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The Story of Freddy Mercury and the Band Queen
He is considered one of the greatest singers of all time; He was voted the greatest bandleader in history; a maestro of the masses. He is cited as a major influence on many other singers and bands. Come with me and learn a little more about Freddie Mercury and the band Queen!
Written by: Alan Bugalho
6/26/202511 min read
Freddy Mercury Biography
Farrokh Bulsara was born on September 5, 1946, in Stone Town, a British colony in Zanzibar, now part of Tanzania.
His parents were Indian, and Farrokh had a younger sister named Kashmira.
The First Band: The Hectics
Farrokh was sent to St. Peter Boarding School in Bombay, India.
At the age of twelve, he formed a band called The Hectics, and his friends began calling him Freddie.
In his youth, he was bullied, which made him introspective and shy around strangers.
Moving to London
At seventeen, Freddie moved with his family to London, fleeing the Zanzibar Civil Revolution in 1964.
Already living in London, Freddie studied art at Isleworth Polytechnic and Ealing Art College, where he graduated as a graphic designer.
The Band Smile
In April 1970, Freddie met bassist Tim Stafell, drummer Roger Taylor, and guitarist Brian May of the band Smile, playing in London pubs.
In May 1970, with Tim's departure from the band, Freddie, already a fan and friend of the members, became Smile's new lead singer.
The band Queen emerges
Freddie suggested the group change their name to "Queen," which went ahead without a hitch.
The following year, in 1971, with the addition of bassist John Deacon, the band formed its final lineup.
And around this same time, Freddie adopted the stage name "Mercury," which comes from the lyrics of one of his first songs, "My Fairy King."
The First Queen Album
In 1972, Queen signed a contract with Norman Sheffield, from Trident Studios.
Then in July 1973, they released their debut album, Queen. Its sound blended hard rock and progressive rock, but it was not a success.
Queen II's First Hit
In March 1974, still on the Trident Studios label, the band achieved a minor hit with the song "Seven Seas of Rhye" from the album Queen II.
A Night at Opera
The band then signed a contract with John Reid, Elton John's manager.
For their fourth album, the group went through a marathon of recording sessions, making it the most expensive album ever recorded: 1975's A Night at Opera was the group's biggest hit to date, featuring the incredible single "Bohemian Rhapsody."
Sheer Heart Attack
In late 1974, they released their third album, Sheer Heart Attack, which yielded their first major hit with the song "Killer Queen." This led to the band's first world tour, visiting the US, Canada, Europe, and Japan.
Despite the shows and the success of their third album, the members of Queen were not making money due to a poor record deal, which led to the band's split with Trident.
The band then signed a contract with John Reid, Elton John's manager.
Love of My Life
Also on this album, Freddie wrote the song "Love of My Life," which he dedicated to Mary Austin.
Freddie and Mary met in 1970, when Mary was working as a saleswoman in a London boutique. For Freddie, Mary was the love of his life.
They had a six-year relationship that ended when he confessed to her that he was bisexual. Despite the end of their relationship, they remained close friends throughout their lives.
Queen +
Later, Brian May and Roger Taylor continued to perform live and make some recordings under the name Queen +, always bringing in a guest vocalist, which led to performances and sessions with various artists. Bassist John Deacon, however, left the group and retired.
Freddie Mercury's work with Queen is still recognized today: Mercury is cited as a major influence on many other singers and bands, and was voted the greatest bandleader in history in a public poll organized by MTV. In 2008, he was ranked eighteenth on Rolling Stone magazine's "100 Greatest Singers of All Time," and the following year, Classic Rock named him the greatest rock and roll vocalist.
Bohemian Rhapsody
In 1975, the single "Bohemian Rhapsody" was a hit for nine consecutive weeks at number one on the UK charts.
A Day at the Race
The following year, in 1976, they released the album A Day at the Race, which repeated the formula of the previous album and increased the band's success. The songs "Tie Your Mother Down" and "Somebody to Love" from the album A Day at the Race further increased the band's success.
Their success spawned another major tour, during which they performed to a crowd of 150,000 in Hyde Park, London.
News of the World e Jazz
O grupo seguiu lançando discos de sucesso e fazendo grandes turnês com o discos News of the World (1977) e Jazz (1978), Com as músicas: Will Rock You, We Are The Champions, Spread Your Wings, Fat Bottomed Girls, Don't Stop Me Now
O que os motivou a lançar seu primeiro álbum ao vivo, Live Killers (1979).
The Game
In the early 1980s, the band began using synthesizers and mixing rhythms like dance music and 1950s rock 'n' roll on their 1980 album The Game, as seen in the songs "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" and "Another One Bites the Dust."
Queen in Brazil
In 1981, Queen performed in Brazil for the first time, at the Morumbi Stadium in São Paulo. This was the first concert by a major international rock band in Brazil. The tour also included visits to other Latin American countries, including Argentina.
