When Smile decided to call it a day in 1970, Staffell went off to join a band called Humpy Bong, (featuring former Bee Gees drummer Colin Petersen) and Freddie left his band Wreckage to join up with Brian and Roger. Freddie not only legally changed his last name to Mercury, he also changed the band's name to Queen. John Deacon was asked to audition as their bass player (they had three temporary ones so far in their short history), and in February 1971, Deacon signed on as the fourth member. The band rehearsed tirelessly and played several small gigs at Imperial College. Eventually they were offered the chance to test a new recording studio called De Lane Lea. In return for trying out the new equipment, they could also make free demo tapes. The demos went well enough that they signed a recording contract and publishing and management agreements with Trident in 1972. They were paid a weekly salary of just 60 Pounds, and were given time in the studio during off peak hours to record.
Soon after the failed single, "Keep Yourself Alive", they issued a self-titled album which was an interesting fusion of '70s Glam and late '60s Heavy Rock. It had been preceded by a Mercury solo single, a cover of the Beach Boys' "I Can Hear Music", credited to Larry Lurex. Queen toured extensively and recorded a second album which fulfilled their early promise by reaching the UK Top 5. Soon afterwards, "Seven Seas Of Rhye" gave them their first hit single (UK #10), while the LP "Sheer Heart Attack" consolidated their commercial standing by reaching #2 in the UK album charts.
In January 1975, Queen left for the USA on their very first headlining tour. Quite a few shows on that tour had to be canceled, as Freddie had developed a severe throat problem, but he soldiered on and performed as many as possible, although doctors had advised him against it. Also in January 1975, Queen engaged the services of a music business lawyer, Jim Beach, to negotiate them out of their Trident agreements, as Trident were no longer being as supportive and the band was unhappy with the situation. As fan support grew, the concert scenes where reminiscent of Beatlemania in the sixties, as Queen's live act was embodied in the outrageous theatrics of the satin-clad Mercury, who was swiftly emerging as one of Rock's most notable showmen. In May of '75, the single "Killer Queen" reached #5 in the U.S. and #1 in the U.K.
After touring the Far East, they entered the studio with their producer Roy Thomas Baker and completed the epic "Bohemian Rhapsody", in which Mercury succeeded in transforming a seven-minute single into a mini-opera. The track dominated the charts in the UK, remaining at #1 for an astonishing nine weeks. The power of the single was reinforced by an elaborate video production, highly innovative for its period and later much copied by other acts.
The follow up album, "A Night At The Opera", was at the time, one of the most expensive ever recorded, and when it was released in November 1975 it was a massive hit, and gave Queen their first Platinum album. Freddie had designed a band logo for the "Queen" album, which was re-worked and used as the cover for " A Night At The Opera". The now-famous crest features the band's star signs, two fairies for Virgo, a crab for Cancer and two lions for the two Leos. The LP produced the hit single, "You're My Best Friend", which reached #16 stateside and #7 in Great Britain.
"A Day At The Races" continued the hit streak, while the catchy "Somebody To Love" (#13 in the U.S.) and "We Are The Champions" (#4 in the US), both reached #2 in the UK. Although Queen seemed in danger of being stereotyped as over-produced Glam rockers, they successfully brought variety to their singles output with a '50s Rock 'n' Roll style single called "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and the Disco-influenced "Another One Bites The Dust" (both, U.S. #1 hits). Despite this stylistic diversity, each Queen single seemed destined to become an anthem, as evidenced by the continued use of many of their songs at U.S. sporting venues, especially "We Are The Champions". Meanwhile, "The Game" gave Queen their first U.S. chart topping album in July, 1980. The group's soundtrack for the movie Flash Gordon was another success, but was cited by many critics as typical of their pretentious approach. By the close of 1981, Queen were back at #1 in the U.K. for the first time since "Bohemian Rhapsody" with "Under Pressure", a collaboration with David Bowie.
