Brian May - the greatest musician legendary band Queen. He is the author of the most popular songs of the Queen group and is ranked 26th in the list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time.
May's guitar playing has become the band's hallmark. and was no less recognizable than the vocals of Freddie Mercury. Some believed that a synthesizer was used when recording albums, Brian's guitar solos sounded so diverse and unusual.
Popular videos of Brian May
Brian May Fantastic Guitar Solo Queen Freddie Mercury
Top 10 Brian May Solos (on Queen)
Brief biography of Brian May
Brian May was born in 1947 in London and graduated from the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics, is an astrophysicist. May was given his first guitar for his 7th birthday, but the Red Special, on which he played his most famous guitar solos, he built with his father in 1963. Before the band "Queen" gathered, Brian played in several musical groups - Nineteen Eighty-Four and Smile. But in 1970, that legendary Queen line-up gathered, which forever entered the history of music.
Brian May is the author of such hits of the group as"We Will Rock You", "The Show Must Go On", "Who Wants To Live Forever" and others. It was May and Mercury who wrote most of the band's songs. After the death of Freddie Mercury and the collapse of Queen, Brian May took up solo career and recorded 8 successful albums. In addition, the musician is the founder of the Animal Welfare Foundation. Brian May has been married twice and has 3 children from his first marriage.
It turns out that Brian Harold May is not only outstanding musician. He is an astrophysicist. After graduating from the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of London's Imperial College, he published several scientific articles on astronomy. Moreover, he received a doctorate in science, defending a thesis on a topic related to astronomical research in the infrared range. True, Brian succeeded only 30 years after it was written - a musical career did not allow it before.
“When the music called me in the early 70s, I couldn’t help but respond,” the musician recalled in an interview. - As if the sixth sense gave a hint, and intuition did not fail. After all, if I had not used this opportunity then, this door would have closed forever. Therefore, I am sure that by abandoning astronomy in favor of music, I made the right choice.” But the decision to return to science and complete the dissertation, May is just as true. “After doing this, I experienced a huge relief,” he shared his feelings. “I am very pleased that I was able to bring the work started many years ago to the end.”
Rector of the University of Liverpool John Moores Brian Harold May. Photo: Josh Parry/LJMU
In 2008, the asteroid 52665 Brianmay was named in his honor for May's outstanding contributions to astrophysics. In the same year, Mr. May took up the post of rector of the University of Liverpool. John Murs and stayed on it for over 5 years. To this day, he is a research astronomer and continues to lead scientific activity in mathematics and theoretical physics. Co-authored a book: “Big Bang! Full history Universe." In addition, Brian has a lifelong passion for historical stereo photography and has amassed a solid collection.
Guitar from mother-of-pearl buttons
Brian May received his first children's guitar as a birthday present at the age of 7. By this time, he already knew how to play the ukulele quite tolerably - following the example of his father. And at the age of 16, the guy got a real acoustic guitar. There was no money to buy a decent instrument in the family, so the future musician, together with his father (Harold was an electronic engineer by profession, and a jack of all trades in everyday life), designed it on his own, manually. As May recalled: "From all the rubbish that lay around in the dad's workshop." That is: from an oak beam from an 18th-century fireplace, parts from an old wardrobe, motorcycle valves, a knife blade, and mother-of-pearl buttons. And pickups were made from magnets and wire stuck in a home-made father's radiogram. The work lasted more than two years and cost the future musician only 8 pounds. This guitar, the Red Special, remains Brian May's main instrument to this day and is the most popular guitar on Queen's hits.
Photo: twitter.com
Pay off Brian May
Another "trick" of May - instead of a pick, he uses a sixpence coin all his life, which he holds between a large and bent index fingers. A particularly curious detail: in the early 1970s, such jagged-edged coins were withdrawn from circulation, but in 1993 the Royal Mint minted a special batch of them: personally Brian May with his image - on the eve of the solo tour of the famous musician.
Brian May personalized coin
About high and eternal
In the Queen group, Brian May is taller than all the members: his height is 188 centimeters. His innovative, unique guitar playing skills, combined with the exceptional vocals of Freddie Mercury, created the inimitable style of the famous rock band. At the same time, Mei is not only a composer and guitar virtuoso. Often he acted as a keyboardist, played the organ and synthesizers, and also acted as a lead vocalist. In addition, Brian is a poet who wrote such brilliant hit songs and ballads as: "We Will Rock You", "The Show Must Go On", "Too Much Love Will Kill You", "Who Wants to Live Forever" , "39", "Save Me", "Hammer To Fall..." and many more.
