Queen

**Queen** are a British rock band formed in London in 1970. Their classic line-up was Freddie Mercury (lead vocals, piano), Brian May (guitar, vocals), Roger Taylor (drums, vocals) and John Deacon (bass).

## History

Before forming Queen, May and Taylor had played together in the band Smile. Mercury was a fan of Smile and encouraged them to experiment with more elaborate stage and recording techniques. He joined in 1970 and suggested the name "Queen". Deacon was recruited in March 1971, before the band released their eponymous debut album in 1973. Queen first charted in the UK with their second album, *Queen II*, in 1974. *Sheer Heart Attack* later that year and *A Night at the Opera* in 1975 brought them international success. The latter featured "Bohemian Rhapsody", which stayed at number one in the UK for nine weeks and helped popularise the music video format.

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. "Another One Bites the Dust" (1980) became 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 publications. In August 1986, Mercury gave his last performance with Queen at Knebworth, England. In 1991, he died of bronchopneumonia - a complication of AIDS, and Deacon retired in 1997. Since 2004, May and Taylor have toured under the "Queen +" name with vocalists Paul Rodgers and Adam Lambert.

Estimates of Queen's record sales range from 170 million to 300 million records, making them one of the world's best-selling music artists. In 1990, Queen received the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music from the British Phonographic Industry. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. Each member has composed hit singles, and all four were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2003. In 2005, Queen received the Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Song Collection from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers, and Authors. In 2018, they were presented the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

## Discography

* *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)
* *Flash Gordon* (1980)
* *Hot Spaces* (1982)
* *The Works* (1984)
* *A Kind of Magic* (1986)
* *The Miracle* (1989)
* *Innuendo* (1991)
* *Made In Heaven* (1995)
* *The Cosmos Rocks (2008) (With Paul Rodgers)*

## Band Members

### **Current Members**

* Brian May  (1970–present)
* Roger Taylor (1970–present)

### **Former Members**

* Freddie Mercury (1970–1991)
* John Deacon (1971–1997)
* Mike Grose (1970)
* Doug Bogie (1970)
* Barry Mitchell (1970-1971)

### **Long-term Queen + Vocalists**

* Paul Rodgers (2004–2009)
* Adam Lambert (2011–present)

## Concert Tours

* *Early Queen Tours* (1970–1973)
* *Queen I Tour* (1973–74)
* *Queen II Tour* (1974)
* *Sheer Heart Attack Tour* (1974–1975)
* *A Night at the Opera Tour* (1975–1976)
* *Summer Gigs* 1976 (1976)
* *A Day at the Races Tour* (1977)
* *News of the World Tour* (1977–1978)
* *Jazz Tour* (1978–1979)
* *Crazy Tour* (1979)
* *The Game Tour* (1980–1981)
* *Hot Space Tour* (1982)
* *The Works Tour* (1984–1985)
* *The Magic Tour* (1986)
* *Queen + Paul Rodgers Tour* (2005–2006)
* *Rock the Cosmos Tour* (2008)
* *Queen + Adam Lambert Tour 2012* (2012)
* *Queen + Adam Lambert Tour 2014–2015* (2014–2015)
* *Queen + Adam Lambert 2016 Summer Festival Tour* (2016)
* *Queen + Adam Lambert Tour 2017–2018* (2017–2018)
* *The Rhapsody Tour* (2019–2020)