Queen

British rock band

The British rock band Queen was one of the most popular groups of the 1970s. The Members were Freddy Mercury (1946-1991), Brian May (b. 1947), John Deacon (b. 1951) and Roger Taylor (b. 1949).
Queen was known for heavy metal, glam rock and camp theatrics with a sound of layered guitars and overdubbed vocals.
The group was grounded in 1971 when Brian May (guitar) and Roger Taylor (drums) quitted Smile and formed a new group with Freddie Mercury (vocals and piano). A few months later John Deacon (bass) completed the line-up. Over the next two years all four members completed college. In 1973 they began to concentrate on their career.

Killer Queen

The first album "Queen" was released and the band set out her first tour. The next album "Queen II" unexpectedly became their breakthrough in 1974 after a successful gig at "Top of the Pops".
Before the end of 1974 Queen's third album "Sheer Heart Attack" was released and "Killer Queen" climbed to number two on the British charts.

A Night at the Opera

Their fourth album "A Night at the Opera" (1975) was the most expensive rock record ever made at the time of its release, but their hard work paid off. The first single "Bohemian Rhapsody" took three weeks to record and consisted of many overdubs. The song became their greatest hit and was accompanied by one of the first conceptual music videos.

Live Killers

Queen became a legend in rock music and continued to work at a fast rate. "A Day at the Races" (1976), "News of the World" (1977), "Jazz" (1978), "Live Killers" (1979), "The Game" (1980), "Flash Gorden" (1980) and "Hot Space" (1982) were successful albums.

Live Aid

During the 80s Queen's popularity decreased in the US, but the group began touring foreign markets in Latin America, Asia and Africa and a new album was released: "The Works (1984). In 1985 Queen played successful at the charity concert "Live Aid".
At the end of the 80s sales dropped for Queen in the US. In Europe their albums "A Kind of Magic" (1986), "Live Magic" (1986) and "The Miracle" were sold reasonably well.

Freddie Mercury's health

By 1991 the group scaled down its activity and rumors circulated about Freddie Mercury's health. The album "Innuendo" (1991) was more successful than former records.
In November Mercury issued a statement confirming that he had AIDS. Two days later the flamboyant singer was dead.
A memorial concert at Wembley Stadium, which was broadcast to an international audience featured artists as Elton John, David Bowie, Liza Minelli and George Michael in April 1992 meant a farewell to Queen.