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[h3]In 1970 'Smile', the band formed by Brian May and Roger Taylor, had just lost its singer. Adding bass-player Mike Grose and vocalist Freddie Bulsara, they renamed the band 'Queen', and played their first gig in June.[/h3]

Grose lasted a month and was replaced by Barry Mitchell, who made it through to the end of the year. Bulsara, meanwhile, changed his name to [urlnew=http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biography_home/338:0/Freddie_Mercury.htm]Freddie Mercury[/urlnew]. Mitchell quit in January and was replaced for one show by "a guy named Doug". When John Deacon succeeded him, the classic Queen line-up had been formed.

Deacon's first gig was in July 1971 and in the second half of the year, the band formed an agreement with the new De Lane Lea studio, to demonstrate the facilities for potential clients, in exchange for recording their demo for free. One interested party was Trident Audio Production, who then signed Queen. They spent the rest of 1972 recording an album, but still had no record deal.

In March 1973 the band finally signed to EMI, and released their first album, 'Queen', later in the year. The single 'Keep Yourself Alive' failed to be play-listed on Radio 1, but was picked up by the Old Grey Whistle Test instead. Popular reception was better than the critical response, and the band finished the year supporting Mott the Hoople on Tour.

1974 started with a brief but disastrous tour of Australia, but a first appearance on 'Top of the Pops', and the release of their second album, lead to their first headlining tour of Britain. They followed this with half a tour of the US under Mott the Hoople again, before illness brought them home. As the year continued, their punishing tour schedule continued to win them fans, without converting the music press.

The release of 'Bohemian Rhapsody' on 31st October, 1975 was a turning point for the band. At first, the record company were reluctant to put it out, as it was nearly 6 minutes long, but enthusiastic support from Kenny Everett and a revolutionary promotional video took it to number one in the charts. It stayed there for nine weeks.

Over the next fifteen years, Queen established their reputation for extravagant live performances and studio albums full of their unique sound - loud, tuneful and almost operatic.
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They won awards for their songwriting, respect for their studio techniques and praise for their energy and showmanship in performance. They also provided the soundtrack for two films: 'Flash Gordon' and 'Highlander'.

Controversy arose in 1984 when the band played in South Africa, then still under Apartheid, which lead to them being blacklisted by the United Nations. However, the next year they were one of the biggest acts in the Live Aid concert for Famine Relief. This performance, regarded by many as the highlight of the night, firmly established them as a landmark in English Rock.

On 23rd November, 1991 Freddie Mercury announced to the world's press that he had AIDS. Exhausted after a long illness, he died the next day. The rest of the band released a charity single of 'Bohemian Rhapsody' in aid of the Terrence Higgins Trust, and followed that the next year with a Wembley Stadium concert celebrating his life.

The surviving members of the band continued to make music, both together and separately. In 2002, the group's greatest hits were turned into a stage musical,'"We Will Rock You' by Ben Elton. Critical reviews were, as ever, poor, but the production is a large commercial success.

In 2003, four new songs were recorded by Queen for [urlnew=http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biography_home/165:0/Nelson_Mandela.htm]Nelson Mandela's[/urlnew] 46664 campaign against AIDS. The studio versions of Invincible Hope (Queen + Nelson Mandela, featuring Treana Morris), 46664 - The Call and Amandla (Anastacia, (Dave Stewart and Queen) have not yet been released on album.

At the end of 2004, May and Taylor announced that they would reunite and return to touring in 2005, with Paul Rodgers (founder and former lead singer of Free and Bad Company).

A live double CD album, Return of the Champions, was released on in September, 2005. It featured Paul Rodgers and was recorded live in May 2005 during the Queen and Paul Rodgers tour at the Sheffield Arena. In March 2006, Queen and Paul Rodgers set out to tour the United States and Canada. The tour marked Queen's first full-on United States tour since Hot Space in 1982.

In November the following year Queen announced plans to release its first new recording in a decade to mark World AIDS day. Say It’s Not True, the band's first studio collaboration with Rodgers, will be available as a free download from the band’s website. (See link below.)


Queen biography




Queen biography




Queen biography



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

Live Killers - 1979

The Game - 1980

Flash Gordon - 1980

Greatest Hits - 1981

Hot Space - 1982

The Works - 1984

A Kind Of Magic - 1986

Live Magic - 1986

The Miracle - 1989

At The BBC - 1989

Innuendo - 1991

Greatest Hits II - 1991

Live at Wembley '86 - 1992

Classic Queen - 1992

Five Live (George Michael and Queen) - 1993

Made In Heaven - 1995

Rocks - 1997

Greatest Hits III - 1999

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