After a flurry of solo ventures, the group returned in 1984 with the satirical "Radio Gaga" (U.K. #2, U.S. #16), followed by "I Want To Break Free". A performance at 1985's Live Aid displayed the group at their very best. Queen's record output lessened during the late '80s as the members concentrated on other interests. The band released their sixteenth album on May 22nd 1989, entitled "The Miracle". It entered the U.K. chart at #1 and went on to become a massive worldwide success, reaching the top of the charts in most European countries. The space between releases did not affect the group's popularity as was proven in 1991 when "Innuendo" gave them their third U.K. number one single, with the album of the same name also topping the British charts. By this time they had become an institution. Faultless musicianship, held together by May's guitar virtuosity and the spectacular Freddie Mercury, made Queen one of the great Theatrical Rock acts.
On November 23rd, 1991, Freddie announced to the world that he had AIDS. The very next day, his fight was over, and he died peacefully at his home surrounded by friends and family. The music world was in shock. Freddie had kept his illness very private, and only those closest to him had been aware of just how close to the end he really was. Fans from all over the world sent flowers and cards, and many even traveled to London to be at Freddie's house. A quiet family cremation service was held three days after his death, conducted in the Zoroastrian faith that Freddie's parents followed so strictly.
"Bohemian Rhapsody" was immediately re-issued to raise money for AIDS research projects, and soared to the top of the British charts. The song also climbed #2 in America in March 1992 after being featured in the movie Wayne's World. A memorial concert for Mercury took place at London's Wembley Stadium on May 20th 1992, featuring an array of stars including Liza Minnelli, Elton John, Guns N' Roses, George Michael, David Bowie and Annie Lennox.
Even though Freddie was gone, Queen never announced an official break-up, so it was with nervous anticipation that a new Queen album called "Made In Heaven" was issued in 1995. Freddie Mercury's vocals were recorded during his last year while at home in Switzerland, and the rest of the band then filled in the instruments. While Mercury must be applauded for the way he carried his illness with great dignity, it is fair to say that May, Taylor and Deacon performed wonders in crafting an album from slightly inferior material. The album carried a dedication to the 'immortal spirit of Freddie Mercury', in recognition of his request that the material be completed and be heard by the public.
The members of Queen were inducted into The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2001 and were awarded the 2,207th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2002. At the end of 2004, May and Taylor announced that they would tour in 2005 and 2006 with Paul Rodgers, founder and former lead singer of Free and Bad Company. John Deacon, who retired from the music business in 1997, did not join them. The first Queen + Paul Rodgers album, titled "The Cosmos Rocks", was released in the Fall of 2008. The band continued to perform throughout Europe and officially split up without animosity on May 12th, 2009. On May 29th, of '09, May and Taylor performed "We Are the Champions" live on the season finale of US TV's American Idol with winner Kris Allen and runner-up Adam Lambert providing the vocals.
March 14th, 2011 marked the band's 40th anniversary, and Queen's first five albums were re-released as re-mastered deluxe editions. The second five albums of the band's back catalogue were re-issued over the Summer and early Fall and the final five hit store shelves in September. In October, 2011 it was announced that a new Queen album, featuring forgotten demo tracks of Freddie Mercury, was in the works. Brian May confirmed that he and Taylor were going through the band's old material to complete the forthcoming CD. May also revealed that a series of duets that Mercury recorded with Michael Jackson were to be released in 2012. Queen was slated to headline at Sonisphere at Knebworth on July 7th, 2012 with American Idol's Adam Lambert. On August 12th, 2012, Brian May appeared at the closing ceremony of the London Olympics where he performed a ripping guitar solo, after which he was joined by English singer / songwriter Jessie J to perform "We Will Rock You".
In early March, 2014, Roger Taylor and Brian May announced that Adam Lambert would join them for a 19-date North American tour starting June 19th in Chicago, with stops in Los Angeles and New York. A few weeks later, May revealed that the band would be releasing a new collection of music that would include three previously unreleased songs sung by Freddie Mercury. The album "Queen Forever" was released in November to mixed reviews, with critics saying that fans had already bought most of the songs on the album many times over.