May also writes musical scores for films, TV series and television projects. His filmography includes several dozen of them. By the way, "Queen" was the first rock band to be the author of the soundtrack for a feature film: it was a fantastic adventure action movie of the 80s "Flash Gordon" - about a total solar eclipse. Surprisingly, this picture was intertwined with another fantasy film - the cult "Highlander", which was released six years later and laid the foundation for many sequels of the same name. The instrumental compositions for it were written by Michael Kamen, and the songs, again, by the Queen group.
Queen group. Photo: East News
Director Russell Mulcahy approached the musicians with a request to write a soundtrack for his "Highlander". The band members watched a 40-minute version of the film, and Brian May was most impressed by the scene in which the protagonist, the immortal Connor Macleod, holds a mortal woman in his arms - his dying wife. Already on the way home, the composer began to sketch the future hit "Who Wants to Live Forever" ("Who Wants to Live Forever"), which sounded not only in the film - in the same episode, but later in different parts of the television series "Highlander".
Recalling this trip, May told British journalists: “I heard this song in my head, and then, in the car, it was almost finished. My manager, to whom I sang it when he brought me home, was very surprised. He asked: “Where did it come from?”, and I answered: “I don’t even know ...” A noteworthy detail: the name of this symphonic ballad was taken by Brian just from the movie “Flash Gordon”. And one more interesting moment: in "Highlander" the song is performed by Freddie Mercury, and on the disc the first verse and a few lines from the third verse are sung by May.
The Great Depression
In the late 1980s, after the death of his father, with whom Brian was very close, and the divorce proceedings with his first wife, the musician fell into a deep depression. Once he frankly admitted that in his thoughts he reached suicide. A particularly acute mental crisis came in 1991, after the death of Freddie Mercury, following his incurable disease (AIDS). Realizing that he was unable to cope with his state of mind on his own, Mei turned to a psychiatric clinic. Explaining his act later, he said: “I felt completely sick - exhausted and torn to pieces ... I grieved for a long time. I was overwhelmed by a sense of irreparable loss ... I had a complete breakdown ... "
Brian did not try to get out of the psychological impasse with the help of drugs. Unlike many of his emotionally unruly fellow rock musicians, May did not use drugs. “I never even smoked weed, although I inhaled a lot of smoke from others,” the guitarist said. And he commented on his position as follows: “I felt that I should not get into drug addiction in any case. This is dangerous, especially during the period of depression, when I lost emotional control over myself and over my life.
With Freddie Mercury. Photo: twitter.com
Peace, work, May!
The legendary guitarist leads a very reserved lifestyle: he does not eat meat at all, and occasionally eats fish. Of alcoholic beverages, he prefers Guinness beer and Baileys liqueur. Smoking is taboo (as opposed to his father, who was a heavy smoker). In promiscuous sexual relations is not seen. Doesn't accept beach holiday. He is actively involved in charity: he helps various foundations and makes considerable donations to various projects related to global problems. Especially fiercely protects nature and animals, selflessly fights for their rights.
In an interview, Brian explained his position in the following way: “In my youth, I didn’t really believe the “stars” who declared that they adore animals and fight for their rights. And now I'm doing it myself." The musician actually goes to the authorities, collects signatures, knocks out audiences with high-ranking officials. “It takes a lot of nerves and strength,” May once admitted in an interview. - But when I return home in the evening and lie down on the sofa with a can of beer, I realize that the day was not lived in vain. Basically, while protecting animal rights, I do the same thing when I create something in music. And I also rejoice in success, if it happens - no matter how grandiloquent it may sound ... "
In addition, Mei constantly participates in charity concerts. Recently, in the company of other legendary musicians: Paul McCartney, Robbie Williams, and others, he recorded a video in support of people affected by the grandiose fire that unfolded on June 14 in London, in a 27-story residential building. All proceeds from the sale of which and broadcasts on the air will go to the victims and families of the victims.
By family ties, Brian tied himself twice. In 1976 he married Chrissy Mullens. The marriage, which lasted 8 years, gave the musician three children: in 1978, son Jimmy (James) was born, three years later, daughter Louise was born, and five years later, the second daughter, Emily Ruth.
With wife Anita Dobson and son Jimmy. Photo: twitter.com
With daughters Emily and Louise. Photo: twitter.com
For many years May officially remained a bachelor, although since the beginning of the 90s he lived in civil marriage with actress Anita Dobson. And to meet with her - according to the tabloid media, - he began much earlier, while still being married. In 2000, Anita became Brian's legal wife and remains so to this day.
