Claim: Freddie Mercury was the singer in a rock band.

Queen are a British rock band that formed in London in 1970 . Their classic line-up was Freddie Mercury -LRB- lead vocals , piano -RRB- , Brian May -LRB- lead guitar , vocals -RRB- , Roger Taylor -LRB- drums , vocals -RRB- , and John Deacon -LRB- bass guitar -RRB- . Queen 's earliest works were influenced by progressive rock , hard rock and heavy metal , but the band gradually ventured into more conventional and radio-friendly works by incorporating further styles , such as arena rock and pop rock , into their music .   Before forming Queen , Brian May and Roger Taylor had played together in a band named Smile . Freddie Mercury -LRB- then known by his birth name of Farrokh `` Freddie '' Bulsara -RRB- was a fan of Smile and encouraged them to experiment with more elaborate stage and recording techniques . Mercury joined the band in 1970 , suggested `` Queen '' as a new band name , and adopted his familiar stage name . John Deacon was recruited before the band recorded their eponymous debut album in 1973 . Queen first charted in the UK with their second album , Queen II , in 1974 , but it was the release of Sheer Heart Attack later that year and A Night at the Opera in 1975 which brought them international success . The latter featured `` Bohemian Rhapsody '' , which stayed at number one in the UK for nine weeks and popularised the music video .   The band 's 1977 album News of the World contained `` We Will Rock You '' and `` We Are the Champions '' , which have become anthems at sporting events . By the early 1980s , Queen were one of the biggest stadium rock bands in the world . Released in 1980 , `` Another One Bites the Dust '' is their best selling single , while their 1981 compilation album Greatest Hits is the best-selling album in the UK and is certified eight times platinum in the US . Their performance at the 1985 Live Aid concert has been ranked among the greatest in rock history by various music publications , and the best in a 2005 industry poll . In 1991 , Mercury died of bronchopneumonia , a complication of AIDS , and Deacon retired in 1997 . Since then , May and Taylor have performed under the name of Queen with Paul Rodgers and Adam Lambert as vocalists on several tours .   The band have released a total of 18 number-one albums , 18 number-one singles , and 10 number-one DVDs . Estimates of their record sales generally range from 150 million to 300 million records , making them one of the world 's best-selling music artists . Queen received the Outstanding Contribution to British Music Award from the British Phonographic Industry in 1990 . They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001 .