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Brian May on the two sides of Freddie Mercury’s creative genius: “Straight from the heart”
Freddie Mercury
Farrokh Bulsara, Freddy Mercury, Larry Lurex
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Who is this?
Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara; 5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991) was a British singer and songwriter who achieved global fame as the lead vocalist and pianist of the rock band Queen. Regarded as one of the greatest singers in the history of rock music, he is known for his flamboyant stage persona and four-octave vocal range. Mercury defied the conventions of a rock frontman with his theatrical style, influencing the artistic direction of Queen. Born in 1946 in Zanzibar to Indian parents from the Parsi community, Mercury attended British boarding schools in India from the age of eight and returned to Zanzibar after secondary school. In 1964, his family fled the Zanzibar Revolution, moving to Middlesex, England. Having previously studied and written music, he formed Queen in 1970 with guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor. Mercury wrote numerous hits for Queen, including "Killer Queen", "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Somebody to Love", "We Are the Champions", "Don't Stop Me Now" and "Crazy Little Thing Called Love". His charismatic stage performances often saw him interact with the audience, as displayed at the 1985 Live Aid concert. He also led a solo career and was a producer and guest musician for other artists. Mercury was diagnosed with AIDS in 1987. He continued to record with Queen, and was posthumously featured on their final album, Made in Heaven (1995). In 1991, the day after publicly announcing his diagnosis, he died from complications of the disease at the age of 45. In 1992, a concert in tribute to him was held at Wembley Stadium, in benefit of AIDS awareness. As a member of Queen, Mercury was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001, the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2003, and the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2004. In 1990, he and the other Queen members received the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music. One year after his death, Mercury received the same award individually. In 2005, Queen were awarded an Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Song Collection from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers, and Authors. In 2002, Mercury was voted number 58 in the BBC's poll of the 100 Greatest Britons.
Career
- 1946Born
- 1970Member of Queen
- 1991Passed away
- Won Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
- Notable work: Bohemian Rhapsody
- Notable work: We Are the Champions
- Notable work: Love of My Life
- Notable work: Don't Stop Me Now
Trivia
- •Place of birth: Zanzibar City
- •Citizenship: United Kingdom, Sultanate of Zanzibar
- •Known as: singer-songwriter, guitarist, pianist, composer
- •Genre: hard rock, glam rock, rock and roll
- •Plays: guitar, piano, Hammond organ
What happened recently
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1977 Freddie Mercury Anthem, Written So a Stranger Could Feel Like a Winner, Still Rules Stadiums Everywhere
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The Queen Song That Proved Freddie Mercury Trusted Brian May More Than Anyone Else
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Inside 'Bohemian Rhapsody': How Brian May and Roger Taylor Protected Freddie Mercury's Legacy
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"I'm not going to be doing this forever." Watch a giddy Freddie Mercury warm up before his last ever show with Queen
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“Freddie said, 'No, no, no, no — it's a piano song!’” Freddie Mercury didn’t want a guitar solo. Brian May fought for it — and created one of Queen’s most celebrated moments on record
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Freddie Mercury secretly featured on a 1978 song Dave Grohl called “the most beautiful” ever written
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“Freddie Mercury would’ve been proud”: Internet react to a woman’s Minionese version of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ at MINIONS & MONSTERS premiere
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WATCH | Fabulous Freddie Mercury Tribute to close out Bridge Street LIVE Thursday
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The Queen Radio Favorite That Brian May Wrote As a Joke (And Freddie Mercury Suggested Was “Vicious”)
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The reason David Bowie said the Lord's Prayer at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert
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"Freddie said, ‘Write me stuff, I know I don’t have very long. I will sing it. And then you do what you like with it afterwards." The tragedy and triumph of Queen’s final album and Freddie Mercury’s last goodbye
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Freddie Mercury soundalike gets 10,000 people to spontaneously sing Queen's 'Love of My Life'
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“He could hardly stand, but he said ‘I’ll f***ing do it, darling!’” Brian May on Freddie Mercury’s most defiant recording
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“He said, ‘My dear, I just wrote this in the bath.’” Brian May on the chart-topping Queen hit Freddie Mercury composed while getting ready one morning
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Freddie Mercury's Alleged 'Secret' Daughter Dies at 48 of Spinal Cancer: Report
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Freddie Mercury's secret daughter's life - raised by pal, covert visits and death
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Freddie Mercury Once Wrote a Song for John Lennon — Decades Later, It Became One of Queen’s Most Unexpected Hits
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Where Is Freddie Mercury’s Ex-Fiancée Now? All About Mary Austin's Life Today, 34 Years After the Queen Frontman's Death
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After Freddie Mercury’s Death, The Rumor Going Around Was That George Michael Nearly Joined Queen
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How Freddie Mercury bonded with his ex-fiancée’s new partner: ‘This was the great love of his life’
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Behind the Freddie Mercury and Michael Jackson Collaboration the World Missed Out On
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Freddie Mercury cut best friend out his life for good after almost discovering Queen star's AIDS secret
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