radio Ga Ga' and 'I Want To Break Free'. A European tour followed in August, and the band's first live video was issued in September 1984. September also saw nine albums in the UK top 200, before Queen performed controversial concerts in South Africa in October. January 1985 saw 'Rock In Rio', the biggest rock festival held anywhere in the world, and Queen were the headlining act. The concert was filmed and Queen became the only band to obtain rights to release their performance - 'Live in Rio' was later released as their second live video in May. In April, they flew to New Zealand to begin a small tour of Australasia, before flying to Japan for a small tour in May. July 1985 saw 'Live Aid', where many top bands gathered to raise money for the people of Ethiopia. Queen were unanimously regarded as the best act of the show, ahead of artists like David Bowie, Paul McCartney, Status Quo, The Who and many more. The day inspired Queen to work together again, and the result was the 'One Vision' single, which reached no. 7 in November. Queen were approached by Russel Mulcahy to produce the soundtrack for his first film, 'Highlander'. The resulting album, 'A Kind Of Magic', was released on 2 June 1986, and went straight to no. 1. The first single from the album, which shared the name, reached no. 3 in the chart. Later in June, Queen began an extensive tour of Europe, entitled 'The Magic Tour', including two sell out shows at Wembley Stadium. The second show was later broadcast on TV, and became the first (and last) simulcast between a terrestrial TV channel and the Independent Radio Network in Britain. In July Queen made history by playing in Budapest, Hungary, the first time a major rock band had played behind the 'Iron Curtain'. The concert was filmed using every 35mm camera in the country. August saw the final date on The Magic Tour, and what was to become Queen's final concert, at Knebworth Park in Hertfordshire. The concert was attended by over 120, 000 people, and caused one of the biggest traffic jams in history. By the end of the tour, over 1 million people saw Queen, with over 400,000 people in the UK alone. In November, EMI reissued the entire Queen album catalogue on Compact Disc - the first time a complete artist's collection had been released simultaneously. In December, the band's second live album, 'Live Magic', was released and reached no. 3. At the end of 1986, Queen had sold over 1.7 million albums. 1987 was a quiet year for Queen, with no concerts nor work on albums. Queen instead concentrated on solo projects, with 2 hit singles for Freddie and Roger forming another group, 'The Cross'. In November 1987 a highly successful set of documentaries on the band, 'The Magic Years', was released, featuring interviews with the band and behind the scenes footage. 1988 was another quiet year for Queen, with work continuing on the next album and various solo projects. 'The Miracle', Queen's 13th studio album, was released in May 1989 and went straight to no. 1, as it did in most European countries. The band gathered to record a rare interview with Mike Read for Radio One, which was broadcast on the Easter Bank Holiday, 29 May 1989. At the end of the year, Queen were voted 'The Best Band Of The Eighties', and appeared on television to collect the award.

Queen were awarded an 'Outstanding Contribution To British Music' in February 1990 by the British Phonographic Industry. Work on the next album continued throughout the year, and in November Queen signed a new deal with Hollywood Records in North America. In January 1991, the band's first single from the next album, 'Innuendo', was released and went straight to no. 1, despite it's six and a half minute running time. The album of the same name also went straight to no. 1, when released in February. On 30th May, Queen went into the studios (without Brian), to record what was to be Freddie's last ever video, 'These Are The Days Of Our Lives', while in October 1991, they repeated their 1981 success by releasing 'Greatest Hits II', 'Greatest Flix II' and 'Greatest Pix II'. All three went straight to no. 1 in their charts. On November 23rd, 1991, Freddie announced in a press statement that he had the AIDS virus, but only the next day, it was announced that he had died. It was Freddie's last wish that 'Bohemian Rhapsody' should be released after his death to raise money to fight AIDS. The resulting single, coupled with 'These Are The Days Of Our Lives', reached no. 1 again and spent a further 5 weeks at no. 1, raising over £1 million, making it one of the most successful singles of all time. Queen closed the year with 10 albums in the top 100. In February 1992, on collecting 'Outstanding Contribution To British Music' and 'Best Single Of 1991' awards at the Brit Awards, Roger announced plans for a huge concert to pay tribute to Freddie. All 72,000 tickets were sold in six hours, with no announcement of who would play apart from Queen. On April 20th 1992, many top stars, including David Bowie, Elton John, Roger Daltrey and George Michael, played alongside Queen in a concert televised to over one billion people. In May 1992, a double album of their 1986 concert at Wembley was released, which reached no. 2 in the albums charts. Before Christmas 1992, a double video of the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert was released, with all proceeds donated to the Mercury Phoenix Trust, a charity set up in Freddie's name to distribute raised funds. In 1993, Queen returned to the top of the charts with George Michael, with 'Somebody To Love', recorded at Freddie's tribute, while later in the year Freddie claimed a posthumous no 1 in his own right with 'Living On My Own'. Work began in 1993 and continued through to 1995 on the tracks that Freddie had left unfinished in 1991. In October 1995, 'Heaven For Everyone', from the long-awaited 'final' album, was released. It reached no. 2 in the charts (yet again). November saw the release of the album, 'Made In Heaven', which went straight to no. 1 and went five times platinum, making it Queen's most successful studio album. Released on the same day was 'Champions Of The World', a new 2 hour documentary on the band, again compiled by the Torpedo Twins, Rudi Dolezal and Hannes Rossacher. The album gave Queen a further four hit singles throughout 1995 and 1996.

1997 began with a one-off performance as Roger, Brian and John were joined by Spike Edney and Elton John to perform just one track, 'The Show Must Go On', at the finale of the 'Bejart Ballet For Life', a ballet set to Queen music. November 1997 saw the release of 'Queen Rocks', a collection of heavier Queen material from over the years, which reached a relatively disappointing no. 7 in the charts. The album included a brand new Queen track, 'No-One But You', featuring vocals by Brian and Roger, which was released as a single in January 1998, reaching no 13. The track marked the last work of John Deacon with Queen, who subsequently retired from both studio and live work. Later in the year, 'The Eye', a 5 CD-Rom game was released, featuring remixed instrumental versions of many tracks, and featuring pioneering techniques in gaming. 1999 was another quiet year, with the 'Greatest Hits III' compilation album released in November, along with 'Flix III', with the album reaching no. 5 in the charts. The album featured four solo tracks from Brian and Freddie, 'The Show Must Go On' from the Bejart Ballet performance, and a new remix of 'Under Pressure', which reached no 14 in the charts. In late 1999, 'Bohemian Rhapsody' was voted as 'The Song Of The Millennium'. In July 2000, Queen returned to the top of the singles chart with boy band Five, with a re-recording of 'We Will Rock You', and their first appearance on Top Of The Pops since 1982. They also released a three-CD boxed set of their 'Greatest Hits' albums for the Christmas market, called 'The Platinum Collection'. In March 2001, Queen were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame at a ceremony in the USA, performing two tracks, one with Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins of the Foo Fighters. There was much speculation in the press throughout 2001 that Queen were recording an album with Robbie Williams, and in August 2001 the collaboration was revealed. They had recorded just one track - a remake of 'We Are The Champions', which appeared in the film 'A Knight's Tale'. December 2001 saw another project unveiled - 'Queen Heaven', a laser show based in Munich, set to Queen music and featuring much Queen imagery. Much of 2001 and 2002 was spent working on the 'We Will Rock You' musical, with a script by comedian Ben Elton, featuring 31 Queen songs. In the meantime, they found time to play at a free jubilee event in the Netherlands, in front of 130,000 fans. The musical's premiere was held on 13 May 2002, and promoted with an appearance on BBC TV's 'Parkinson'. Also on the 13th, Queen re-released 'The Platinum Collection' and it went to no. 2 in the album chart. A special 2-DVD 10th Anniversary reissue of 'The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert' was released on the same day, which went straight in at no. 1 in the DVD charts. Queen performed at the Party In The Palace jubilee concert in London on 3rd June 2002, with Brian performing the national anthem from the roof of Buckingham Palace. Throughout the year, work had been in progress on remastering Queen's first Greatest Flix video, and the result, 'Queen Greatest Video Hits I', was released on DVD on 14 October 2002. True to form, the DVD went straight to no. 1 in the charts. Also in October, Queen were awarded a star on the prestigious Hollywood Walk Of Fame, and celebrated with a concert. The 'We Will Rock You' musical quickly became the best selling West End musical, followed by a cast recording released in November 2002. In early 2003, 'Flash' was remixed by German producers Vanguard, and this became a major hit in many European markets. The single was released in the UK in March. In May 2003, Roger and Brian appeared as Queen at two charity shows, one in London, and one with Pavarotti in Italy. Also in May the 'We Will Rock You' cast album was reissued to celebrate the musical's first anniversary. In early June 2003, the second volume of the Queen 'DVD Collection' was released, 'Live At Wembley Stadium', featuring the full concert for the first time with other rare footage. In the Summer, Queen worked on a new version of 'We Will Rock You', with Australian vocalist John Farnham. This was done partly to celebrate the rugby world cup, but also to promote the new Australian production of 'We Will Rock You', which opened in Melbourne in August. In November, the Spanish production opened, whilst 'Greatest Video Hits II' was released on DVD, featuring a wealth of archive material, which went straight to no. 1 in the charts. Queen also worked closely with Nelson Mandela and Dave Stewart for the '46664' project, including new recordings and a huge concert in South Africa at the end of November, broadcast around the world to over two billion people. The concert was given a full CD and DVD release in April 2004. January 2004 saw a compilation album, 'Jewels', and a single from it, 'I Was Born To Love You', reaching no 1 in the Japanese albums and singles charts respectively. The rest of the year was mostly dominated by the 'We Will Rock You' musical, with the UK production going from strength to strength, and new productions opening in the USA and Russia, as well as reopenings in Australia and Spain, and work on future productions in Germany, amongst others. Queen also performed a mini-concert at the finale of the MTV Russia Awards in Moscow in October. In September 2004, Brian teamed up with Paul Rodgers at the Strat Pack, a concert to celebrate 50 years of the Fender Stratocaster, alongside many other guitar legends.