With wife Anita Dobson. Photo: Global Look Press
From Brian May:
I have neither the desire nor the need to do anything for the sake of money. And I no longer need fame - I have seen enough of it, fed up with it and seen enough of what it can do to people. The question is, why am I doing so many things? Just because I love it very much and just can’t stop…”
Knowing that Queen's music has had an impact on the lives of people all over the world makes me happy. This is an honor for me.
In life, you always need to take steps, but not small ones, but big ones. Because if you move in tiny steps or, which is really bad, you don’t do anything at all, nothing in life will change. You will stagnate, not developing, and years later you will regret that you wasted time in vain. This is my life philosophy.
Music and art bring people together better than anything else.
- In rock music, in order not to die, you can not repeat. You need to look ahead and be open to everything new. This is the only way to feel the fullness of life.
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Biography
Queen ("Queen") is a British rock band that achieved wide popularity in the 70s and 80s. XX century and numbering hundreds of millions of fans to this day. Queen's most famous songs include such classic rock hits as "Bohemian Rhapsody", "We Will Rock You", "We Are The Champions", "A Kind Of Magic", "The Show Must Go On" and others. . The video clips shot by the musicians of Queen also gained wide popularity. In addition, "Queen" gained fame as one of the greatest live bands in the history of rock.Composition of the group
* Freddie Mercury ( Freddie Mercury, 1946-1991) - vocals, piano, guitar on "Crazy Little Thing Called Love".
* Brian May (1947) - guitars, harp, orchestral instruments, vocals.
* John Deacon (1951) - bass guitar, guitar, piano.
* Roger Taylor (1949) - drums, percussion, vocals.
Origin
The history of the group begins in 1968 in the UK, when students Brian May and Tim Staffel formed the group "Smile". Brian put up a notice on the walls of his Imperial College. It said that the band needed a drummer to play in the style of Mitch Mitchell and Ginger Baker (drummers for Jimi Hendrix and Cream, respectively). Dentist student Roger Taylor responded. He then appeared to May and Staffel the best option, impressing them with the precise tuning of the drums. The main achievement of "Smile" was the opening act for "Pink Floyd". However, due to intense study and the lack of any kind of management, in the spring of 1970 the trio broke up: Tim Staffel left the group.
But May and Taylor were not going to give up their musical career and shared their creative ambitions with Staffel's friend and classmate Freddy (Farukh) Bulsara. He often attended performances of "Smile", but May and Staffel did not even suspect that he could sing at all. Freddie had very clear plans for the performance and stage work of the group. He also came up with the name "Queen" for the new group, and took the pseudonym Freddie Mercury for himself. Now the group consisted of a vocalist-keyboardist, guitarist and drummer.
Roger Taylor's old acquaintance from the Cornish band The Reaction, Mike Growse, was originally invited to play the bass role and performed at the band's first two shows (June 27 at Truro City Hall, Truro) and July 12 at Imperial College). He was subsequently replaced by the highly gifted bassist Barry Mitchell. But, tired of the music business, he left the band in early 1971. The band's next bassist, Doug Bogie, lasted only two gigs. But in February 1971, at a London disco, Brian May and Roger Taylor met John Deacon, an experienced bass player of those years, who had come to study in London from his hometown of Leicester. After passing the audition, John took the position of the band's bassist and became the fourth permanent link in the line-up, which lasted almost 21 years.
History of creativity
From 1971 to 1979, the influence of other groups can be traced. Every year it becomes less and less noticeable, but in the seventies it is still present. Freddie himself noted more than once that their group "grew up" on Led Zeppelin and Jimi Hendrix.
1973 - Queen's first album of the same name (1973) included the song "Doing All Right" by the Smile trio. The basis of the disc was the song "Keep Yourself Alive" - the first single from "Queen". The album was not very successful, but this did not become a reason for frustration. This album was recorded over two years, in those moments when the recording studio was free. The problem with the Queen album was aggravated by Brian's illness - he had hepatitis. And yet, you should not call this record a failure - it did not take off in parades, but it was not rejected either. "Queen" gives the first independent concerts in the UK, Germany and Luxembourg. Prior to that, they participated in the tour of other bands as an opening act.
