Queen are a British rock band that formed in London in 1970. Their classic line-up was Freddie Mercury (lead vocals, piano), Brian May (lead guitar, vocals), Roger Taylor (drums, vocals), and John Deacon (bass guitar). Queen's earliest works were influenced by progressive rock, hard rock and heavy metal, but the band gradually ventured into more conventional and radio-friendly works by incorporating further styles, such as arena rock and pop rock, into their music.
The band drew artistic influences from British rock acts of the 1960s and early 1970s, such as the Beatles, the Kinks, Cream, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, the Who, Black Sabbath, Slade, Deep Purple, David Bowie, Genesis and Yes, in addition to American guitarist Jimi Hendrix, with Mercury also inspired by the gospel singer Aretha Franklin. May referred to the Beatles as being "our bible in the way they used the studio and they painted pictures and this wonderful instinctive use of harmonies."
At their outset in the early 1970s, Queen's music has been characterised as "Led Zeppelin meets Yes" due to its combination of "acoustic/electric guitar extremes and fantasy-inspired multi-part song epics". They have been recognised as having made significant contributions to such genres as hard rock, and heavy metal, among others. Hence, the band have been cited as an influence by many other musicians.
Many scholars consider the "Bohemian Rhapsody" music video ground-breaking, and credit it with popularising the medium.
Freddie Mercury performing onstage wearing a harlequin one-piece at Brøndby Hallen, Copenhagen in 1977
Freddie Mercury performing onstage in 1975 wearing his iconic Zandra Rhodes outfit
Freddie Mercury and Brian May photographed on Queens first solo British tour on October 30th 1974 at Manchester’s Palace Theatre.
Freddie Mercury onstage with Queen at the Brøndby Hallen, Copenhagen in 1977 on their A Day At The Races Tour
The first ever studio shoot with Queen. Photographer Johnny Dewe Mathews captures the early days of Freddie Mercurys vision.
Freddie live at the Rainbow Theatre in March 1974 wearing a Zandra Rhodes creation.
Freddie Mercury in the spotlight whilst playing the grand piano in Southampton in May, 1977.
Limited edition of Morgan Howell's original painting of the cover of Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody' vinyl single
Queen rehearsing for their first major tour at North End Road, Fulham, London in July 1973
Freddie Mercury performing onstage with Queen during their legendary Christmas Eve 1975 concert at Hammersmith Odeon
With Freddie it was immediately apparent that I was in the presence of a charismatic visionary, he set the dress sense for the whole band.
Mick Rock cover artwork for the iconic Queen 2 album released in 1974
Freddie Mercury performing at Brøndby Hallen, Copenhagen during Queen's 'A Day At The Races' Tour in May 1977
Iconic shot of Freddie Mercury from Queen, taken by world leading music photographer Mick Rock in London 1974
Limited edition of Morgan Howell's original painting of the cover of The Clash '(White Man) in Hammersmith Palais vinyl single
The Cure on the road in Holland and Belgium during their 1980 'Seventeen Seconds' tour.
Kate Bush captured in 1993 during the filming for short film 'The Line, The Cross & The Curve'.
Freddie Mercury in the spotlight whilst playing the grand piano in Southampton in May, 1977.
Tom Waits is an American singer-songwriter known for his musical tales of bohemians, drifters, misfits & his blend of blues, folk & jazz.
Referred to as rock music's 'Prince of Darkness', Nick Cave's music is characterised by emotional intensity & a wide variety of influences.
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band who were in the vanguard of the British music Invasion that became popular in the US in 1964–65.
Oasis were an English rock music band formed in Manchester in 1991, to date the band have sold over 70 million records worldwide.
Here are the very latest prints we have added to our collection. We hope you love them as much as we do.
Album covers can define a band almost as much as the music itself. Now you can put this great art on your wall as well as your turntable
Jill Furmanovsky is one of the greatest ever rock & roll photographers with a huge archive of iconic shots of the world's best music artists
Our contact sheet collection is a rare opportunity to look back at the hidden moments surrounding some of rocks most iconic images.
