QUEEN
"No other band has ever sounded like Queen."
THE STORY
Queen formed in London in 1970 and quickly established themselves as one of the most musically ambitious bands in rock history. Freddie Mercury's four-octave vocal range, Brian May's homemade guitar, John Deacon's melodic bass lines, and Roger Taylor's powerful drumming created a sound that defied categorization.
'Bohemian Rhapsody' — a six-minute operatic rock epic released in 1975 — was unlike anything on radio. EMI thought it was too long to be a single. They were wrong. It became the UK's best-selling single of the 20th century.
Queen's 1985 Live Aid performance at Wembley Stadium is widely considered the greatest live rock performance of all time. Freddie Mercury commanded 72,000 people and a global TV audience of 1.9 billion with nothing but his voice and a piano.
ESSENTIAL TRACKS
Bohemian Rhapsody
A Night at the Opera
We Will Rock You
News of the World
We Are the Champions
News of the World
Crazy Little Thing Called Love
The Game
Another One Bites the Dust
The Game
Radio Ga Ga
The Works
'Bohemian Rhapsody' is the most-streamed song from the 20th century. The 2018 biopic grossed over $900 million worldwide.
FAST FACTS
Records sold
Over 300 million worldwide
Live Aid
Best live performance ever — Wembley, 1985
Freddie's range
Four octaves — F2 to F6
Brian May's guitar
Built by hand with his father from a fireplace mantel
Rock Hall
Inducted in 2001