Queen is a British rock band from London, England, formed in 1971 by Brian May, Roger Taylor , John Deacon and Freddie Mercury. They are the second best-selling band of all time, having sold 166.9 million certified records, with sales estimates over 300 million records worldwide. It consisted of Freddie Mercury (lead vocals, piano), Brian May (vocals, lead guitar), John Deacon (bass guitar) and Roger Taylor (vocals, percussion).
Queen were originally known as "Smile" a band which consisted of May, Taylor and Tim Staffell. When Freddie Mercury joined and Staffell later left, Mercury convinced Taylor and May to keep going and change the name of the band to "Queen". John Deacon later joined the line-up.
In 1975, the band released Bohemian Rhapsody, their first single, which spent nine consecutive weeks on the number-one spot on the charts. It was performed in a ballad style, much like Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven; a style which would later be used in songs by Guns N' Roses (November Rain) and Lynyrd Skynyrd (Free Bird), amongst others.
Following the tragic death of Freddie Mercury in 1991 and John Deacon's departure in 1997, the band consists of Brian May and Roger Taylor. They declined being apart of the Queen tribute act, Queen + Paul Rodgers (led by Paul Rodgers of Free and Bad Company), May, Taylor and Deacon all fully support them.
RIYL[]
Band Members[]
- John Deacon (1951–present)
- Brian May (1947–present)
- Freddie Mercury (1946–1991)
- Roger Taylor (1949–present)
History[]
Brian May and Roger Taylor were originally in a band named Smile. When one of the members, Tim Staffell, left, May and Taylor continued with the band. The difference was that they changed the name to Queen and had Freddie Mercury as a vocalist. In 1971, John Deacon joined as their bassist.
They first entered the charts in 1974 with Seven Seas of Rhye. That was followed up with Killer Queen, which made it to #2 on the charts in the UK. Their greatest success was Bohemian Rhapsody which spent nine weeks at the number one spot on the UK's charts. Over the years, Queen continued to produce more hits such as We Will Rock You, We Are The Champions, Another One Bites The Dust, and Radio Ga Ga.
In 1991, Freddie Mercury died of complications from AIDS. Shortly after Wayne's World was released, the band enjoyed a resurgence of popularity due to their part in the film. In 1995, they released Made in Heaven, an album of recordings Freddie Mercury made before he died. After that, the band became relatively inactive. John Deacon retired from music while Taylor and May went on to form Queen + Paul Rodgers.
Discography[]
Studio Albums[]
- Queen (1973)
- Queen II (1974)
- Sheer Heart Attack (1974)
- A Night at the Opera (1975)
- A Day at the Races (1976)
- News of the World (1977)
- Jazz (1978)
- The Game (1980)
- Hot Space (1982)
- The Works (1984)
- A Kind of Magic (1986)
- The Miracle (1989)
- Innuendo (1991)
- Made in Heaven (1995)
Live Albums[]
- Live Killers (1979)
- Live Magic (1986)
- Live at Wembley '86 (1992)
- Queen on Fire - Live at the Bowl (2004)
EPs[]
Singles[]
70s Songs and Videos
80s Songs and Videos[]
90s Songs and Videos[]
Appears On[]
Compilations[]
Soundtracks[]
Mix CDs[]
Radio Shows[]
See also[]
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