October 2004 also saw the release of the fourth volume of the Queen 'DVD Collection'. 'Queen On Fire - Live At The Bowl' was recorded at the Milton Keynes Bowl, in June 1982, and was previously only ever seen in a severely edited TV broadcast some 21 years earlier. It went straight in at #1 in the music DVD charts. On 8th November, a boxed set of the complete Live Aid concert was released, which included Queen's legendary performance for the first time. Later in the same week, Queen became the third artist to be inducted into the UK Music Hall Of Fame, after a UK television poll. At the awards ceremony, they teamed up with Paul Rodgers to perform three tracks, later broadcast on TV. In December 2004, it was announced that Queen were to embark on an extensive European tour, again performing with Paul Rodgers, which they started in March 2004 at Fancourt in South Africa in aid of the 46664 campaign. Most venues for the tour were sold out, and the concerts received fairly good reviews from the usually hostile media. To tie in with the tour, Queen set another first, by releasing tracks from many of the concerts to download. The tour was originally going to include 27 dates, but due to demand this was extended to 33, as well as two dates in the US and a mini-tour of Japan. A double CD of the tour called 'Return Of The Champions' was released in September 2005, with a DVD following in October, whilst in November, a special 30th Anniversary edition of the classic 'A Night At The Opera' album was released, with a special download of 'Bohemian Rhapsody' following in December. In March and April 2006, Queen + Paul Rodgers embarked on a 23 date arena tour of North America, while March also saw the release of 'The Making Of 'A Night At The Opera''. In June, a Japanese only DVD was released, titled 'Super Live In Japan', featuring a live show recorded in Tokyo during the 2005 mini-tour. In June 2006, Brian and Roger appeared together to perform the Queen classics 'We Will Rock You' and 'Tie Your Mother Down' at the Foo Fighters concert in Hyde Park. September saw the release of a new compilation of Freddie Mercury's solo material to mark his 60th birthday, alongside a DVD and book, and a special birthday party at the Dominion Theatre. December 2006 saw another Queen single, a remixed version of 'Another One Bites The Dust', which had previously been a big hit in clubs in the US. 2007 was a fairly quiet year for Queen. In July, Roger appeared as part of a 'drum extravaganza' at the opening of the Live Earth concert at Wembley Stadium, whilst in August Brian collected his doctorate from Imperial College, London, having finished his thesis nearly 40 years after starting it. October 2007 saw a simultaneous album and video release of 'Queen Rock Montreal', recorded at their 1981 Montreal shows and previously available as the 'We Will Rock You' concert in vastly inferior quality. For 'World Aids Day', on December 1, Queen marked the occasion by making a free download available of a new studio version of 'Say It's Not True', which was their first studio recording with Paul Rodgers and their first new studio material for nearly 10 years. Due to demand the single was rush-released on CD on 31 December, but it failed to chart. In April 2008, Queen + Paul Rodgers announced they would be releasing a studio album in September, promoted with a European tour. As part of the publicity for this they appeared together on the Al Murray TV show to perform one of their new tracks, 'C-lebrity'. Their second performance of the year came in June, when they appeared as the headlining act at Nelson Mandela's 90th Birthday Party in Hyde Park, to raise awareness of the 46664 campaign. September saw the long awaited released of the Paul Rodgers collaboration, 'The Cosmos Rocks', Queen's first studio album in 13 years, accompanied by a single release of 'C-lebrity'. Critical and public opinion was split over the album, as several tracks sounded far more like Paul Rodgers than Queen. A huge free concert for AIDS awareness in the Ukraine, attended by 350,000 fans, kicked off the European tour, which saw 34 dates across Europe, including 11 shows in the UK. This was followed by a single date in Dubai and a mini-tour of five concerts in a triumphant return to South America. December 1st, World Aids Day, saw a number of cinemas throughout the UK showing 'Queen Rock The Cosmos', the concert film recorded in the Ukraine at the start of the tour. This was given a proper DVD release, simply titled 'Live In Ukraine', in June 2009. December 1st also saw the release of 'Queen Singles Collection - Volume 1', a boxed set containing Queen's first 13 singles pressed onto CD, which was followed by three further sets in 2009 and 2010. In March 2009, a touring production of 'We Will Rock You' was opened which was initially to tour the UK for an initial 10 month run, which featured Roger's son Rufus on drums. November saw the release of the 'Absolute Greatest' compilation, which brought together 20 of Queen's best loved tracks on one album. This was the band's last album release on the EMI label, as in 2010 they signed to Island Records, part of Universal, after nearly 40 years. December 2009 saw the release a cover version of 'Bohemian Rhapsody' by The Muppets, featuring Queen's original backing track. The video was originally posted on Youtube and achieved over 10 million views in just two weeks, before being given a fully fledged release. 2011 saw the 40th anniversary of the legendary line-up of the group, and the year began with remastered releases of the 'Greatest Hits' and 'Greatest Hits II' albums, followed by the first batch of five albums on 14 March 2011. Each album was digitally remastered by Bob Ludwig, and comes with a handful of bonus tracks of live performances, BBC sessions and alternate mixes. To coincide with this, a special exhibition titled 'Stormtrooper In Stilettos' was staged which focused on Queen's early period from 1973-1976, featuring artwork, rare footage, clothing, and other memorabilia. This was also accompanied by a download single of the same name, and the releases were accompanied by 'Deep Cuts, Volume 1', a compilation featuring some of Queen's lesser known album tracks rather than their hit singles. The reissues continued on 27 June with the second set of five, and another 'Deep Cuts' volume, focussing on the period 1977-1982. What would have been Freddie's 65th Birthday, 5 September, was marked with a birthday party at the Savoy Hotel in London with a range of guests, and the release of the third batch of albums and the final 'Deep Cuts' volume, focussing on 1984-1995, alongside a double DVD reissue of 'Live At Wembley Stadium', which featured the full concerts from both Wembley shows for the first time. November 2011 saw Queen awarded with the Global Icon Award at the European MTV Video Awards, which they marked with a performance with Adam Lambert, and a DVD release of the 'Days Of Our Lives' documentary, while it was also announced that Brian and Roger were working on some old material, including the track recorded with Michael Jackson, for possible future release. In March 2012 it was announced that Queen with Adam Lambert would headline on the second day of the three day Sonisphere Festival, on 7 July, alongside Kiss and Faith No More, but the entire festival was subsequently cancelled. As a result, a second planned concert in Moscow was rescheduled, with additional shows added in Ukraine, Poland, and three shows at the Hammersmith Odeon. May 2012 saw the 10th anniversary of the 'We Will Rock You' musical, which has been performed across the world to great success since first opening in London in 2002, and the anniversary was marked with a reissue of the cast album in October. Queen's famous 1986 Budapest concert was remastered and re-titled 'Hungarian Rhapsody' and shown in cinemas and theatres worldwide in September, with a DVD and Blu-ray release following in November. November also saw a release of 'We Will Rock You Vonlichten', which featured the original version of the track, with additional guitars by Brian and orchestral music by composer Vonlichten, and was used in NFL and Superbowl coverage in the USA. On 5 March 2013, Brian and Roger were honoured with a Music Heritage Award by the Performing Rights Society, marking their first live performance in London, at Imperial College. The awards were founded to recognise the role that live music has in launching the careers of musical talent. A reissue of 'The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert' was reissued in September, as a 3 DVD or single Blu-ray set, while Brian and Roger teamed up with Adam Lambert again to perform at the iHeartRadio Music Festival on 20 September, marking their first concert in the USA. On 2 December, Brian and Roger opened a new exhibition 'The Studio Experience Montreux', which re-created Mountain Studios where Queen recorded seven albums, featuring a mixing desk, instruments, album and single sleeves and other memorabilia. The 'We Will Rock You' musical closed in London on 31 May 2014 to allow the theatre to be renovated, after 12 years and 4,600 performances, with Brian and Roger performing at both the afternoon and evening shows. In June, they performed for iHeartRadio again, as a preview for a 24 date tour across the USA and Canada in June and July, again with Adam Lambert, which was followed by dates in Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand in August and September. Also in September, they released 'Live At The Rainbow '74' on CD, DVD and Blu-ray, featuring both March and November shows in full for the first time. Despite the release being an archived concert from 40 years ago, and featuring only 3 hit singles, it peaked at number 11 in the UK albums chart. In November, Queen + Adam Lambert were awarded Band Of The Year at the annual Classic Rock Awards. In November 2014, the compilation album 'Forever' was released, which collected numerous ballads and love songs from throughout Queen's career, plus three 'new' tracks, namely 'Let Me In Your Heart Again', a demo recorded for the 1984 'The Works' album, a new ballad version of Freddie's solo hit 'Love Kills', and a long awaited release of 'There Must Be More To Life Than This' featuring Michael Jackson. In December, Queen + Adam Lambert performed in London as part of the New Year celebrations, which was broadcast live on TV and streamed worldwide, and followed by a 25 date European tour in January and February. This was followed by a six date tour of South America in September. September also saw the release of 'The Studio Collection', an 18 LP boxed set featuring all fifteen studio albums, most pressed onto coloured vinyl for the first time. In October and November, there were celebrations to mark the 40th anniversary of the release of 'Bohemian Rhapsody', which included a UK reissue as a 12" single for the first time, Queen receiving the 'Classic Single Award' at the annual Q Awards, and the 'Living Legend Award' at the Classic Rock awards. November also saw the release of 'A Night At The Odeon', which featured the legendary concert performed at the Hammersmith Odeon on Christmas Eve in 1975, as an album, DVD, Blu-ray and boxed set. Queen and Adam Lambert performed further shows throughout Europe in 2016, including the prestigious Isle Of Wight Festival, followed by an Asian tour in September, which included their first ever shows in Israel, Singapore, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong and Thailand. This was followed in December by their first DVD release, a recording of their show in 2014 as part of the Super Sonic festival in Tokyo, titled 'Live In Japan'. Meanwhile, in November, Queen released 'On Air', a 2 disc album which included all twenty four tracks recorded for the BBC, the majority being released for the first time. The album was also available as a six disc deluxe boxed set, which added four discs of live highlights and interviews. May 2017 saw the release of a Queen themed Monopoly game, designed with Brian and Roger, as well as 'Queen In 3-D', a book written by Brian which presents stereo photographs of the band throughout their career, many previously unseen. October saw the 40th anniversary of the 'News Of The World' album, which was marked with a boxed set featuring the original album on CD and LP, a CD of bonus tracks, a new documentary about their 1977 North American Tour, and a selection of reproduction memorabilia. It also included a 'Raw Sessions' version of the album, which contained alternative takes and early versions of each track, including a rendition of 'All Dead, All Dead' with Freddie on lead vocals, and the only known live performance of 'Sleeping On The Sidewalk'. Queen + Adam Lambert toured North America in the summer, followed by Europe in the winter, Australasia in early 2018, and a series of European shows in June and July 2018, which will be followed by a residency in Las Vegas where they will perform 10 shows during September. A biographical film of Freddie's life, titled 'Bohemian Rhapsody', is due to be released in October, starring Rami Malek as Freddie. In 2020 the band released a Japanese only compilation, titled 'Greatest Hits In Japan', which featured their 12 most popular tracks, as voted for by Japanese fans. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2020 Queen + Adam Lambert tour was postponed, with shows eventually taking place in 2022. Later in 2022, the band performed at two tribute concerts, in London and Los Angeles, for Foo Fighers drummer Taylor Hawkins who died earlier in the year. There are also plans for further archive releases and live shows, more worldwide productions of the 'We Will Rock You' musical, a possible sequel, and hopefully the long awaited anthology boxed set, still in the pipeline. Whatever happens, the legacy of Queen will be around for a long, long time.

Queen - Biography

Queen Biography

Queen is a British rock band which was popular in the 1970s and 1980s . The group is well known for its sports anthems and classic rock radio staples, particularly the hits ' We Are the Champions ' and ' Bohemian Rhapsody ;' the band promoted the latter, first released in 1975, with one of the earliest successful music videos , and later re-released it for the soundtrack album from the movie Wayne's World . Queen are widely recognised as pioneers of heavy metal , glam rock , and stadium rock .

The beginnings of Queen can be traced to 1968, when Brian May and Roger Taylor formed the trio Smile, at Imperial College , London , where they were both students. After the group's bassist and lead singer Tim Staffell departed in the spring of 1970, May and Taylor took on vocalist Freddie Mercury in April 1970 to form Queen. In 1971 John Deacon completed the lineup as bass guitarist.

Though Freddie Mercury's personality always dominated in the press , all four members of the group actually wrote huge hits:

• Freddie Mercury , vocals (' Bohemian Rhapsody ')
• Brian May , guitars (' We Will Rock You ')
• Roger Taylor , drums & percussion (' Radio Ga Ga ')
• John Deacon , bass guitar (' Another One Bites the Dust ')

Most of the group's albums contained at least one song written by each member, and though Mercury penned a lot of Queen's hits, he was by no means the dominant songwriter; indeed, the group considered themselves creative equals, and quiet bassist John Deacon wrote one of their biggest hits, 'Another One Bites the Dust.' In their later years, two or three or even all four band members commonly contributed to individual songs; after arguments over the attribution of these cooperative efforts, the band agreed to simply credit 'Queen' rather than single members (from The Miracle onwards).

Brian May and Roger Taylor were playing on a band called Smile with bass player/singer Tim Staffell. Freddie was Tim's roommate in Ealing Arts College and followed Smile's rehearsals and concerts closely. At that time Freddie was a singer in other bands, such as Wreckage and Ibex. Still, he was very eager to share his ideas in which musical direction Smile should develop. At some point Tim Staffell decided Smile was not going anywhere and he decided to join a band called Humpy Bong. Freddie quickly stepped in for Tim and they started to search for a bass player. One of the first was Barry Mitchell. It was not until 1972 that they found John Deacon and started to rehearse for the first album, Queen .

In 1973 Queen released their first album, a self-titled effort. It drew little attention, but succeeded in giving the band an FM radio anthem 'Keep Yourself Alive.' In hindsight, it's considered to be a strong first album.

1974 saw two releases; the first being of Queen II , which had the hit 'Seven Seas of Rhye' on it. The album was highly experimental, so it garnered little mainstream attention, but the single got them on to the charts in Britain .

Later that same year, Sheer Heart Attack was released. The album was huge in the UK and throughout Europe ; it went gold in the United States. Considered one of their very greatest efforts, Queen made a surprisingly cohesive album with a wide variety of different types of music; British music hall to heavy metal tunes like 'Stone Cold Crazy' (which Metallica would later cover and earn a Grammy for) and 'Now I'm Here' (a live concert favorite); ballads ('Lily of the Valley'), ragtime ('Bring Back That Leroy Brown'), even Caribbean ('Misfire')

The standout track was 'Killer Queen' a British Top Ten and which got as high as number 11 on the U.S. charts. It combined campy, vaudeville British music hall with Led Zeppelin -like sound and Brian May's virtuosity on the guitar.

