Queen was a British rock band formed in London in 1970. They went on to become one of the most commercially successful musical acts of all time. Queen consisted of Brian May (Guitar, Vocals), Roger Taylor (Drums, Vocals), John Deacon (Bass), and Freddie Mercury (Lead Vocals, Piano). Their earliest works were influenced by progressive rock, hard rock, and heavy metal. The band gradually ventured into a more conventional and radio-friendly format by incorporating further styles, such as arena rock and pop-rock.

Somebody to Love (Official Video)

I saw Queen at the Providence Civic Center in Providence, Rhode Island in 1980. That was one of the very best concerts I have ever seen, and I have seen a lot of ever seens!

Bohemian Rhapsody (Wembley, 1986)

As I often seem to find, I do like the earlier Queen when their music had less of a pop feel too it. That is just the rocker in me. I mean, hey, I still like to hear a little cowbell now and again. But while the later stuff may not be my cup of tea, sound-wise, you cannot argue with its success and musical genius.

Tie Your Mother Down (Montreal, 1981)

Live Aid, 1985

At the Live Aid concert held at Wembley on July 13, 1985, Queen performed some of their greatest hits in front of the largest-ever TV audience of 1.9 billion viewers. The sold-out stadium audience of 72,000 people were thoroughly entranced by the band’s performance. The show’s organizers, Bob Geldof and Midge Ure; along with other musicians, such as Elton John, Cliff Richard, and Dave Grohl; and journalists writing for the BBC, CNN, Rolling Stone, MTV, and The Telegraph, among others, later described Queen as the highlight band of the event.

We Will Rock You (Montreal, 1981)

In the late 80s, fans began to notice Mercury’s increasingly gaunt appearance. The media started to report that Freddie Mercury was seriously ill, with AIDS frequently mentioned as a likely illness. Mercury denied this, insisting he was merely “exhausted” and too busy to provide interviews. Mercury had, in fact, been diagnosed as HIV positive in 1987; however, he shared this knowledge with only his inner circle of friends and colleagues.

I Want It All (1989)

The Mercury Phoenix Trust

After Freddie Mercury died in 1991, The Mercury Phoenix Trust was founded by Brian May, Roger Taylor, and their manager Jim Beach in memory of their friend and colleague.

While AIDS is not in the news as often these days, it is still a problem in many countries, especially in Africa. In the last 21 years, the Trust has given away over 17 million dollars in Freddie Mercury’s name and funded over 1000 projects in the global battle against HIV/AIDS.

And while there may be a few factual inaccuracies, the movie Bohemian Rhapsody, released in 2018, is well worth your time. I was reluctant to watch it at first but finally did. I was very pleasantly surprised.

It was very well done. Rami Malek did a fantastic job portraying Freddie Mercury, and the film earned five Oscar nominations including one for best picture and a best actor for Malek.

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