1974 - "Queen II" was a breakthrough and reached number 5 in the British charts, despite the fact that reviews from critics were negative. The album was accused of being incomplete and lacking in independence, but, surprisingly, it is for this that Brian May considers it the best album of the group. "Sheer Heart Attack" peaked at number two in the UK. Best Compositions albums ("Killer Queen", "Flick Of The Wrist") refer to the best songs band, and "Stone Cold Crazy" is considered a heavy metal classic (later included in the repertoire of "Metallica"). The band participates in the Australian Sunbury Music Festival and gives the first concerts in Sweden and Finland.
Mistake. Queen released two albums in 1974, the stylistically coherent Queen II and Sheer Heart Attack. The text of the paragraph describes exactly Sheer Heart Attack. Also, unfortunately, there is no mention of Queen's triumphant concert tour in Japan.
1975 - "A Night At The Opera" is called the greatest work Queen. Many consider it one of the best albums in the history of rock music in general. This record turned out to be quite special - bright, melodic, with a noticeable participation of the piano - it opened up a completely different face of rock music. Today, she personifies the style of the seventies. Some of the songs were written for keyboards, however, "Love Of My Life" was never performed in the album version again, and was played live with Brian's accompaniment on a 12-string semi-acoustic. The live version turned out to be better than the album version, but this roughness was still irrelevant at that moment.
And most famous song this album is "Bohemian Rhapsody". It would seem that this long five-minute composition, incomprehensibly combining the features of rock and pop music, opera and individual folklore motifs, could not become popular at all, and even more so, should not have risen to the first lines of the charts. A three-minute song was considered standard in those years, but Queen were not afraid to create this five-minute masterpiece, which in a quarter of a century in Britain will be called the song of the millennium. In addition to this, it is worth noting that the video for "Bohemian Rhapsody" is considered the world's first video. Video for music was filmed before, but this case- the first example of a conscious connection of a specially created image, effects and music. The video uses now seemingly primitive optical special effects: shooting through a hexagonal prism and duplicating the faces of the musicians. But it is worth recognizing that even today not all clips are created with such taste. For the same album, "You're My Best Friend" and "Love Of My Life" were filmed, the latter, by the way, in the same live version with a guitar. In support of the album, Queen gives concerts in the USA, Canada, Japan and, of course, at home.
1976 - "A Day at the Races" again caused an uproar from critics. Queen has been accused of a fruitless attempt at repeating A Night At The Opera, and the influence of the previous album is really noticeable. Brian May said that all the songs were being prepared at the same time, just one came out in 1975, and the other in 1976. In any case, there is nothing surprising in the similarity of the two albums of the same group, especially since "A Day At The Races" took 1st place in the British charts, and "Somebody To Love" became Mercury's favorite song. "Tie Your Mother Down" has since been played at most concerts. In addition, music videos were made for "Somebody To Love" and "Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy". These are all the same "seventies" in the work of the group, which will dramatically change course in a year. In addition, the group gives a grand free concert in Hyde Park, gathering about 170 thousand people, arranges a tour of Scotland, the USA, Japan and even Australia.
1977 - "News of the World" is probably the same record in which Queen begins to see the eighties. This is no longer "A Day At The Races", the new music is generally more aggressive, closer to hard rock. Still, some inconsistencies could not be avoided - the third song of the album clearly belongs in "Sheer Heart Attack", and "Sleeping On The Side Walk" cannot be attributed to the group's masterpieces. This disc brought the group two super hits "We Will Rock You" and "We Are The Champions", but was otherwise not as successful, reaching number four in the UK and number three in the US. The band returns with shows in Sweden, touring North America and Europe.
1978 - "Jazz" - the group's most scandalous album. He was accused of some "pop", but the main reason for the flurry of criticism was the video for the song "Bicycle Race", which was banned in the States as pornographic. The group was declared soulless and lost some of its audience. The composition "Fat Bottomed Girls" also partly contributed to this.
"Mustafa", which was number one on the record, also turned out to be misunderstood. In fact, the lyrics of the song itself are written in Arabic and go almost like back-vocal. There are conflicting opinions about this work: some consider it a pop dance soundtrack, others find a secret deep meaning in it. It is difficult to find a middle ground, since it is obvious that both of them go too far. "Let Me Entertain You" is closer to heavy metal, but fits perfectly with this album. "Dreamers Ball" looks out of place, although it is very beautiful in itself. The disc's percussive track, "Don't Stop Me Now", is one of the best Queen songs written by Freddie Mercury. This is a charge of energy, which will then fall into the Greatest Hits collection. Music videos were made for "Fat Bottomed Girls", "Bicycle Race" and "Don't Stop Me Now". The stylish album cover was inspired by a pattern on berlin wall, which the musicians saw during a trip around the city. Despite criticism, "Jazz" climbed to number two in the UK and number six in the US.