If Sheer Heart Attack 's blend of eclectic styles and heavy-metal was considered to be gamut-running, their 1975 effort A Night At The Opera was all-encompassing. Considered by many to be their greatest effort (some call it Queen's Led Zeppelin IV ), this is the album that featured the huge worldwide hit, ' Bohemian Rhapsody .' 'Bohemian Rhapsody' was number one in the UK for nine weeks, breaking the record set by Paul Anka 's 'Diana.' It reached number 9 in the U.S.; when it was rereleased in 1992, it reached number one in the UK again, and hit number 2 in America. The album also featured ' You're My Best Friend ' (which peaked at 14 on the U.S. charts), a sweet, pure pop gem that was unlike anything Queen had ever done to that point. ' I'm In Love With My Car ' was a hard-rock tune, written and sung by drummer Roger Taylor, which is currently being used in Lexus commercials .

The album was a smash in Britain , and went three times platinum in the United States . It was official; Queen had hit the popular music scene.

Back in the studio and unable to really top A Night At The Opera in sales or quality, Queen recorded what essentially was a companion album, A Day At The Races , also in keeping with the Marx Brothers' movie theme for the title. The cover was the same as Opera' s, only with the colors inverted. Plans were made to eventually release the two together as a package, but those plans never came to fruition.

The album was done very much in the vein of Opera musically as well. Although it was by both fans' and critics' standards superb, it was unable to eclipse its predecessor, and thus as a result has been somewhat underrated.

The standout tracks were ' Somebody to Love ' and ' Tie Your Mother Down .' 'Somebody' was an incredible rock ballad, on which Freddie Mercury mulitracked his voice to make a 100-voice gospel choir. Staying true to their guitar-driven style, it was filled with Brian May's virtuoso harmony, and it went to number 11 on the U.S. singles chart and number 2 on the U.K. charts. 'Tie Your Mother Down' was a typical Queen hard-rocker that produced a very recognizable riff and displayed Queen's trademark sense of humor.

1977 saw the release of News of the World , an album that was critically panned at the time but has gained recognition over time. This album had more of a sonic punch to it, as well as songs that were tailor-made to be performed (and subsequently have their greatest effect) live. This album produced the anthemic ' We Will Rock You ' and the famous rock ballad ' We Are The Champions ', as well as the punchy, near-punk sound of 'Sheer Heart Attack' (not to be confused with the album of the same name released three years earlier) - and possibly an influence on Queens Of The Stone Age's ' Feelgood Hit of the Summer ' which features an alarmingly similar guitar riff.

In 1978 the band released the Jazz album, including the hit singles 'Fat Bottomed Girls' and 'Bicycle Race', being a double-A-side single. The album cover was inspired by a painting on the Berlin wall . Important tracks of the album were 'Dead on Time', 'Let Me Entertain You' or 'Mustapha', a song by Freddie, which had a very Arabian sound combined with heavy rock guitar.

Fan response was lukewarm to Jazz and for the first time Queen's sales saw a bit of a dip. All band members, especially Mercury, noted frustration and disappointment with the album, and as a result, took a break from the breakneck schedule of one or more albums a year, and focused during the year of 1979 totally on a new album to come out in 1980.

They did, however, release their first-ever live album, in response to the exorbitant amounts of money Queen bootlegs were fetching. The album, entitled Live Killers , went platinum (twice in the U.S.) in most developed countries. They also released the very successful single, 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love,' a song done in the style of Elvis Presley; the single made the top 10 in most countries and was the band's first number one single in the U.S.

Queen kicked off the 1980's with the hugely successful album, The Game . The album turned out to be their highest selling non-greatest hits. The album featured the 'Crazy Little Thing Called Love' single, as well as the monster hit 'Another One Bites the Dust' a track that was released in 1981 after Michael Jackson suggested it would make a great single. It combined Queen's rock sensibilities with a funky minimalism that resulted in a discofied rock classic. It stayed at number one for four weeks in the United States, and the album went four times platinum States-side. The album also featured two of Queen's greatest ballads; 'Play the Game' and the fan-favorite 'Save Me,' both of which were hits in Britain and well-remembered by rock fans in the States.

1980 also saw them do the innovative and critically-acclaimed soundtrack for the movie Flash Gordon . The album sold poorly, but served as a showcase for Queen in a different light.

1981 saw Queen collaborate with David Bowie for the single ' Under Pressure '. The single netted a number one in Britain and a well-remembered rock anthem, a fan-favorite of both Queen and Bowie legionnaires. The group also released a widely successful greatest hits CD, their first, which showcased their rock highlights during the first phase of their career.

The response to 'Another One Bites the Dust' was overwhelming, so the band decided to do an entire album of disco/funk influenced songs. The result was the 1982 album Hot Space , an album which, either fairly or not, has been almost unanimously regarded by critics and die-hard, loyal fans alike as being one of their worst. The album was especially disappointing to the hard-rock faithful that followed them through the 70s since their first album and their breakthrough success 'Sheer Heart Attack.' Nonetheless, the album included 'Under Pressure,' the only real highlight, and 'Body Language,' a single that only gained attention in the U.S., netting a surprise number 11 hit.

In 1984, Queen successfully bridged the gap between hard rock and pop with the album The Works , which included the incredibly successful glitzy rock anthem ' Radio Ga-Ga ,' the gorgeous pop of ' I Want to Break Free ,' (a song that would become an anthem of the supressed left-wing of Brazil and later Coca-Cola 'C2' Commercials), the heavy, hard-rock live favorites 'Hammer to Fall' (a poetic commentary on the Cold War) and 'Tear It Up.' Despite these hit singles and live barn-burners, the album failed to sell well, contributing to tensions within the band. This led to the members of Queen branching off onto solo projects during this period.

Then came 1985, and the benefit concert Live Aid , which Queen were invited to perform at. In the eyes of critics and fans alike, the group stole the show at the worldwide extravaganza, performing some of their greatest hits and wowing audiences with their energy and superb musicianry and showmanship.

Revitalised by the reponse to Live Aid and the resulting increase in record sales, Queen ended 1985 by releasing the single ' One Vision ', an uptempo guitar-based song credited, unusally for this period, to the four members of the band. It was used in the film ' Iron Eagle '.

In early 1986 Queen recorded the album ' A Kind of Magic ', inspired by the 1986 Russell Mulcahy film Highlander . This album was very successful, producing a string of hits including the title track ' A Kind of Magic ', ' Who Wants To Live Forever? ' and ' Friends Will Be Friends '.

Later that year, Queen went on a sold-out final tour, which culminated at Wembley Stadium in London . Freddie teased the capacity crowd of 89,000 that Queen might be breaking up, only to tell the crowd that it was just a silly rumor, and that Queen would be together until 'we fucking well die, I'm sure!' much to the delight of the crowd. It is rumored that Freddie contracted AIDS that year as well.

On this tour, Queen performed for the last time together. They couldn't book Wembley for a third night because it was already booked, but they managed to get Knebworth Park . It sold out within 2 hours, and over 120,000 fans packed the park to get a glimpse of Queen one last time live.

After working in various solo projects during 1988 (including Mercury�s collaboration with Montserrat Caball�, 'Barcelona') the band released The Miracle in 1989. This record continued the direction of A Kind of Magic with a polished pop-rock sound and hits like 'Invisible Man', 'The Miracle' and 'Breakthru'.

Larger-than-life British arena-glam rockers who mastered the art of the pop single, led by the incomparable Freddie Mercury.

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Roger Taylor

Who Was Roger Taylor?

Early life and background.

Roger Meddows Taylor was born on July 26, 1949, in the seaport town of King's Lynn, part of England's Norfolk county. During his youth, Taylor developed a passion for multi-instrumentalism, playing the ukulele and guitar before turning to drums. He subsequently played with the Cornwall band the Reaction in the mid-1960s.

Taylor moved to London and studied dentistry and biology for a time, though he would ultimately decide to pursue a career in music. In 1967, he began performing with the rock group Smile, which included guitarist Brian May.

After Smile's lead singer departed, Taylor and May joined with virtuosic singer Freddie Mercury and bassist John Deacon to form Queen. The group carried on to become one of the biggest musical acts in the world, known for innovative musical fusions and theatrical, bombastic productions. The band released more than a dozen albums, including A Night at the Opera (1975) and Jazz (1978), and had hits like "Bohemian Rhapsody," "We Will Rock You," "We Are The Champions" and "Crazy Little Thing Called Love."

Writes 'Radio Ga Ga'

All of the band members were songwriters and contributed to the group's canon, with Taylor penning tracks like "A Kind of Magic" and "Radio Ga Ga." (The latter song is what inspired Stefani Germanotta's very famous stage name, Lady Gaga.) Coincidentally, Taylor has worked in rock music as another drummer named Roger Taylor rose to prominence as well, playing with the band Duran Duran.

Solo Singles and Albums

Taylor was the first Queen member to go solo with his 1977 song "I Wanna Testify" and released the albums Fun in Space (1981) and Strange Frontier (1984), further showcasing his songwriting abilities. With Queen's output becoming quieter after the Magic Tour, Taylor formed another band, the Cross, in 1987. With Taylor singing lead and playing rhythm guitar, Cross released three albums, particularly finding an audience in Germany, before disbanding in 1993.

The world lost Mercury to AIDS in 1991, and Queen's surviving members performed a memorial/fundraising concert at Wembley Stadium the following year with a range of guest artists.

Taylor re-started his solo career with the 1994 album Happiness? and had a U.K. hit single with "Nazis 1994," which deplored the rise of neo-Nazism. (It was banned in some outlets due to its lyrics.) Taylor released his next album, Electric Fire , in the summer of 1998.

Promotes HIV/AIDS Awareness

Taylor was also a key player in the creation of the mega-successful London musical We Will Rock You , a futuristic production inspired by the songs and creativity of Queen that opened in May, 2002. And in 2003, Taylor and May, along with Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics, put together South Africa's 46664 concert, a major musical event inspired by the resiliency of President Nelson Mandela that promoted HIV/AIDS awareness in Africa. Taylor made new musical contributions to the concert and supporting 46664 albums, as well with the tracks "Say It's Not True" and "Invincible Hope."

Taylor has also continued to work with new iterations of Queen, both via albums and live performance. The band released a concert album with George Michael, Five Live , in 1993. In the mid-2000s, Queen played to sold-out crowds in Europe with a new tour featuring Paul Rodgers, the one-time lead singer of rock group Bad Company. And in 2012, Queen played at the Olympics closing ceremony with singer Jessie J in London, England, and embarked on a mini-tour with American Idol finalist Adam Lambert.

Helming The Queen Extravaganza

With Taylor looking for new blood to maintain the band's legacy, he has served as musical director and producer for The Queen Extravaganza, a touring tribute-band production that launched in 2012. The band was selected via an online contest and features both a female and male vocalist, Jennifer Espinoza and Marc Martel.

QUICK FACTS

• Name: Roger Taylor
• Birth Year: 1949
• Birth date: July 26, 1949
• Birth City: King's Lynn, England
• Birth Country: United Kingdom
• Gender: Male
• Best Known For: Roger Taylor is a singer, guitarist and drummer known for playing with legendary band Queen and for his work as a solo artist.
• Astrological Sign: Leo

We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us !

CITATION INFORMATION

• Article Title: Roger Taylor Biography
• Author: Biography.com Editors
• Website Name: The Biography.com website
• Url: https://www.biography.com/musicians/roger-taylor
• Access Date:
• Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
• Last Updated: October 28, 2021
• Original Published Date: April 2, 2014

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Queen History

Queen is a British rock band founded in 1970 by its singer, Freddie Mercury , Brian May on guitar, Roger Taylor on drums and John Deacon on bass. Despite the absence of some of its members, the band was active until 2009.

Brian May and Roger Taylor founded the band Smile in 1968, with Tim Staffell as the vocalist. He studied with Freddie Mercury at Ealing Art College, who was a big fan of the band. Therefore, when Tim Staffell left the group to join another, Humpy Bong, May and Taylor immediately thought of Mercury. Once the three of them were together, Smile’s name became Queen’s at the suggestion of Freddie himself . After playing songs of other bands and artists, they renewed some that they had composed for Smile and other previous bands.

Already by 1970, they were presented for the first time in the City Hall of the city of Truro in 1970 and then, that same year, in the Imperial College. At that time, several bassists tried out, like Mike Grose, Carry Mitchell, and Doug Ewood Bogie, but finally, they met John Deacon in a bar and they called him to be part of the band definitively. This one appeared with them for the first time in 1971. By this same date, Freddie Mercury designed the logo of the band inspired by the zodiacal signs of its members: that is why you see two lions, by Deacon and Taylor who were Leo, a crab for May, who was Cancer, and two fairies for Mercury, who was Virgo.