Brighter news came in October, 2015 when Britain's Classic Rock Magazine announced that Queen would be the recipients of their Living Legend Award. In 2016, after completing a string of shows with Queen and Adam Lambert in Asia, Brian May was forced to cancel several solo appearances due to what he described as a "persistent illness which is destroying my energy and my will." He explained to the media, "Apologies to everyone involved in the things I will miss. I have to get away and (prioritize} healing. Sometimes there is no choice." In January, 2017, the band, including Lambert, announced a twenty-five date Summer tour of the United States slated to kick off on June 23rd in Phoenix, Arizona and end August 5th in Houston, Texas. In January, 2018 the Recording Academy, the outfit behind the Grammy Awards, announced that the band would be presented with their Lifetime Achievement Award the following summer. Tour plans for the year included five European dates starting in Cologne, Germany on June 13th and wrapping up at the 02 Arena in London, England on July 2nd. A biographical film called Bohemian Rhapsody, starring Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury, topped the box office during the first week of November, 2018, bringing in over $50 million. Despite the impressive sales figures, the film received a mixed critical reception, with several historical inaccuracies being pointed out, in particular the timing of Mercury's AIDS diagnosis.
On December 10th, 2018, officials at Universal Music Group announced that "Bohemian Rhapsody" had become the most streamed song released in the 20th century. Since being issued in 1975, the song had been played more than 1.6 billion times on streaming services around the world.
Queen's 2019 plans included a 23-date trek called "Rhapsody", starting on July 10 at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, B.C. and concluding on August 23 at the Spectrum in Charlotte, N.C. An article that appeared in London's Sunday Times in early May claimed that Queen, the band, had amassed wealth totaling 445 million Pounds, eclipsing British monarch Queen Elizabeth II, who was worth 375 million Pounds. As for recorded music sales, Nielsen Music announced on June 20th that Queen led the mid-year Rock charts with the soundtrack to Bohemian Rhapsody in the #1 position and their "Greatest Hits" package at #2. A month later, "Bohemian Rhapsody" became the first pre-1990s music video to reach one billion plays on YouTube. In September of that same year, Hollywood Records & Mercury Records announced an October 11th release date for a box set of Freddie Mercury's solo work. Titled "Never Boring". The collection contains 3 CDs, a Blu-Ray & DVD of thirteen promotional videos and an exclusive interview with Freddie. Also included are a 120-page hardbound photo book featuring an introduction by Rami Malek.
On January 20th, 2020, Great Britain's Royal Mint announced a new series of collector coins commemorating Queen. It would mark the first time that any musical group received such an honor. Six months later the band was honored again when the Royal Mail announced that a new set of thirteen stamps would feature artwork from Queen's most popular album covers. "What an honor," said drummer Roger Taylor. "We must be really part of the furniture now!". Guitarist Brian May added, "Since we four precocious boys started out on our quest fifty years ago, our lives have been devoted to making our impossible dream come true. Sometimes it's strange to wake up and realize the position in which we are now held. We have become a national institution!"
Another honor came their way in July, 2020 when the album "Queen's Greatest Hits" was noted for spending 55 weeks at #1 on Billboard's Catalog Albums chart. That listing is a 50-position weekly chart produced by Billboard which ranks the best-selling catalog albums in the U.S., regardless of genre. A catalog title is one that is more than eighteen months old and that has fallen below #100 on the Billboard 200 chart. One month later, the band announced that their first full length project with Adam Lambert, "Live Around The World", would be released on audio and home video formats on October 2nd. The collection is made up of twenty tracks recorded at various venues around the world.