1979 - "Live Killers" was released - a live collection of "Queen", which included live versions of the band's most famous songs. The new album is not released, the musicians devote themselves to concerts. Meanwhile, Freddie takes the stage for the first time with a guitar to perform "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", which will soon be featured on "The Game" and has been released as a single for now. But in a year everyone will see a completely different Queen, a group that will become the personification of rock music of the 80s and one of the most popular bands in the world to this day.
Since 1980, a new period in the work of "Queen" begins. Over the next 6 years, the band will develop their own style, completely different from what the musicians have demonstrated in the previous decade. The group gradually moved away from glam rock, and Mercury parted with his former stage image: he cut his hair, grew a mustache, stopped performing in tights and acquired the appearance by which he is known to most people.
1980 - the album "The Game" was released. He opened a new era not only in the work of the group, but in all rock music. Freddie considered it the band's best album. Finally, the group abandoned all their prejudices and recorded an album using a synthesizer. Prior to this, synthesizers were fundamentally rejected as an instrument that did not fit with the style and sound of the group, which was easily replaced by Brian's "Red Special" guitar with its unique polyphonic sound. The compositions from this disc have always sounded at every concert, and some of them are among the best created by Queen.
"Play The Game" - the title track of the disc, was accompanied by a somewhat unusual clip. In the background, a fire burns in it, from which musicians emerge - one of the first applications of graphics. The live version of "Play The Game" was played by Mercury on the piano. Deacon's song "Another One Bites the Dust" was especially successful. This thing belongs to the unusual style for Queen. You can call it disco funk. "Another One Bites The Dust" is definitely one of the band's most successful songs, memorable for its incredible bass lines and distinctive vocals. Freddie himself was very fond of this song, and the whole album was developed taking into account its character. The idea justified itself - "The Game" was built thematically, and was not just a collection of songs. At the same time, the group recorded music for the fantastic film "Flash Gordon". It was well received in the UK but flopped at the US box office. It should be noted that in "Flash Gordon" the band uses the synthesizer as a dominant instrument for the first time and does it very professionally.
1981 - Greatest Hits compilation released. Together with David Bowie, the song "Under Pressure" is being recorded, which is still being released as a single, but is already a huge success, reaching the first position both in England and in several other countries.
1982 was marked by grandiose concert tours: Queen gave about 70 concerts in the UK, Western Europe, USA, Canada and Japan). Released new album"Hot Space", the main hit of which was the same "Under Pressure". British television is filming the concert, which will appear in 2004 under the title Queen On Fire: Live At The Bowl.
1983 - the group briefly suspends work, all musicians work on solo projects.
1984 - The Works album reached number two in the UK charts. The song "Radio Ga Ga" topped the charts in 19 (!) countries around the world. At the same time, the music video for "I Want to Break Free" was heavily criticized for the dressing up scenes. women's clothing, which, however, did not prevent the song itself from becoming the official anthem of the African National Congress. The band performs at the Golden Rose Festival in Montreux and can be seen on the Greatest Video Hits II DVD.
1985 - Queen participates in the Rock in Rio festival. Later this performance will appear on DVD, as well as the concert played on May, 11th in Tokyo. On July 14, 1985, the group performed in triumph at a large-scale charity concert Live Aid. After 20 years, this performance is recognized as the best sung by performers "live". After this concert, Brian May said that it was then that he felt real pride in his work. Queen is the most the best group in the world today! the guitarist said.
1986 - Queen wrote the soundtrack for the fantasy film "Highlander" and used it as the basis for their new album "A Kind Of Magic". The album was a huge success, Queen became one of the most popular rock bands in the world. The musicians organized the "Magic Tour" - a series of concerts throughout Europe. The three most grandiose concerts in London, Knebworth and Budapest attracted 400,000 people, and the concert in Budapest was the first performance of a Western rock band in the history of Eastern Europe in general, and Hungary in particular. The tour itself attracted about a million people across Europe. Nothing like this has been known to any rock band or rock singer since the Beatlemania of the 60s. The "Magic Tour" will be the group's last concert tour. Since that year, rumors about Freddie's illness began. Freddie denied this, citing his healthy appearance.
1989 - this year would be more correct to refer to the nineties in the work of Queen. The album "The Miracle" is very different from all previous works. Freddie's voice changed a little, he shaved off his mustache and began to dress more strictly. The album comes with five singles. The release of the clips fuels rumors about Mercury's illness, which are now actively refuted by both the band's musicians and Freddie himself. The strange cover of "The Miracle" also became a cause for controversy, but most likely because of the singer's possible illness. The title track of the album was the five-minute composition "The Miracle", but nothing makes you think about the future of "Queen" like "Scandal".
