Queen

Founded in 1970, Queen was a British rock band, with its classic lineup featuring Freddie Mercury on lead vocals and piano, Brian May on lead guitar, Roger Taylor on drums, and John Deacon on bass. Although Mercury and May were the primary songwriters, all four members contributed, producing numerous major hits. Originally a progressive rock band with strong metal influences, their sound evolved significantly over time. The band eventually helped to redefine, if not define, “stadium rock,” gaining fame as one of the most cherished rock bands ever.

In their initial progressive phase, they created epic tracks such as “March of the Black Queen” and had one international hit single: “Killer Queen.” However, it was their 1975 song “Bohemian Rhapsody” that launched them into superstardom. The track topped the UK charts for nine weeks and is often hailed as one of the greatest songs of all time.

As they moved away from their album-oriented sound, the band’s popularity continued to rise with hits like “Somebody to Love,” “We Are the Champions,” “Don’t Stop Me Now,” “Another One Bites the Dust,” “Radio Ga Ga," among others. These tracks are so adored that a musical titled We Will Rock You, based on the band's discography, became one of West-End's longest-running shows, with a 12-year run through May 2014, along with productions featured internationally.

In November 2018, Queen's fame surged with the release of the Oscar-winning biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody. The film's climax depicted Queen's Live Aid charity performance, which has been historically regarded as one of the greatest live concerts in music history. Back in mid-1985, this performance was crucial to Queen's global legacy.

Following the Live Aid event, Queen released their 12th studio album, 1986’s A Kind of Magic, and went on their final stadium tour: The Magic Tour. In 1995, they released their 15th studio album, Made in Heaven, which featured vocals recorded before Freddie Mercury’s passing in November 1991, due to complications from AIDS. This occurred just nine months after the release of Queen's 14th studio album, Innuendo, praised as their best work in years.

John Deacon retired from music in 1997, following the recording of the Freddie Mercury tribute song “No-One But You (Only the Good Die Young)” with May and Taylor. May and Taylor continued touring as Queen, with lead vocalists Paul Rodgers and Adam Lambert standing in.

Over the past 50 years, Queen has greatly influenced various bands and solo artists, including Prince, Metallica, Lady Gaga, Radiohead, Nirvana, and many more.