After the COVID-19 virus shelved plans to tour Europe, the band rescheduled the shows for 2022. Meanwhile, Roger Taylor revealed that fans might hear some new music from the group featuring Adam Lambert. "We did record a song which we haven't actually finished. It's very good. I can't remember what it's called. I think we were still discussing what we should call it." When queried about the possibility of a new Queen album, Taylor replied, "It would be nice to do some stuff. I wouldn't rule it out." He also announced that he would play a U.K. solo tour in the Autumn of 2021, when he will introduce brand new material and revisit some Queen classics. In the meantime, Brian May was getting set to re-release his 1992 solo album, "Back to the Light". "I found it fascinating going back in there and rediscovering why I wrote certain things," he explained. "What they meant to me. How we recorded. Some of it is so massive in the recording I can hardly believe we pulled it off. It's very epic, some of it. And I like that."
In early December, 2021, Britain's Official Charts Company announced that Queen's 1981 album, "Queen's Greatest Hits" was the most streamed Classic Rock album. With more than six million units sold since its release, the LP is also the U.K.'s best-selling album of all time, and had logged 973 weeks so far on the Official U.K. Albums Chart. Unfortunately, some bad news followed when Brian May revealed that he was battling the Covid-19 virus after attending a friend's birthday party. May said that he felt like he had suffered, "the worst flu you can imagine." Brighter days dawned in late February, 2022 when the guitarist revealed plans to reissue his second solo album, "Another World" on April 22 in Boxset, CD, Vinyl, Cassette and Digital formats, along with the album's original single release "On My Way Up". More good news came in early June when the UK Official Album Chart announced that the 1981 LP "Queen's Greatest Hits" had been on the chart for 1,000 weeks. The band became only the third act overall to achieve that feat after Bob Marley & The Wailers' greatest hits collection "Legend" (1,032 weeks) and the original record-setter, ABBA's "Gold - Greatest Hits" (1,048 weeks). Also on tap was the September release of an un-named track that was originally recorded with Freddie Mercury in 1988 that didn't make the cut for the album "The Miracle". Roger Taylor told BBC Radio 2, "We did find a little gem from Freddie that we;d kind of forgotten about. It's wonderful, actually."
During the first week of June, 2022, the album "Queen's Greatest Hits" reached the landmark milestone of 1,000 weeks on the UK Official Album Chart.
Fans were further treated when Queen released a rediscovered song called "Face It Alone", featuring Freddie Mercury on October 13th, 2022. The track was originally recorded in the late 1980s during sessions for the band's chart-topping album "The Miracle", but it did not make the final cut. "We'd kind of forgotten about this track," said drummer Roger Taylor. "But there it was, this little gem. It's wonderful, a real discovery. It's a very passionate piece." Brian May added, "I'm happy that our team were able to find this track. After all these years, it's great to hear all four of us, working in the studio on a great song idea which never quite got completed, until now!" "The Miracle" was Queen's 13th studio album, and was issued two years before Mercury died from AIDS-related pneumonia in 1991.
In November, 2022, Brian May revealed that he and Queen band mate Roger Taylor were discussing the idea of touring with Adam Lambert. "There's a strong possibility that we'll be going out together again," May told Variety. "We're talking about that as you and I speak, making those decisions. Now, it does get to be more of a decision as you get older. I'm not 35 anymore, and leaving home for two months is not easy. But we feel as like if we're all fit and well, that we'd like to go out there one more time. It would probably be in the United States in 2023 at some point." On March 14th, 2023, May received a knighthood from King Charles III for services to music and his charity work. He was previously made Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2005.
Touring plans for 2023 included shows in North America for the first time since 2019. The trek was scheduled to kick off on October 4th in Baltimore, Maryland, and wrap up on November 11th in Los Angeles, California.
Further shows seemed in doubt when, in September, 2024 Brian May revealed that he had suffered a minor stroke that briefly left him unable to move his left arm. "I'm okay and doing what I'm told, which is basically nothing. I'm grounded; I'm not allowed to go out, drive, get on a plane; I'm not allowed to raise the heart rate too high. But I am good."