In fact, the nineties for Queen began back in 1989 with the album The Miracle. Even an ignorant person can distinguish Freddie's voice on the last two albums. Perhaps this was due to the direct influence of the disease, but it is known for certain that in early 1990 Mercury quit smoking due to developing lung disease.
1990 - no information about the group appears, all its members report that "everything is fine", however, such a sharp change in lifestyle and image caused the natural surprise and alarm of the fans. Queen received music award"Brit Awards", and this exit will be the last appearance of Freddie in public. He did not make a speech, saying simply: "Thank you, goodnight."
1991 - Last year the actual existence of Queen. Shortly before Mercury's death, the album "Innuendo" ("Indirect hint") was released. It is considered by many to be one of Queen's most outstanding works. The album opens with a song called "Innuendo". In its composition, it resembles "Bohemian Rhapsody" - all the same six minutes instead of the standard three, a combination of different musical styles.
For the second song - "I'm Going Slightly Mad" - a gloomy black-and-white video clip was shot, full of not indirect, but quite transparent hints of Freddie's impending death. However, the most famous song of the album, without a doubt, is the last one - "The Show Must Go On", in which the lyrical hero questions the meaning of existence and expresses the hope of gaining physical and mental freedom after death. Her refrain says:
Show must go on.
My heart is breaking inside
Maybe my makeup is peeling off
But my smile remains with you.
"The Show Must Go On" is by far one of the best Queen songs. But without knowing the history of the group, it is impossible to understand what efforts Freddie cost to record it. Mercury's voice does not betray his illness. It is hard to imagine what it is like to perform such a song, knowing about the imminent death. Written by Brian May, it seems to have been created especially for Freddie.
Before his death, Mercury ordered that all proceeds from the re-release of the song "Bohemian Rhapsody" be donated to the Terrence Higgins AIDS Charitable Foundation. He died on November 24, 1991.
1992 - April 20 at London's Wembley Stadium hosted a concert in memory of Freddie Mercury, organized by the remaining musicians of the group. On that day, all those whom Freddie considered his friends, with whom he worked personally, came on stage: Joe Elliot, George Michael, Axl Rose, Elton John, Robert Plant, David Bowie, Seal Samuel, Roger Dartley, Ani Lennox, Liza Stansfield and Mercury's favorite actress - Liza Minnelli. Spike Edney, who has played numerous concerts with Queen on keyboards, called this concert "Fred Aid", in reference to Queen's phenomenal performance in 1985 at Live Aid. It was a concert in memory of Freddie Mercury, but, in fact, it was a farewell to the Queen group.
1995 - Queen's last studio album, Made in Heaven, was released, made up of the group's spring 1991 session recordings at Mountain Studios, two re-arranged compositions by Freddie from his solo album Mr. Bad Guy ("Made In Heaven", "I Was Born To love you”), one composition of the Roger Taylor band “The Cross” (“Heaven For Everyone”) and some previously unreleased compositions. It is noteworthy that "A Winter's Tale" is the last composition written by Mercury, and "Mother Love" was Freddie's last vocal recording.
Our days
John Deacon said it best of all about this time: “There is no point in continuing. You can't replace Freddie." After 1995, he stopped his musical career, only appearing on stage once in 1997. However, Brian and Roger continue to perform with other performers.
After the terrible death of Mercury, the Queen soloists at separate concerts and recordings were George Michael, Robbie Williams and the Five group. However, the union of musicians with the representative of the British blues-rock Paul Rodgers turned out to be the most successful. The project is called Queen + Paul Rogers. Return of the Champions". The musicians go on tour, perform traditional Queen songs and gather decent audiences.
In 2006, Brian May announced that a new studio album would be recorded with Paul Rodgers. It also became known that there will be organized new tour groups in 2008.
Biography of Brian May / Brian May
Brian Harold May was born on July 19, 1947 in Hampton, a suburb of London. He started playing guitar at the age of seven, and at 15 he rehearsed with amateur bands. Your famous guitar Red Special Brian May designed himself with the help of his father. Oak boards from a 200-year-old fireplace, parts from an old motorcycle and mother-of-pearl buttons went into business. Red Special participated in the recording of the majority song queen and faithfully serves its creator to this day.