A friend of Brian May told him that he had a studio and that he needed to prove it. So Queen tried the studio out and ended up recording four songs, with which they began to look for a label, but without any success. However, over time they would be recognized by the firm Chrysalis Records, which would offer them a contract, which Queen chose not to sign for terms that were not very beneficial for them. The same thing happened at first with the Trident label, although they would finally sign a contract in 1972, but only to record and represent them. Thus, a stamp that distributed them was missing. This would not appear until 1973, year in which they would sign with Elektra Records, which distributed their first album: Queen . This was well received by some critics, although in general, it was not very successful.

In 1974, Queen appeared in the Top of the Pops, where he played Seven Seas of Rhye . This presentation was broadcasted on television, which greatly promoted the theme. Quickly, EMI released a single with the song and with See What A Fool I’ve Been, with which they managed to be in the ranks of the 10 songs most listened for at least ten weeks . That same year, the second album of the band was released, Queen II , which was ranked No. 5 on the English list. Thanks to these two successes, Queen made its first tour, without being the opening show, in the United Kingdom.

In November of the same year, the third album was released, Sheer Heart Attack, of which Killer Queen and Flick of the Wrist managed to enter the American lists. After these, they toured Europe, the United States, and Japan.

In 1975, the first single of its next album was published, Bohemian Rhapsody , with which they were during 18 months in the top of the list of the United Kingdom , and which granted Mercury the Ivor Novello Prize to him for the second occasion. For this, a video clip was made, with which it became usual to accompany the singles with an audiovisual sample. Finally, in November of that same year, A Night at the Opera would be released.

After making a tour promoting their latest album, Queen released A Day at the Races in 1976 , an album that is considered a sequel to the previous one, and News of the World in 1977, which is famous for its songs “We Will Rock You” and “We Are the Champions” which would be used in various sporting events. By 1978, Jazz would appear and in 1980 The Game . The following year, the band would make its first tour in South America.

In 1981, they would return to the position nº1 of England with Under Pressure , a song composed and realized next to David Bowie. In 1982, they published Hot Space , and, after a year of rest, they published The Works in 1984. Two years later, “A Kind of Magic” was released and in 1989 The Miracle.

In 1987, Mercury’s couple, Jim Hutton, announced that the singer had AIDS, although all the members of the band denied it. However, in 1991 Mercury said in a statement that he did have the disease. In this same text, he asked for the support of his public and his friends to fight against the disease. Despite this, two days later, on November 24, Freddie Mercury died at only 45 years old.

After the death of the singer, an album with the greatest hits of the band was released, a commemorative concert was made and the album Made in Heaven and the song “No-One, but You” were published. The band entered the hall of fame in 2001 and the following year they got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2004, Brian May and Roger Taylor announced that they would join with Paul Rodgers to form Queen + Paul Rodgers. In 2008, the new group released the album The Cosmos Rocks , and finally separated in 2009.

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Fernando Botero

Fernando Botero Biography

Fernando Botero Angulo (April 19, 1932 – September 15, 2023) was a sculptor, painter, muralist, and draftsman, hailing from Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia. He was a Colombian artist known and celebrated for infusing a substantial volume to human and animal figures in his works.

Early Years and Beginnings

Fernando Botero was born into an affluent Paisa family , composed of his parents, David Botero and Flora Angulo, along with his older brother Juan David, who was four years his senior, and his younger brother, Rodrigo, who would be born four years after Fernando, in the same year that their father passed away. In 1938, he enrolled in primary school at the Ateneo Antioqueño and later entered the Bolivariana to continue his high school education. However, he was expelled from the institution due to an article he published in the newspaper El Colombiano about Picasso , as well as his drawings that were considered obscene. As a result, he graduated from high school at the Liceo of the University of Antioquia in 1950.

In parallel to his studies, Fernando attended a bullfighting school in La Macarena at the request of one of his uncles. However, due to an issue related to bullfighting, Botero left the bullring and embarked on a journey into painting. In 1948, he held his first exhibition in Medellín. Two years later, he traveled to Bogotá where he had two more exhibitions and had the opportunity to meet some intellectuals of the time. He then stayed at Isolina García’s boarding house in Tolú, which he paid for by painting a mural. Once again in Bogotá, he won the second prize at the IX National Artists Salon with his oil painting “Facing the Sea” .

“Ephemeral art is a lesser form of expression that cannot be compared to the concept of art conceived with the desire for perpetuity. What many people fail to understand is that Picasso is a traditional artist”- Fernando Botero

Due to the prize from the IX Salon and the sale of several of his works, Fernando Botero traveled to Spain in 1952 to enroll at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando in Madrid. There, he lived by selling drawings and paintings in the vicinity of the Prado Museum. In 1953, he went to Paris with filmmaker Ricardo Irrigarri, and later, they both traveled to Florence. Here, he entered the Academy of San Marco, where he was heavily influenced by Renaissance painters such as Piero della Francesca, Titian, and Paolo Uccello.

Career and Personal Life

In 1955, Botero returned to Colombia to hold an exhibition featuring several of his works created during his time in Europe, but it was met with a lukewarm reception from the public.

Woman With a Mirror / Foto:Luis García (Zaqarbal) / Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Spain (CC BY-SA 3.0 ES)

In 1956, he married Gloria Zea, with whom he would later have three children: Fernando, Juan Carlos, and Lina. The couple traveled to Mexico City, where Fernando Botero was eager to see the works of Mexican muralists, but this experience left him disillusioned. Consequently, he began searching for his own artistic style, drawing influence from both the Mexican artist Rufino Tamayo and the Colombian artist Alejandro Obregón . In this quest, he started experimenting with volume, initially in still lifes, and gradually extending this approach to other elements.

In 1957, he successfully exhibited in New York, showcasing his new artistic sensibility. The following year, he returned to Bogotá, where he was appointed as a professor at the School of Fine Arts at the National University of Colombia . He presented his work “La Camera Degli Sposi” at the X Colombian Artists Salon , winning the first prize and becoming the country’s most prominent painter. This piece sparked some controversy as it was initially censored for being almost a parody of Andrea Mantegna’s “La Cámara de los Esposos”. However, it was later reinstated in the exhibition on the advice of Marta Traba. Subsequently, Fernando Botero exhibited his works in various spaces in the United States, where a businessman from Chicago purchased “La Camera Degli Sposi” .

“Fernando Botero and his works are the finest ambassadors of our country in this land of navigators and discoverers, of poets and fado singers”- Juan Manuel Santos

In 1960, Botero separated from Gloria Zea and traveled to New York. He led a modest life here as the New York art scene was primarily inclined towards abstract expressionism. Consequently, Botero was influenced by artists like Pollock, which led him to experiment with color, brushwork, and format, to the point of nearly abandoning his distinctive style characterized by the manipulation of volume. Aware of this, Botero returned to his usual style of flat colors and figurative representations.

Starting in 1962, he began a series of exhibitions in both Europe and the United States, as well as in Colombia. By 1970, the year his son Pedro was born to his second wife, Cecilia Zambrano, Fernando Botero had already become the world’s most sought-after sculptor. However, in 1974, his son Pedro tragically died in a traffic accident, leading to his second divorce and leaving significant marks on his artistic endeavors.

In 1978, the Colombian painter married Sophia Vari , a renowned Greek artist with whom he shared a significant part of his life, until sadly, she passed away in May 2023.

Since 1983, Fernando Botero has been exhibiting his works and donating them to various cities around the world. As a result, we can find his pieces in the streets of Medellín, Barcelona, Oviedo, Singapore, and Madrid, among others. In 2008, the Autonomous University of Nuevo León in Mexico conferred upon him an honorary Doctorate.

Renowned Colombian artist, Fernando Botero, died on September 15, 2023 , in Monaco at the age of 91 due to pneumonia . His artistic legacy will endure forever. In his hometown, seven days of mourning were declared.

Pedrito a Caballo, Fernando Botero (1975).

Top 10 Famous works by Fernando Botero

Some of the most recognized works by Colombian painter and sculptor Fernando Botero:

• “Pedrito on Horseback” / “Pedrito a Caballo” (1974): This is an oil painting on canvas measuring 194.5 cm x 150.5 cm. For Botero, this work is his masterpiece and a refuge during a personal tragedy. The child depicted is Pedro, his son from his second marriage, who tragically passed away in an accident when he was young.
• “Mona Lisa at 12 Years Old” / “Mona lisa a los 12 años” (1978): This piece stands out as a unique version of Leonardo da Vinci’s famous painting, the Mona Lisa . Painted in oil on canvas and measuring 183 cm x 166 cm, Botero incorporates his characteristic style of voluptuous and rounded figures into this work, which has become one of his most distinctive pieces.
• “Woman’s Torso” / “Torso de Mujer” (1986): It is a majestic bronze sculpture that rises to an impressive height of approximately 2.48 meters. It is often affectionately referred to as “La Gorda” (“The Fat One”). This artwork finds its home in Parque de Berrío, located in the captivating city of Medellín.
• “Woman with Mirror” / “Mujer con Espejo” (1987): An imposing bronze sculpture weighing 1000 kg. It is located in Plaza de Colón, in the heart of Madrid, Spain. The artwork captivates the gaze with the portrayal of a woman peacefully lying face down on the ground, holding a mirror in her hands. Her expression reflects deep introspection and enigmatic melancholy.
• “The Orchestra” / “La Orquesta” (1991): In this oil on canvas artwork, measuring 200 cm x 172 cm, Botero presents a band of musicians with a singer, all immersed in a spirit of celebration. The artist aims to convey a sense of harmony and joy through his portrayal.
• “Woman Smoking” / “Mujer Fumando” (1994): It is a creation executed in watercolor, spanning dimensions of 122 cm x 99 cm. In this work, Maestro Botero skillfully captures the essence of a woman elegantly holding a cigarette between her fingers. His meticulous focus on voluptuous forms, posture, and the serene expression of the figure masterfully combine to emphasize the sensuality and profound intimacy of the moment captured in the artwork.
• “Man on Horseback” / “Hombre a Caballo” (1996): This bronze sculpture is one of the most iconic works in the artist’s career. It depicts a rider in a majestic and proud posture. Over the years, this imposing work has been exhibited in multiple cities around the world, solidifying its place as a prominent piece in the sculptor’s body of work.
• “The Horse” / “El Caballo” (1997): This iconic sculpture showcases a horse of majestic presence and a distinctive rounded form, sculpted in bronze and measuring approximately 3 meters in height. This masterpiece reflects Botero’s profound passion for horses while also serving as a powerful representation of the mythical Trojan Horse.
• “The Death of Pablo Escobar” / “La muerte de Pablo Escobar” (1999): This artwork, created using the oil on canvas technique, has dimensions of 58 cm x 38 cm. While not considered a masterpiece, this artistic piece represents one of the most significant moments in Colombia’s history. Fernando Botero captures, in his distinctive style, the moment of the death of the drug lord Pablo Escobar , addressing issues related to violence and criminality that have marked the country’s history. An interesting detail is that, although Pablo Escobar admired Fernando Botero’s art, it cannot be said that the admiration was mutual. The painter created two works depicting the death of the drug trafficker.
• “Boterosutra Series” / “Serie Boterosutra” (2011): This work by Botero is part of an erotic art collection called Boterosutra , marking a milestone in the history of Colombian art as the first artistic representation of sexual intimacy between lovers. This series comprises around 70 small-sized pieces created using various techniques, including colored drawings, watercolors, brushstrokes, and also black and white, all of which constitute one of the most contemporary works by the painter.

Ryan Reynolds

Biography of Ryan Reynolds

Ryan Rodney Reynolds was born on October 23, 1976 in Vancouver, Canada, and he is a well-known actor. When Ryan was born, his mother, Tammy, was a student and a salesperson, while his father, Jim, worked in wholesale food sales and also excelled as a semi-professional boxer. In addition, Ryan has three older siblings.

He studied in his hometown of Vancouver until 1994 when he decided to join a theater group as an extracurricular activity while attending Kwantlen College. However, his passion for acting became a vocation, and Ryan dropped out of college to devote all his time and energy to his acting career.

Debut as an actor

He quickly landed small roles in successful and memorable TV series such as “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” and “The X-Files”. In 1998, his big break came with the series “Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place”, which ran until 2001 and catapulted him to fame. The show became very popular thanks to its great comedic content, an area where Reynolds demonstrated perfect skill, but this was not the first time that Ryan had made a name for himself in a Hollywood comedy, as he had already been in “Life During Wartime” in 1997.