Greatest Hits
The band's success that year led record label EMI to release Queen's first compilation album: Greatest Hits (1981), which summarized the group's career since its debut.
Hot Space
In 1982, Queen released an album with songs more focused on funk rock and new wave. The album, Hot Space (1982), became the group's only major flop, displeasing both fans and critics.
Their only hit was the single "Under Pressure," written and recorded in partnership with David Bowie, which reached number one on the UK charts.
By 1983, almost all of Queen's members had focused on side projects.
The Works
In 1984, The Works was released, and the band regained some of its popularity, releasing major hits such as "I Want to Break Free," "Radio Ga Ga," and "Hammer to Fall."
Rock in Rio - 1985
On the tour supporting The Works album, the band returned to Brazil as the headliner of the first Rock in Rio festival in Rio de Janeiro in 1985, performing two nights to a combined audience of approximately 600,000 people.
A Brief History
In this post, we'll tell a brief story about Freddy Mercury and the band Queen.
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Live Aid - The Greatest Show
Later that year, the band performed one of their most famous shows, headlining the British charity festival Live Aid.
In a performance lasting just 20 minutes at Wembley Stadium, with an audience of 74,000 in the stadium and 1.9 billion viewers on television in 72 countries around the world, it is still considered by critics to be the greatest rock band performance ever.
Mr. Bad Guy - Freddy's Solo Album
That same year, Freddie released his first solo album, Mr. Bad Guy, which received little attention but had some hits like "Living on My Own" and "I Was Born to Love You."
Highlander and A Kind of Magic
Subsequently, Queen was invited to produce the soundtrack for the film Highlander, composing the songs "Who Wants to Live Forever" and "One Year of Love." In 1986, after the soundtrack was completed, Queen began recording their next album, A Kind of Magic (1986), which featured the hits "Friends Will Be Friends," "Who Wants to Live Forever," and "One Vision."
The album was a success in the UK and much of the world, but not in the US.
On this album, "One Vision" was only the third song in history to feature all four members of Queen. The group decided that distributing songwriting credits among all members eased tensions between them.
The Last Show
At the end of the tour in August 1986 at Knebworth Park, the show drew around 200,000 people. It was Queen's last show with their classic lineup.
After the end of the tour in 1987, the band decided to take another break.
Freddie produced an album titled Barcelona with soprano opera singer Montserrat Caballé, of whom he was a fan, and they planned to sing together at the opening of the 1992 Olympic Games.
The Miracle
Queen returned to the studio in 1989 and released The Miracle (1989), the band's last album recorded in "normal" studio sessions, but featuring for the first time the policy of shared authorship on all the songs.
Freddie Mercury was already ill and debilitated, having been diagnosed with AIDS two years earlier, in 1987, when he also announced his diagnosis to the members of Queen.
With the disease, his health progressively deteriorated, making him unable to tour to promote the new album.
Innuendo
Due to the illness, his health progressively deteriorated, making him unable to tour to promote the new album.
Mercury made his last public appearance with Queen in February 1990, when the group received a special award from the Brit Awards for their outstanding contribution to music. Realizing he had little time left, the singer encouraged the band to return to the studio and record as much material as possible for future albums. By the final sessions for the album Innuendo (1991), Mercury was already in a wheelchair and could only record one or two hours a day, but he still delivered impressive vocal recordings.
Greatest Hits II
In October 1991, Queen released Greatest Hits II, which was a huge success and would later become the 8th best-selling album in UK history.
The Death of Freddy Mercury
On November 23, Mercury prepared his will and, taking advantage of the occasion, wrote an official statement publicly admitting he had AIDS for the first time. In his will, Freddie also left Mary his London mansion, as well as ownership of all the royalties from his discography, which continues to earn Mary millions of pounds each year.
Freddie Mercury passed away the following day, November 24, 1991, in his London mansion from bronchopneumonia caused by AIDS.
His funeral took place in London three days later, attended by thirty-five people, including Freddie's family, the members and manager of Queen, Mary Austin, Jim Hutton, with whom Freddie lived for the last six years of his life, and a few others.
His body was cremated and his ashes were given to Mary, and only she, Jim, Freddie's family and the members of Queen know where his ashes were deposited, and they have never revealed his whereabouts.
Repercussions of Freddy's Death
Freddy's death propelled Innuendo to #1 on the charts, and Queen re-released "Bohemian Rhapsody" as a double CD alongside the new "These Are the Days of Our Life," the video for which was Mercury's last work with the band, recorded in April of that same year.
His death sparked worldwide commotion and a series of tributes, while Queen became the second-highest-selling band in the UK, behind only the Beatles.
Made in Heaven
Queen released one final album with Freddie on vocals in 1995, Made in Heaven, which featured the artist's final recordings.
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