Musical career of Brian May / Brian May
Brian May Graduated from the Department of Physics and Mathematics, London Imperial College. In 1964, he organized a student group called " 1984 » in honor of the novel George Orwell. In 1968, the group broke up, and together with the vocalist and bassist Tim Staffel Brian May decided to collect new composition. Responded to ad Roger Taylor, a dental student at Imperial College. A new group was named Smile. They performed in London's pubs and educational institutions and acquired their own fans.
In 1970 Slime left Tim Staffel and was replaced by Freddie Mercury. The updated group has been renamed queen. It remained unchanged until 1991.
Queen's first album was released in 1973, featuring four songs written by by Brian May. World fame musicians brought the second disc called queenII, and the album released in 1975 ANightAtTheOpera made a splash and to this day is considered one of the best albums of all time.
Brian May has been the author of many of Queen's hits. He wrote the song WeWillRockyou", which has become the anthem of many football clubs and has been repeatedly used in film and television. Brian May also owns the compositions " Fat Bottomed Girls», « 39 », « Tie Your Mother Down», « Who Wants to Live Forever" and " I want it all". He is also the author of the hit " showMustgoOn”, which has become one of the most famous songs in rock music.
Brian May uses a sixpence as a mediator. They went out of circulation in the late 70s, but in 1993, the Royal Mint released a small batch especially for the musician.
After Queen broke up in 1991, Brian May pursued a solo career. His album " BackToTheLeadht was released in 1992 and was a great success. The CD was later released resurrection", and within tour album " AnotherWorld» Brian May visited Russia for the first time, giving concerts in St. Petersburg and Moscow.
In the mid 2000s Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor decided to revive queen. As a vocalist they invited Paul Rogers, former soloist groups Free and bad company, and in 2005 went on a world tour. In 2008 a new album was recorded called " The Cosmos Rocks". Simultaneously with the release of the album, a world tour began, in which the musicians visited Kyiv and Moscow. In 2012 Brian May and Roger Taylor again went on tour, this time they were accompanied by an American singer as a vocalist Adam Lambert, reality show finalist american idol.
Brian May is the founder of the Save Me Foundation and has been working to protect animals from cruelty for many years. In particular, the musician opposes the abolition of the law prohibiting the "bloody sport" - hunting with dogs for foxes and other animals.
Personal life of Brian May / Brian May
The musician's first wife was Chrissy Mullens, their marriage lasted from 1976 to 1988. They have three children: Jimmy (1978), Louise (1981) and Emily Root (1987). In the early 90s, Brian May began dating the actress Anita Dobson, at the end of 2000 they legalized their relationship.
Solo discography of Brian May / Brian May
Star Fleet Project (1983).
Back To The Light (1992).
Resurrection (1994, released only in Japan).
Live At The Brixton Academy (1994).
Another World (1998).
Red Special (1998, released only in Japan).
Furia (2000).
Publication date: September 07, 1999
Brian May is the legendary guitarist of QUEEN, whose guitar playing was as much a hallmark of the band as was Freddie Mercury's vocals. Many believed that musicians used synthesizers on the first albums - Brian's guitar sounded so diverse. How did he achieve such a unique sound? Either his guitar sounds like a whole orchestra of different instruments, or with the effect of a three-part unison. Where did this extraordinary guitar come from?
Ryan Harold May was born July 19, 1947 in Hampton, Middlesex, England. At the age of five, he began learning to play the piano and banjo. However, Brian soon switched to the guitar, which seemed to him a more expressive and "compliant" instrument. On his seventh birthday, he received an acoustic guitar as a gift, but new tool was too big for his baby fingers. Then Brian began to remake it to fit him and give it an electric sound. He put pickups on it and played through a makeshift amplifier. Some time passed - and Brian ceased to be satisfied with the game on acoustic guitar with pickups, he dreamed of a Fender Stratocaster, but his family couldn't afford it. Therefore, Brian decided to make his own guitar, calling on his father to help.
Both had experience working in wood and metal, and Brian also had a penchant for physics. Brian decided that if he was to make his own guitar, then it should completely satisfy him in every way. "I started with classical spanish guitar and started experimenting to see how the sound changes. I didn't want my guitar to sound like a Fender. I also knew I wanted the 24th fret and could never figure out why people stopped at the 22nd..."