After working in several minor jobs, Ryan got his first major role as a protagonist in the crazy “Van Wilder – Animal Party”, where he played a college party organizer. The success of the film opened doors for him to work alongside Michael Douglas in “Till Death Do Us Part”, support Wesley Snipes in “Blade Trinity” or star in the horror movie “The Amityville Horror”. However, at this stage of his career, Ryan stood out mainly as a protagonist in comedies such as “Just Friends”, “Waiting” and “Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle”. This led him to want to leave his comedic side behind, getting involved in different projects such as the thriller “Smokin’ Aces”, the independent film “Adventureland” and the action film “X-Men Origins: Wolverine”. Later on, he also participated in romantic films such as “The Proposal” and “Definitely, Maybe”. However, recognition of his acting ability did not come until Ryan was nominated for a Goya Award for his demanding role in “Buried”. It is worth noting that he also brought to life the comic book hero “Green Lantern” and the renowned “Deadpool”.

Contracts, curiosities

Prestigious brands like Hugo Boss have not been oblivious to Ryan Reynolds’ popularity, charisma, and good looks, offering him contracts to be the face of one of their fragrances : Boss Bottled Night, a fragrance that, through great advertising, managed to convey an irresistible seductive effect.

Two curiosities can be highlighted from his work: first, the nearly 10 kilos of solid muscle he gained thanks to rigorous physical training to bring Hannibal King to life in “Blade: Trinity”; and second, his appearance on the animated TV series Zeroman, in which he lent his voice to the character Ty Cheese. In addition, like many Hollywood stars, Ryan Reynolds has an eccentricity outside the world of entertainment: a great passion for motorcycles , of which he owns three collector’s items, one of which was designed exclusively for him and is none other than a Harley Davidson.

Romantic relationships

Regarding his personal life, Ryan Reynolds was in a romantic relationship with singer Alanis Morissette from 2002 to 2007. The couple got engaged in 2004, but in July 2006, People magazine reported that they had separated, although neither of them officially confirmed the news. Shortly after, in February 2007, they decided to end their engagement by mutual agreement. In May 2008, Reynolds announced his engagement to actress Scarlett Johansson , and they got married on September 27 of the same year. However, in December 2010, the couple announced in a statement to People magazine that they had decided to end their marriage.

So, on September 9, 2012, he married the actress Blake Lively in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina. In October 2014, they announced that they were expecting their first child, and in December of that same year, Ryan Reynolds and his wife Blake Lively became parents with the birth of their daughter: Ines. Later, on April 14, 2016, his wife’s second pregnancy was confirmed, and on September 30, 2016, he became a father for the second time to a boy named James.

Biography of Tom Hanks

Thomas Jeffrey Hanks, born July 9, 1956 in Concord, California, United States, is an actor known as Tom Hanks. Hanks was raised by his father Amos Mefford Hanks, who worked as a cook of English food, and his mother Janet Marylyn, a nurse. He was raised with the values of the Catholic and Mormon religion. During his time at Skyline High School in Oakland, he attended theater classes with his best friend. During his adolescence, Hanks demonstrated his acting talent and won the Best Theater Actor award at his institute. Later, he enrolled in Chabot College in Hayward, California and two years later did a exchange at California State University, Sacramento.

1981 – Debut as an actor

In 1979, the Hanks family moved to New York, which gave Tom the opportunity to debut as a supporting actor in the horror film “Sabe que estás sola” in 1981. Two years later, he landed a lead role in another film. Additionally, he did his first television work in the comedy series “Bosom Buddies.” Later, he decided to move to Los Angeles to participate in “Despedida de soltero” in 1984, although the film was not very successful, it allowed him to be discovered by Ron Howard, who later contacted him to offer a role in “Splash” in 1984.

Since then, Tom starred in several comedy films such as “Amigos del alma” (1980), “Esta casa es una ruina” (1986), “Big” (1988), “No matarás… al vecino” (1989), “Socios y sabuesos” (1989), and “Joe contra el volcán” (1990). His father was always very important in his career, constantly encouraging him to keep fighting for his dream. On several occasions, he helped him to get small roles. He also supported his participation in the Great Lakes Shakespeare Festival in Cleveland, Ohio. Tom had already made some appearances in series like “Vacaciones en el mar”, “Happy Days”, “Taxi”, or “Family Ties”.

“The King of Comedy”

After a small role in the horror film “He Knows You’re Alone” (1980) directed by Armand Mastroianni, he starred in several comedies that typecast him in comedic roles. His charming personality and natural talent contributed to his growing popularity. Definitely his consecration came in the eighties, he was cataloged as the king of comedy . Thanks to “Big” (1988), he achieved great success for his performance, receiving the Los Angeles Critics Award and an Oscar nomination . Although he had a bit of a downfall after that, he regained momentum as a disillusioned former baseball pitcher who trains a women’s team in “A League of Their Own” (1992).

Tom considered it appropriate to change direction and tackle other stories, to move away from comedy a little. So, he eagerly sought more intense themes where he could showcase his versatility. With his work in “The Bonfire of the Vanities” (1989), directed by Brian de Palma, he attempted to take the first step to break away from light comedies, but the result was not as expected. However, his career took off again with his portrayal of an AIDS-stricken lawyer in “Philadelphia” (1992), directed by Jonathan Demme, an intense character that was quite a challenge. His effort was rewarded with an Oscar. He renewed his commercial success with “Sleepless in Seattle” (1993), directed by Nora Ephron, where he teamed up with Meg Ryan, and worked with her again in “You’ve Got Mail” (1998).

Some of his most acclaimed performances

In the mid-90s, Hanks established himself as one of Hollywood’s brightest stars. It’s worth mentioning that his career enjoyed significant success. For his role in Robert Zemeckis’ “ Forrest Gump ” (1994), this has been one of the most striking films of the decade, he was again deserving of an Oscar , a prize that increased, turning him into one of the best-paid actors in Hollywood. With the comedy “The Wonders” (1996), he made his directorial debut.

Later, he did the same in the field of production with the TV series “From the Earth to the Moon,” a work that took him several years. Hanks had the lead role in the feature film “Saving Private Ryan” (1997), directed by Steven Spielberg , with this role he was nominated for the Academy Award, although the film received five Oscars. In 2000, he worked with Robert Zemeckis again in the film “Cast Away,” a film in which his solo performance was praised, for which he received an Oscar nomination.

Between 2003 and 2004, he repeated his collaboration with Spielberg in “Catch Me If You Can” and also in “The Terminal.” In 2006, he starred in the hit film “The Da Vinci Code,” the cinematic version of Dan Brown’s controversial work. Starting in 2014, Hanks’ films have grossed over 4.2 billion in countries such as the United States and Canada, and over 8.4 billion in the rest of the world, he is definitely an actor who ensures great success for films. His fame is such that the asteroid (12818) Tomhanks bears his name.

Marriages, children.

The actor has had several marriages throughout his life. His first marriage was to Samantha Lewes in 1978, from which two children were born: Colin Hanks in 1977 and Elisabeth Ann in 1982. However, the couple divorced in 1985. Later, in 1988, he married actress and producer Rita Wilson , with whom he had two additional children: Chester Marlon in 1991 and Truman Theodore in 1996. In recent years, the actor has been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, which requires a strict diet and daily care to maintain his health.

Marc Anthony

Biography of Marc Anthony

Marc Anthony (born September 16, 1968) is an American salsa singer and actor , born in New York. His real name is Marco Antonio Muñiz Rivera . From a young age, he has been involved in music, growing up with rock and rhythm & blues. His parents, Felipe Muñiz and Guillermina Rivera, discovered his passion and musical ability when he was a child. During his teenage years, to earn money, he began singing at bars and nightclubs , and quickly gained popularity. He was contacted by one of the members of the Latin Rascals group, and their producer Louie Vega invited him to record several albums with the Atlantic Records label.

Beginnings as a singer

One of Marc Anthony’s most successful musical products was the album “Rebel”, which achieved some success on the disco music charts. In 1992, his career in the salsa world took off when the famous Tito Puente took him as an opening act for a concert at Madison Square Garden. A year later, he recorded a salsa version of a song by Juan Gabriel that received excellent reviews and great popularity in the musical circles of New York. Soon, Marc Anthony appeared in several television productions and began to receive offers for concerts. After a few years, he was recognized as the new “king of salsa”. During the 1990s, his lyrics occupied the top position in Latin America and also in the United States.

The new “musical phenomenon”

Marc Anthony became a massively successful musical phenomenon , comparable to the success of Héctor Lavoe. At the same time, he continued to develop his acting career, appearing in films such as “Bringing out the Dead” directed by Martin Scorsese; “Big Night” directed by Stanley Tucci; “Hackers,” and “The Capeman,” a Broadway musical directed by singer and songwriter Paul Simon. He also performed the main theme of the soundtrack of “The Mask of Zorro” (1998), in which Antonio Banderas was the lead actor.

Third salsa album “Against the Stream”

That same year, he worked on the production of his third salsa album: “Contra la Corriente,” undoubtedly many salsa critics and aficionados affirm that it was the best album of his career, for which he received a Grammy for Best Latin-Tropical Album. In 1999, he released the album “Marc Anthony” to the market, this album undoubtedly demonstrates a new stage in his musical career, as it combined salsa with pop and also featured songs in English, in order to reach and conquer the Anglo-Saxon audience and market.

The first single, “I Need to Know,” put him in the top positions of the North American charts: it remained in the Top 10 of the Billboard for eleven weeks and eight more weeks in the Top 40. He also released the Spanish version, titled “Dímelo.” With this song, he won the Grammy for Best Latin Song of the Year and was number one on the Latin Billboard chart. He quickly released the second single, “You Sang to Me,” repeating the success of the previous one and selling over two million copies of the album.

Starting the new millennium, he released a greatest hits salsa album titled “Desde el principio.” After that, Marc Anthony went on a extensive tour that took him through the United States. All magazines and press talked about his triumphant concert at Madison Square Garden. Then he was in Canada and Central America. At that time, Marc Anthony received the admiration of his fans when he helped with his charitable work for the victims of Hurricane George, in sum, he founded a foundation that bears his name.

International tours

In 2011, he started the Dos Mundos Tour, with the company of Alejandro Fernández , a concert across Latin America. The following year, he was in Colombia at the Manacacías Summer Festival, many people from different parts of the country traveled to attend his concert. He had a significant participation in the 53rd International Song Festival of Viña del Mar, Chile, where he sang the song “¿Y cómo es él?” from his album “Iconos”. He received the highest distinction.

On March 3, 2012, Marc returned to Uruguay after 17 years and gave his performance at the Charrúa Stadium in Montevideo with an attendance of 25,000 spectators. In the GIGANT3S TOUR, he performed in several North American cities alongside Chayanne and Marco Antonio Solís . In 2013, he released his album 3.0. In 2014, he was the big winner of four of the five awards for which he was nominated at the Premios Lo Nuestro. Additionally, his career was recognized as one of the most successful Latin music artists. In 2016, he released a song called “Deja que te bese” with the collaboration of Spanish singer Alejandro Sanz, the song has over 50 million views on Youtube.

In September 2016, he carried out his “Marc Anthony Live” tour which included 5 dates at Radio City Music Hall. His private life has been somewhat controversial and has been exposed to various comments. He had his first daughter in 1994, Arianna Rosado-Muñiz, a product of his relationship with a former police officer from New York. In 2000 he married for the first time to Dayanara Torres, with whom he had two children. He later helped Jennifer Lopez in the production of the song “Sway” for the soundtrack of the movie Shall We Dance?. They then fell in love and after only one month of relationship, they got engaged in March 2004.

The couple had twins and Jennifer sold the exclusive photos of the children to People Magazine. However, after a few years, the couple decided to end their marriage on April 9, 2012. It is said that everything started when Jennifer Lopez met dancer Casper Smart and began a relationship with him two months after her separation from Marc. Later, Marc started a relationship with Venezuelan model Shannon de Lima, whom he married in 2014. Despite this, his relationship with Jennifer, the mother of his children, is harmonious, and he even participated in her song “Olvídame y pega la vuelta” in 2016. Two years earlier, the Puerto Rican singer made an impact with the hit song “Flor Pálida”.

On January 28, 2023, he married Nadia Ferreira in an incredible wedding surrounded by stars from film, music, and sports. The ceremony took place at the Perez Art Museum in Miami, with David Beckham as the best man.