It took two years to build his guitar, called the Red Special. Two years of experimentation with sound and form. The neck was made from a piece of mahogany sawn from a 200-year-old mantelpiece, the body was made from solid oak, the pegheads were made from old mother-of-pearl buttons, and the metal parts were from parts of an old motorcycle. The cost of all these materials amounted to only 8 pounds. After much experimentation, Brian realized that instead of a standard pick, it was more convenient for him to play with an ordinary English sixpence coin. "I feel like it gives me closer contact with the strings and more control over them as I play." This coin has ceased to be in circulation since the early 70s. But in 1993, the Royal Mint agreed to print coins with Brian's image so that he could continue to use them as a pick. The Red Special is featured on almost all of QUEEN's studio hits, and Brian still prefers to use his "fireplace" guitar in the studio and live.
Sometimes Brian took other guitars in his hands - a Fender Telecaster for the song "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", an acoustic twelve-string for "Love Of My Life" and "Is This" The World We Created?.."; sometimes played signature copies of his guitar and other electric guitars.
And yet, the production of Red Special did not end there. Brian was not satisfied with the sound of any amplifier. "I had an exact idea of what I wanted to sound like on my guitar, but I could never quite achieve it. I was lucky that, thanks to my father, I knew roughly what was going on inside these amplifiers. I wanted the amplifier to sound clean and expressive at low tones, and individual notes sounded not like distortion, but more like a violin.One day I tried the Vox AC30, which belongs to a friend of mine, and I realized that this is "it".From the moment I brought it home and connected, I realized what a love! Soon I bought another Vox AC30, and then another, and as the size of the room where we grew, so did the number of amplifiers. Of course, in very large rooms we used monitors, making do with only one amplifier. The band's bassist John Deacon helped Brian refine the Vox AC30. Brian still uses these amps to this day.
Meanwhile, Brian, making music, did not think to start his studies. He entered the department of astrophysics at Imperial College, won a scholarship and completed his studies brilliantly. But, having received a diploma in physics, he did not stop. Brian began to specialize in infrared radiation in astronomy. His second passion after music was astronomy, and he kept it "in reserve". Later, when asked what he would be doing now if he hadn't met the members of QUEEN, he will say that he would be a scientific astronomer. But another fate awaited him.
We can say that Brian is the founder of the group QUEEN, although the name was invented by Freddie Mercury. Brian was invited to other groups, but he never cheated on his "Queen". In addition to QUEEN, he played in the band "1984" and "Smile", which included another member of the future QUEEN - Roger Taylor (Roger Taylor). Brian May is the author of such hits as "Keep Yourself Alive", "Tie Your Mother Down", "We Will Rock You", "Save Me", "Who Wants To Live Forever". The idea to write the songs "I Can" t Live With You", "I Want It All" and "The Show Must Go On" also came to his mind.
Despite the flow of energy emanating from him on stage, in life Brian May is most often a serious, slightly sentimental and vulnerable person. He didn't always get along with the band's extravagant lead singer and handsome drummer. On several occasions, these conflicts have put the band's existence in doubt. But respect for each other and love for music kept them together.
When QUEEN disbanded after the tragic death of Freddie Mercury in 1991, Brian began solo career. True, back in 1983 he recorded an album with other famous musicians - "Star Fleet Project". Other works - the album "Back To The Light" (1992), "Live At The Brixton Academy" (1994) and the latest album in 1998 - "Another World". This album contains very different material: from the rather heavy "Cyborg" to the lyrical ballads "Why Don't We Try Again" and "Another World". Soon after the release of the album, Brian May went on a world tour, during which he visited Russia for the first time. "We wanted to go to Russia in the 80s, when QUEEN still existed, but they didn't let us in. Elton John and Cliff Richard had already performed there, and we were too wild for them. "And in November 1998, Brian May and his group performed in St. Petersburg and Moscow. On the tour, he was accompanied by no less famous musicians: Eric Singer (Kiss ), James Moses (Duran Duran), Neil Murray ( deep purple, Black Sabbath, Whitesnake). The "warm-ups" were played by the folk group "White Day", which impressed everyone with the performance of "Bohemian Rhapsody" on balalaikas and harmonicas. In addition to songs from the new album, Brian also performs the famous songs of QUEEN. After the shows, in an interview, Brian said he was amazed at the warmth of the reception from his Russian QUEEN fans.
Brian recently recorded the soundtrack for the movie "Pinocchio". He is not alien to the classics, he wrote the music for the play "Macbeth" by Shakespeare. Although the guitar is his favorite instrument, Brian, like all the other members of QUEEN, can play the piano and keyboard instruments. Brian once said: "I love to play the guitar. I sometimes start doing something else, move away from it a little, but then I think," God, I can't live without a guitar, "and I return to the guitar again. This is my favorite instrument" .