  Ver esta publicación en Instagram   Una publicación compartida por Nadia Ferreira (@nadiatferreira)

Paul McCartney

Biography of Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney (born June 18, 1942) is a singer. He was born in Liverpool, England. His mother, Mary Patricia, was a nurse, while his father, James McCartney, was a volunteer firefighter. During Paul’s birth, his father was not present as he was fighting in the Battle of England during World War II. Paul grew up in a religious and strict environment, with his mother Catholic and his father Protestant, but later became agnostic. After returning from the war, his father devoted himself to selling cleaning products and, in his free time, played in bars.

Death of his mother

That’s why his son developed a deep love for music. He stood out in school for his intelligence and discipline and studied at Liverpool Institute secondary school, a good free secondary school. In 1954, he met George Harrison, with whom he quickly formed a strong friendship. At the time, McCartney’s mother was the one who kept the household and for work reasons they moved to Allerton, where they lived until 1964. On October 31, 1956, when McCartney was 14 years old, his mother died from a stroke.

After his mother’s death, McCartney was devastated. It took some time for him to return to normal. H is father saw music as a refuge to help his son feel better, so he took him to listen to the Jim Mac’s Jazz Band, where his father played trumpet or piano. He also gave him a trumpet, but when rock and roll became popular, he chose an acoustic guitar. The first song he composed was “I Lost My Little Girl” on that guitar, a Zenith. He also composed “When I’m Sixty-Four” on the home piano.

1957 – Met John Lennon

He met Lennon on July 6th, 1957. McCartney joined The Quarrymen, a school band led by Lennon, in 1958 as the lead guitarist. The band mixed rock and roll and skiffle, a popular music style, with jazz and blues. After several name changes, the band decided to call themselves The Beatles in August 1960 and recruited drummer Pete Best for their move to Hamburg. In 1961, one of its members, Sutcliffe, left the band and McCartney was forced to take over as bassist. They recorded as a backing band for English singer Tony Sheridan on the single My Bonnie.

1963 – “Beatlemania”

They managed to attract the attention of Brian Epstein, who became their manager in January 1962 and a key figure in their later success. With their first hit, “Love Me Do” in 1963, the “Beatlemania” began. John Lennon and Paul wrote a large number of songs together, but later their egos collided and they preferred to write separately. In 1970, The Beatles disbanded. But Paul continued his successful career with songs that reached number one. He recorded his first solo LP, “McCartney”, with songs very different from those that Lennon would write, with commercial melodies for varied tastes.

1980 – Paul McCartney Guinness Records

In 1980, he entered the Guinness Book of Records as the highest-selling songwriter in the world. His theme Yesterday , one of the most celebrated by The Beatles , has around 2,500 versions in the most diverse musical styles. Some of his solo hits are: Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey, Live and Let Die for the James Bond film received the Oscar for best musical theme; Coming Up from his solo album Paul McCartney II. He joined George Martin and Ringo Starr in 1982 for the recording of Tug of War. On Press to play, his next album, was recorded with Eric Stewart.

Awards, arrest, record.

Winner of 18 Grammy Awards, including two Lifetime Achievement Grammy Awards (one with the Beatles and another as a solo artist). He is a vegetarian and an animal rights advocate. He was arrested for marijuana possession in Tokyo in 1980 and was briefly in jail. He participated in the “Live Aid” concert against hunger in Ethiopia in 1985. I n 1990, he achieved the record for the largest attendance at a concert with 184,000 people in Rio de Janeiro. Since 1997 he is Sir Paul McCartney, invested as a knight by Queen Elizabeth II.

2013 – Other awards, marriages.

On February 10, 2013, he received a Grammy for “Best Traditional Pop Album” for his album “Kisses On The Bottom”. Later, he received a special award from PRS for Music in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the composition of his most famous song, “ Yesterday “. These songs, as well as “And I Love Her,” “You Will Not See Me,” and “I’m Looking Through You,” were written inspired by his relationship with British actress Jane Asher. After five years of engagement, the couple broke up due to his infidelity with Francie Schwartz. He married Linda Eastman on March 12, 1969, and together they formed the musical group Wings after the dissolution of the Beatles . In 1999, he presented his collection of poems entitled “Blackbird Singing: Poems and Lyrics (1965-1999)”. After the death of his wife, McCartney experienced deep sadness.

In 2002, Paul McCartney married former model Heather Mills in an Irish castle. After a long legal battle in the London Supreme Court, in 2008 Mills was authorized to collect one fifth of the 250 million dollars she had demanded from McCartney for their four-year marriage. In 2011, McCartney married Nancy Shevell in a civil ceremony in London on October 9th of that year.

Relevant aspects of his life and musical career

• With 60 gold records and the sale of over 100 million albums and singles as a solo artist and with The Beatles, McCartney is recognized as one of the most successful composers and artists of all time.
• As a solo artist in 1999 and as a member of The Beatles in 1988, he has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice.
• As a solo artist and with The Beatles, he has been recognized with twenty-one Grammy Awards.
• 32 of the songs that McCartney has written or co-written have reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
• As of 2014, he had sold over 15 million certified units by the RIAA in the United States.
• In 1997, McCartney was elevated to the rank of knight for his services to music.
• In 1965, McCartney, Lennon, Harrison and Starr were named members of the Order of the British Empire .
• He has been married three times and is the father of five children.
• He has participated in projects to help international charities related to issues such as animal rights, seal hunting, landmine cleaning, vegetarianism, poverty and musical education.
• He ranks 11th on Rolling Stone’s list of 100 Greatest Singers.
• He ranks first on Rolling Stone’s list of 100 Greatest Artists as a member of The Beatles.
• He ranks third on Rolling Stone’s list of 100 Greatest Bassists.
• Only surpassed by Bob Dylan , he ranks second on Rolling Stone’s list of 100 Greatest Songwriters.

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The British rock band’s members have included Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor, and John Deacon and are one of the biggest bands in the world.

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Quite simply, Queen is a unique band, one whose popularity has grown as the years have gone by. Their music covers a broad spectrum – rock, pop, blues, soul – which has been such a significant factor in their enduring appeal. They are creatively greater than the sum of the parts – Freddie Mercury , Brian May, Roger Taylor, and John Deacon wrote hits individually that were turned into classics by the band’s musical dexterity. We bow before their collective talents, their individual brilliance and their majestic music.

Queen’s first album was well on the way to being completed in 1972 – they already had Keep Yourself Alive, Liar, Jesus and The Night Comes Down finished – when they went searching for a record deal. All they had to do was put down a few tracks and find a  record company A&R man who got what they were trying to do. They had met a young up-and-coming producer, Roy Thomas Baker, who liked what he heard, and soon afterwards, the band signed to EMI. No big hits, but the stage was set.

The follow-up, Queen II , displayed an immense maturity and portrayed a band that had plenty to say, with five Brian May compositions, five by Freddie Mercury and a solitary track by Roger Taylor. Mercury and May were no normal rock songwriters. Their material drew on mysticism and other-worldly imagery. Mercury’s Liar, My Fairy King and Seven Seas of Rhye, the band’s first hit, were neatly juxtaposed against May’s Keep Yourself Alive, Son and Daughter and Doing Alright, and managed somehow to show themselves as two sides of the same coin.

Queen’s progress was not without its challenges. As the band prepared to record their third album, Sheer Heart Attack , they were faced with a major challenge – recording a crucial, career-defining album while Brian May recovered from a serious bout of hepatitis. They rallied and their work took a new turn, a series of short, sharp shocks to the system, brimming with commerciality and yet retaining the special something that made Queen so special as well as continuing to define their identity. According to Brian May, “I regard Sheer Heart Attack as the most polished album, the most finished product.” The double “A” side single Killer Queen and Flick of the Wrist was a big hit.

“We have always been able to think on our feet, collectively and individually,” Brian May once explained. “And when we go into the studio, it all comes together magically.” A Night At The Opera forced audiences and critics to give them credit for a wider musical perspective, something closer to the diversity of the Beatles rather than just hard rock. Recorded across four studios, A Night at the Opera would boast of a  range of musical flavours performed with typical Queen panache, and of course, Bohemian Rhapsody was a piece of genius no-one expected. And as if to blatantly state that there were four writers in this band, Deacon came in with You’re My Best Friend, and Taylor sang and wrote the spine-tingling rock hymn, I’m in Love with My Car, only two of the many great songs written by the two throughout the years.

Queen were well on their way to becoming one of the biggest rock bands in the world when the time came to start recording their fifth album, which would very much prove to be the sister album of A Night at the Opera , even down to the title, once again neatly nicked from another Marx Brothers movie –  A Day at the Races .

The album featured many of the signatures created on its predecessor, including the rollicking rocker Tie Your Mother Down, by Brian May, while Mercury, again, continued to shine as a contemporary writer, with Somebody to Love the lead single.

By this stage, Queen pretty much ruled the rock world (they had headlined a free concert in London’s Hyde Park to 150,000 people), so News Of The World (named after the UK Sunday newspaper, a veritable scandal sheet) was an apt title, and presented a couple of timeless anthems: We Are the Champions and We Will Rock You. “I think that’s when we established ourselves as a rock anthem band,” May said years later. “We should have done an album called Anthems really.”

Jazz , Queen’s seventh album in just under six years, was somewhat overshadowed by the legendary launch that accompanied it in New Orleans on Halloween Night, October 31, 1978. But Jazz was another album that featured three tracks – Bicycle Race, Fat-Bottomed Girls and Don’t Stop Me Now – that would go on to become Queen classics. Worldwide success and tax avoidance led Queen to record at Mountain Studios, Montreux, in a luxurious location overlooking Lake Geneva in Switzerland, and at Superbear Studios in Nice. Jazz was a solid if unspectacular Queen album.

Queen’s reputation on stage was equal to that in the studio. With all this commotion about their scintillating performances, Queen were under increasing pressure to come up with a live album. Band and management were painfully aware that bootleggers were amply fulfilling that need, and wanted to do something about it. The first live album, Live Killers , was recorded on their European tour between January and March 1979; and was the band’s first double album. It was released in June 1979 and made No.3 on the UK charts and peaked at No.16 in America. Fans that attended any of those wonderful performances in Europe in 1979 will tell you that Live Killers truly captures the sheer power, unparalleled energy and excitement Queen generated on stage during this time.

Queen went into the summer of 1979 with the intention that the next twelve months as tax exiles would be a different sort of recording year, one that would re-energise the creative batteries. An admirable plan… but, as it happened, the year turned into a recording feast, and the result was The Game .

“We wanted to get out of a rut, that laborious routine of recording, touring, promotion, etc,” said May. They also wanted new experiences, and that was how they landed at Musicland Studios, Munich, and came out with more hits – the funky Another One Bites the Dust and the typically anthemic Save Me.

And yet Queen wanted more… to be all things to all men. Their penchant for cinema first became apparent when they were commissioned by Italian producer Dino De Laurentiis to provide the music for the over-the-top Sci-Fi movie, Flash Gordon . Recording for Flash Gordon took place at the same time as the sessions for The Game , recorded by legendary producer Mack in Munich and Advision Studios, London, the musical vignettes having been put together by Brian May at some London studios before they decamped to Germany. The music was overly dramatic, dynamic and perfectly suited to the over-the-top elements of Queen.

The band’s first Greatest Hits compilation album was released in November 1981. It was an instant hit worldwide, reaching the No.1 slot in numerous countries. Its UK sales are in excess of 5.6 million copies, making it the UK’s biggest selling album of all time. The UK album comprises Queen’s hit singles output from Seven Seas Of Rhye in 1974 to Flash in 1980, and every other single to make the top 20 over the previous seven years.

The first album of the next era was Hot Space … a Queen album very different in sound, tone and approach to any other recorded to date. For this album, Queen would adopt a much sparser sound, letting music resonate alongside space.

The first example of this came in November 1981 when Queen released Under Pressure, a collaborative single with David Bowie. The music on the album was very different, with Freddie Mercury leading the way into new territories that were very foreign to the history of Queen – disco, pop, r’n’b, funk soul, everything but the signature Queen sound, it seemed, apart, typically, from Brian May’s Put Out the Fire and plaintive Los Palabros de Amor.

Not surprisingly, Hot Space was met with confusion by many Queen fans when it was eventually released on May 21, but still reached number 4 in the UK charts, although in both the UK and USA, it was awarded Gold status, a drop from the platinum discs the band were used to.

As Queen convened to record the next album, John Deacon said in a radio interview: “We were disappointed with Hot Space too, so we really did talk about how we were going to attack the next album. With The Works , we decided to go towards the things people actually associate with Queen.”

The Works title was derived from the fact that Queen felt that everything was working for them again, and a comment from Roger Taylor: “Let’s give them the works!” And indeed they did! Recorded with Mack at the Record Plant and Musicland between August 1983 and January 1984, the album had a wide range of diversified killer tracks and marked a return to Queen’s rock roots, led by Taylor’s own pop classic, Radio Ga Ga.

Having reached a new high with their mindblowing performance at Live Aid on July 13 1985, Queen were indeed ready to rock. In January 1986, Queen were mapping out their future after what was a truly invigorating 1985. The band’s major drive through the year would be a project-cum-album, starting with the Highlander movie soundtrack which would evolve into what would be the new album, A Kind of Magic .

Six of the nine tracks appeared in the movie Highlander, but they were longer and alternative versions. Tracks such as A Kind of Magic, Who Wants to Live Forever, One Vision and Friends will be Friends marked this as a true return to form.

Live Mag ic , Queen’s second live album, was recorded at Wembley Stadium and Knebworth Park in England, and in Budapest Hungary, during the Magic Tour of Europe, in July and August 1986. Live Magic’s 1979 predecessor Live Killers had been a double album, but this time the band wanted only a single disc and thus the necessity to abbreviate certain performances. Some fans were unimpressed by the shortened edits and would have preferred a double-disc set to better represent what many of them considered to be some of the best concerts Queen had ever played.

With a working title of The Invisible Man , the band went to work on the next studio album. Most importantly to fans, this was a typically creative Queen album, with rock music at its core; and it spawned five singles in the UK: I Want It All, Breakthru, The Invisible Man, Scandal and The Miracle , which would become the album’s new title just three weeks before its release (May 22, 1989, in the UK and a few weeks later in the USA).

Queen had been aware of Freddie Mercury’s illness for some time, but a decision had been made within “the band family” that this dreadful news would not be confirmed. Freddie was insistent on this: “I don’t want people buying Queen music out of sympathy,” he told his compatriots.

Innuendo certainly had the creative spark apparent in all of Queen’s best music. It had variation and the brilliance of the clash of talents that occurred when the band were at the height of their powers, as shown in the overblown title track, the zaniness of I’m Going Slightly Mad and straight-ahead rock of Headlong. And then there was the confessional These Are the Days of Our Lives, which took on real emotional poignancy once Freddie’s condition was confirmed.

The band’s second Greatest Hits compilation album was released in the UK on 28 October 1991. Like the first Greatest Hits album issued a decade before, this one was another instant hit reaching the No 1 position in the UK for 5 weeks and in numerous other countries around the world. Since its release in the UK, it has reached at least 12 times platinum and combined with the first Greatest Hits , it represents the definitive Queen collection, jointly selling an incredible 40 million copies worldwide.

With a wealth of live footage, Queen’s third concert album, Live at Wembley ‘86 , was recorded at London’s Wembley Stadium on July 12th 1986 – on the second of two nights – during the mighty Magic Tour of Europe. Released in May 1992, this was the first Queen album release after Mercury’s death on November 24th 1991. It reached No 2 in the charts. Unlike the earlier live album, this set comprised the entire show.

All of Queen were aware that there was unfinished recording business with regard to Freddie. He had insisted on working until his final days. Tracks had been recorded and when he died they were left in the studio. It wasn’t until Spring 1994 that Queen felt comfortable enough to work on that material. Made In Heaven was the title chosen by the Queen Fan Club. It turned out to be a perfectly valid Queen album, with thrilling cuts such as It’s a Beautiful Day, You Don’t Fool Me and the title track.

After compilations of their hit singles, Queen took a harder look at their status as an “albums’ band” in the traditional sense. They had many popular tracks that did not fit the single mode, and so Queen Rocks was released in 1997, a selection of songs from Queen’s heavier side. It also contained one new track, No-One But You (Only the Good Die Young). It was the last original studio recording from the 1990s featuring Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon (and the first Queen recording without Freddie Mercury).

And still, there was room for another greatest hits package. Greatest Hits III was released in the UK in November 1999. It was released as the band had entered their Queen + phase – singles with guest vocalists. Although the first two tracks were not released as singles, further confusing the idea of the album, both had been previously unreleased before. The Show Must Go On performed live with Elton John taking on the lead vocal role, was taken from their live performance at the Theatre National De Chaillot in Paris on January 17 1997, while Under Pressure (Rah mix) was a specially remixed version and included fresh recording work by Roger and Brian.

Originally released in November 2000,  the 3 CD Platinum Collection set includes all three volumes of the original Greatest Hits albums. This special package was made to combine Greatest Hits , Greatest Hits II and Greatest Hits III in a triple CD case in one unique package with a 48-page booklet and an outer slipcase.

And there was still no shortage of Queen live performances. Queen on Fire: Live at the Bowl was recorded at a show in Milton Keynes, England, on June 5, 1982, during the Hot Space tour. Another double album, the album took in 25 songs from the set, starting off with Flash, into the Hero and then the fast version of We Will Rock You. Queen have always excelled at getting out of the traps fast, and this was a superb example of it.

Queen also did something they said they would never do, go back on the road without Freddie and, more significantly, record without Freddie. But even Freddie might have agreed with their choice of singer: Paul Rodgers, from Free , who were a great influence on Queen. May and Taylor had played with him at their induction into the UK Music Hall of Fame and heard him singing We Will Rock You and We Are the Champions. They tested the temperature with a few gigs under the name Queen+Paul Rodgers, and this blossomed into a world tour. They took an even bigger step when they decided to record an album together. Many fans were very dubious of the project.

“Strangely enough, we probably think less about the Queen legacy than you would imagine,” May added. “We just do what we do and what feels right.”

This live album released under the Queen + Paul Rodgers banner was recorded at the Hallam FM Arena in Sheffield England in May 2005. It was released as a double album in September that year and was a modest success in the UK.

Over the next few years, The Cosmos Rocks was recorded at Roger Taylor’s home studio and released in September 2008. It was different but quite classy. Not quite Queen. Not quite Free, but a convergence of both. “I think of it as a Queen album with a twist,” Taylor commented. The album sold well around the world, peaking at 6 in the UK and 47 in the USA. A major world tour followed its release, including a return to South America, and included a massive free concert, released on DVD, in Kharkov’s Freedom Square in front of 350,000 Ukrainian fans. This was no pale imitation, but after the tour and five years together, Queen and Paul Rodgers decided that the project had reached its natural conclusion.

Released in November 2009, the Absolute Greatest compilation featured 20 of the band’s best-loved and most famous hits from throughout their career on one CD for the very first time. It was available as a standard single-disc release and a double-disc special edition with an extra CD featuring reminiscences by Brian May and Roger Taylor. The album reached No.3 in the UK, went double-platinum and topped the charts again worldwide.

Teaming up with an American Idol contestant to form Queen + Adam Lambert, the group performed a variety of shows from 2009 to 2015, notably Queen + Adam Lambert Rock Big Ben Live, broadcast by the BBC on New Year’s Eve 2014 Queen themselves also took the honours in playing at the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics, where Jessie J joined them for a performance of “We Will Rock You”. Back with Lambert, the group closed the 2016 Isle Of Wight Festival, dedicating “Who Wants To Live Forever” to the victims of the shootings in a Florida nightclub that day in June.

Digging into the vaults, Deep Cuts, Volume 1 (1973-1976) , plus two further follow-ups documenting 1977-82 and 1984-95 , focused on lesser-known band favourites with restored finales and perked-up drum parts in places. The North American collection, Icon , was more straightforward as an 11-song anthology, while Queen Forever delved back into the archive and emerged as 2CD deluxe and 4LP box set editions, the latter with a bonus 12” single featuring “Let Me in Your Heart Again (William Orbit Mix)”.

For the die-hards, the Hungarian Rhapsody: Queen Live In Budapest captured the group in their pomp in 1986, while Live At The Rainbow ’74 and A Night At The Odeon: Hammersmith 1975 brought the early golden period back to life. Even more tantalising was the late 2016 release On Air: The Complete BBC Sessions , which chronicled their entire BBC Radio recordings, further live material (some as early as their 1973 show at the Golders Green Hippodrome) and other Capital Radio gems, plus interviews.

So this is what has helped define Queen’s unique place in rock history: a legacy that is ever-evolving and finding new audiences from all age groups. Who wants to live forever? We know that Queen will.

March 8, 2024 at 5:28 pm

Well researched and very well written, the overview about the band is accurate and places emphasis on the numerous milestones that Queen reached. Thank you Mr Max Bell for the synopsis.

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• Queen were one of the longest-lasting and most commercially successful bands to emerge from the British heavy rock scene of the early 1970s, but unlike their contemporaries such as Led Zeppelin , Deep Purple and Black Sabbath , they soon became just as popular with pop fans as fans of hard rock and heavy metal, beginning with "Killer Queen" from their third album "Sheer Heart Attack" in 1974. Formed in London in 1970 following the demise of the band Smile , Queen originally consisted of vocalist Freddie Mercury , guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor before being joined by bassist John Deacon . The band became popular with audiences via their hit singles, live performances, originality and showmanship, being voted the greatest British band of all time in a national BBC poll. Their Live Aid (1985) performance was voted the best live rock performance of all time in an industry poll. According to the BBC, Queen have sold more than 300 million albums as of 2009. Queen's first album "Queen" was a commercial flop in 1973, failing to chart and producing no hit single, but their second album "Queen II" produced a top ten hit, "Seven Seas of Rhye". It was with the release of "Sheer Heart Attack" in 1974 and "A Night at the Opera" the following year that the band gained international success. They have released fifteen studio albums, five live albums and numerous compilation albums. Since Mercury's death and Deacon's retirement, May and Taylor have performed infrequently together at special events and programs as members of other ensembles. Between 2004 to 2009 the duo collaborated with Paul Rodgers under the moniker Queen + Paul Rodgers , and between 2011 to 2015 with Adam Lambert under the moniker Queen + Adam Lambert . - IMDb Mini Biography By: Marie Christine Taylor
• Queen were in an elevator when they found out "Bohemian Rhapsody" had topped the charts. They all jumped for joy and the elevator stopped. "We thought we would all suffocate in the damned lift," Freddie Mercury said.
• More than 60 artists, journalists and music industry executives chose their performance at Live Aid (1985) to be the the winner of The World's Greatest Gigs (2005) .
• In January 2007, they were announced as the greatest British band of all time in a poll of more than 20,000 BBC Radio 2 listeners, beating The Beatles by 400 votes. Bands were judged on songwriting, lyrics, live performances, originality and showmanship.
• In July 2012, Queen 's "Bohemian Rhapsody" was voted the UK's Favourite Number One Single of all-time, beating 1200 other chart-toppers in the 60-year history of the UK charts.
• Queen's last performance as a group with Freddie Mercury was at Knebworth Park, England, on August 9, 1986, with support from Beloius Some, Big Country and Status Quo .

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10 Facts About Queen Band

Written by Jinny Glover

Modified & Updated: 01 Jun 2024

Reviewed by Jessica Corbett

• Performing Arts

Queen is a legendary British rock band that has left an indelible mark on the music industry. Formed in 1970, the band consisted of the iconic Freddie Mercury, Brian May, Roger Taylor, and John Deacon. Known for their electrifying performances, innovative music, and timeless hits, Queen has captured the hearts of millions of fans worldwide.

In this article, we will delve into 10 fascinating facts about Queen that showcase the band's unparalleled talent, unique journey , and lasting impact. From their groundbreaking live performances to their chart-topping anthems, Queen's story is one of triumph, creativity, and enduring influence. Join us as we explore the remarkable legacy of this extraordinary band and uncover the captivating details that have solidified Queen's place in music history.

Key Takeaways:

• Queen, the legendary rock band, was formed by Freddie Mercury, whose real name was Farrokh Bulsara. Their iconic song “Bohemian Rhapsody” and electrifying Live Aid performance are just a few highlights of their extraordinary journey.
• Despite Freddie Mercury’s passing in 1991, Queen’s music continues to resonate with audiences of all ages. Their timeless anthems “We Will Rock You” and “We Are the Champions” solidify their status as one of the greatest rock bands of all time.

Freddie Mercury’s Real Name Was Farrokh Bulsara

Freddie Mercury, the charismatic frontman of Queen, was born Farrokh Bulsara in Zanzibar in He later changed his name before forming the band.

Queen’s Debut Album Was Released in 1973

The self-titled debut album, Queen , was released in 1973, marking the beginning of the band's extraordinary musical journey.

“Bohemian Rhapsody” Was a Game-Changer

The operatic rock masterpiece, "Bohemian Rhapsody," released in 1975, captivated audiences worldwide and became one of Queen’s most iconic songs.

Queen Performed at Live Aid in 1985

Queen's electrifying performance at the Live Aid concert in 1985 is hailed as one of the greatest live performances in the history of rock music.

They Were Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001

In recognition of their immense impact on the music world, Queen was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001.

“We Will Rock You” and “We Are the Champions” Are Anthems

“We Will Rock You” and “We Are the Champions” are timeless anthems that have solidified Queen’s status as one of the greatest rock bands of all time.

Queen’s Music Has Been Featured in Numerous Films

The band’s music has been prominently featured in various films, further cementing their influence on popular culture.

Brian May Is Also an Astrophysicist

In addition to being an extraordinary guitarist, Brian May, the lead guitarist of Queen, holds a Ph.D. in astrophysics.

Queen’s Enduring Legacy Continues

Even after Freddie Mercury's passing in 1991, Queen's music continues to resonate with audiences of all ages, ensuring their enduring legacy.

The Biopic “Bohemian Rhapsody” Received Acclaim

The 2018 biographical film "Bohemian Rhapsody," depicting the rise of Queen and Freddie Mercury, received widespread acclaim and accolades.

Queen, an iconic band that transcended musical boundaries, has left an indelible mark on the world of rock music. With their groundbreaking sound and electrifying performances, they have solidified their place in music history. From Freddie Mercury's captivating stage presence to the band's timeless anthems, Queen's impact is immeasurable. Their journey, filled with triumphs and tribulations, continues to inspire generations of music enthusiasts. The 10 facts about Queen band offer a glimpse into the extraordinary legacy of this legendary group, showcasing their unparalleled talent and lasting influence on the music industry.

In conclusion, Queen remains an iconic band that has left an indelible mark on the music industry. Their innovative sound, electrifying performances, and timeless hits have solidified their status as legends in the world of rock and pop music . With a captivating blend of showmanship, musical prowess, and an unwavering commitment to artistic excellence, Queen continues to inspire and captivate audiences across generations. Their impact on music and culture is immeasurable, and their legacy will undoubtedly endure for years to come.

What are some of Queen's most popular songs? Queen is renowned for timeless classics such as "Bohemian Rhapsody," "We Will Rock You," "We Are the Champions," "Another One Bites the Dust," and "Somebody to Love," among many others. These songs have become anthems that resonate with audiences worldwide.

How did Queen's music influence the music industry? Queen's groundbreaking fusion of rock, opera, and theatrical elements redefined the boundaries of popular music. Their innovative approach and fearless experimentation continue to inspire and influence musicians and artists across diverse genres, leaving an indelible mark on the music industry.

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Our commitment to delivering trustworthy and engaging content is at the heart of what we do. Each fact on our site is contributed by real users like you, bringing a wealth of diverse insights and information. To ensure the highest standards of accuracy and reliability, our dedicated editors meticulously review each submission. This process guarantees that the facts we share are not only fascinating but also credible. Trust in our commitment to quality and authenticity as you explore and learn with us.

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The 50 best Queen songs of all time

The Queen songs the band's fans voted champions of them all

• The 50 best Queen songs: 50-41
• The 50 best Queen songs: 40-31
• The 50 best Queen songs: 30-21
• The 50 best Queen songs: 20-11
• The 50 best Queen songs: 10-01

Queen songs, much like their albums, are the sorts of things which should be celebrated as much as analysed. There's a great scene in the Bohemian Rhapsody movie where Freddie Mercury and the rest of the Queen gang come up with We Will Rock You and We Are The Champions . The idea, they say, is to write songs that songs that the audience can sing back at them; to make their audience part of the song. It's a genius, simple idea, but it clearly worked. It makes you wonder why more bands don't approach songwriting that way. 

To this day, Queen have a bond with their audience that remains strong. For every naysayer who bemoans they work they do with Adam Lambert, there's another ten who queue up to defend the band: it's their legacy, and they can do whatever the hell they like. Most importantly, it's their songs.

Ahh yes, the songs. All 189 of them. From the Baroque-tinged hard rock that formed the bedrock of Queen's sound, to their explorations in funk, prog, opera and pretty well everything in between, when it came to their creativity nothing was off limits. That such an eclectic range of influences and passions were put through the Queen grinder and came out sounding like no other band is just one of the factors that have made them such an enduring and widely-loved proposition. 

With a fanbase as dedicated and engaged as Queen's, we knew exactly where to turn when it came to pulling together the definitive ranking of Queen's best songs. We put each of the band's recorded songs into a giant poll , you voted for them in your thousands (we had close to 50,000 votes – see what we mean about Queen fans?), and we put the results into a vast spreadsheet and performed some calculations. We also called upon some familiar faces to hear about the Queen songs that really make them tick.

Here are the results. There's some surprising choices, and some not-at-all surprising choices. But it's all Queen. And it's all glorious.    

50. Bicycle Race (Jazz, 1978)

Freddie Mercury’s nimble whip though this hard rock tongue-twister presents Queen at their most ludicrously camp. The song itself is a thrilling ride, with references to cocaine, Star Wars , Watergate and John Wayne, and a solo played on bicycle bells. Musically, it's a pretty good representation of the album that housed it: bonkers, scattershot, but above all, genius. 

Having decamped to Switzerland to work on Jazz , this song's inspiration was found from the Tour de France 1978 passing through Montreux , the location of Queen's favoured Mountain Studios. The inspiration for the video, featuring dozens of naked women riding cycles around Wimbledon Stadium was equally clear, and predictably resulted in its being banned in a number of countries. Which, of course, is probably exactly what Queen wanted in the first place.

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“That Queen record  Jazz  had some weird shit on it," Mike Patton told us in 2006. "If you listen to how dense Bicycle Race is, it sounds more dense, more deep, more rich than these ProTools systems that you can record 96 fucking tracks on. So that really impressed me – not to mention the music – but, how the fuck did they do it?”

49. The Fairy Feller’s Master-Stroke (Queen II, 1974)

Inspired by a Richard Dadd painting of the same name, this Queen II album track is a good example of how Mercury's natural creativity could be boosted by a bit of deft studio know-how. "I did a lot of research on it and it inspired me to write a song about the painting, depicting what I thought I saw in it," he told Radio One in 1977. "It was just because I'd come through art college and I basically like the artist and I like the painting, so I thought I'd like to write a song about it." 

All sounds simple enough – though of course, Queen being Queen, it was anything but. Complex enough to stop it ever being performed live, the track comes to life with its layered instrumentals and whimsical tales of fairy expeditions. Dubbed by Mercury as Queen's "biggest studio experiment", its use of multi-tracked harpsichord, piano, castanets and Hendrix -inspired panning has seen it held up as a milestone in Mercury's songwriting career.

48. Dragon Attack (The Game, 1980)

Allegedly John Deacon's favourite Queen song and begrudged by Roger Taylor for being "very hard on the right wrist", this Another One Bites The Dust B-side has become something of a cult favourite among Queen fans over the years. Penned by Brian May, its minimalist disco-funk leanings are easier to understand when you learn it was the product of a drunken jam session which eventually made it onto tape. 

"Roger and John swing convincingly, locking into an infectious groove that they adhere to throughout," writes Georg Purvis in Queen: Complete Works . "[This allows] Brian full rein on some dirty guitar licks while Freddie sings the minimal lyrics, long rumoured to be about his hard partying ways."

47. Liar (Queen, 1973)

The second single to be released from Queen's eponymous debut, this song served as a superbly dramatic vehicle for Queen’s harmony vocals, Brian May’s guitar and the band’s ability to tell stories with their music. This may have been Queen taking baby steps, but the sound of their future is all here: silks, satins, elaborate feathercuts, cod-Zeppelin riffs, wannabe Beach Boys harmonies and a mad gospel breakdown.

“The first song I heard was  Liar ," Paul Stanley told us of this song. "You only get one chance to make a first impression, and that was the song that made it for me. Obviously, they grew into something very different, but I remember hearing that song, and as far as the personality and the sonics of it, it was very impressive to me. Later on, it became something else which was equally impressive for other reasons – the diversity and the ability of everybody in that band to write a No.1 song is unmatched.”

46. The Millionaire Waltz (A Day At The Races, 1976)

This camp and quirky slice of whimsy from the pen of Mr Mercury is light-hearted as hell, but proof of the band’s in-depth talent. Queen's taste for the overblown is given space to luxuriate here, the pointed grandeur of this song leading Taylor to crown it a spiritual successor to Bohemian Rhapsody .

A waltz that revels in the protagonist's high life and riches, this song was actually written about their then manager John Reid, with Mercury telling comedian and DJ Kenny Everett "It's very out of the Queen format, really, and we thought we'd like to do that on every album. I think I went a bit mad on this one. But it's turned out alright I think, it makes people laugh sometimes."

45. Now I'm Here (Sheer Heart Attack, 1974)

After a first major hit with a pop song, Killer Queen , the follow-up single was a reaffirmation of the band’s heavy rock credentials. Now I’m Here was built around one of Brian May’s greatest riffs, and for such a kick-ass song, it was a surprisingly big hit, reaching number 11 on the UK chart.

Written by May while he was laid up in hospital after returning from America – understandably keen to rejoin his bandmates who had started work on their next album without him – work began on this track while May was convalescing. Lyrically, it reflected the disconnect between touring the US with Mott The Hoople and his living in a pokey bedsit in West London with his girlfriend. “It came out quite easily,” said the guitarist. “Where I’d been wrestling with it before without getting anywhere.”

The raucous hard rock of  Now I’m Here  made it a great live favourite. “It’s a song that I think they opened with when I saw them circa the  Sheer Heart Attack  album," Porcupine Tree 's Richard Barbieri told us. "Although Freddie camped it up, and much of their material was delicate, when Queen rocked out they easily rivalled Zeppelin, Sabbath and Purple. It was one of the best gigs I’ve ever seen."

44. I’m In Love With My Car (A Night At The Opera, 1975)

Roger Taylor didn’t have his own hit song until Radio Ga Ga in 1984, but he certainly made a few quid out of the one he wrote for A Night At The Opera . Famously, when Bohemian Rhapsody was released as a single, I’m In Love With My Car was the B-side, earning Taylor an equal split of the royalties with Mercury: the source of some friction between the two. 

For all that, I’m In Love With My Car was a great song in its own right. It was inspired by a Queen roadie who considered his Triumph sports car the love of his life, hence the note in the album credits: ‘Dedicated to Jonathan Harris, boy racer to the end.’ Taylor’s lyrics included much joking on this theme: ' Told my girl I had to forget her/Rather buy me a new carburettor .' 

Indeed, Brian May had dismissed the song as a joke when Taylor first played a demo for him. But the finished article was so good – a supercharged rock’n’roll number, played the way only Queen could, with Taylor the star of the show – that I’m In Love With My Car turned into a genuine Queen anthem.

43. Teo Torriatte (Let Us Cling Together) (A Day At The Races, 1976)

A Day At The Races ' piano-driven finale, this track was written by May as a gesture towards the band's dedicated Japanese fanbase. Having been warmly welcomed during their first visit to the country, May called the song "The result of feeling 'untimely ripped' from our lovely Japanese fans. I had never experienced anything like the love that was showered upon us when we were a young rock group in Japan. So suddenly, I felt I wanted to say on behalf of Queen that I missed them and we would not forget". 

With the lyrics translated by Chika Kujiraoka, Mercury's sweetly evocative vocals made this a treasured fan favourite all over the globe.

42. Stone Cold Crazy (Sheer Heart Attack, 1974)

The furious Stone Cold Crazy – an influence on the future members of Metallica, and hence a cornerstone of the thrash metal movement – is as close to true heavy metal as Queen ever came. 

While Mercury’s vocal on the 1974 original (the only Queen song credited to the whole band until the late ‘80s) was rather more playful and camp than Hetfield’s, that ripping machine-gun riff and speedy headbanging tempo still mark this out as an early metal classic. 

“Man, what a chorus," said Whitesnake's Reb Beach of the track. "I love that song because the whole band rocks, then everything stops and Freddie uses that amazing voice of his to express a really wordy verse. Only he could have made that sound the way it did.”

41. I Was Born To Love You (Made In Heaven, 1995)

Originally a Freddie Mercury solo track recorded during one of Queen's creative hiatuses, his disco-tastic version was given the rock treatment by May, Deacon and Taylor on Queen's final album, completed and released following Mercury's death. 

Its disco origins mean it remains one of Queen's poppiest tracks, and its place as one of Queen's enduring favourites is perhaps made all the more curious when you learn Mercury considered it so throwaway that he nearly junked it from his genre-bending solo album Mr Bad Guy before it was released. Still, its heartfelt lyric and irresistible beat has made it a treasured fan favourite.

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