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 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
Freddie live at the Rainbow Theatre in March 1974 wearing a Zandra Rhodes creation.
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 . North End Road, Fulham, London July 1973
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
Unique contact sheet print of AC/CD's, Angus Young by photographer David Corio, taken at Hammersmith Odeon, London, November 1st, 1979
'I thought of improvisation as a large ball of string (a melody as yet unravelled)'. Cover art for Phish's 1997 album Slip Stitch and Pass
Johnny Cash at home on his ranch in San Antonio, Texas in 1960, he always wore black, because he identified with the poor & the down trodden
Shaun Ryder of the Happy Mondays captured in Yellow 2 Studios, Stockport in 1986
Van Morrison is a Northern Irish singer, songwriter and musician who is usually known by the name "Van the Man" to his fans.
Sir Elton John is an English pianist, singer-songwriter, composer & pop icon who has sold millions of records and won countless awards.
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960 and widely regarded as the most influential acts of the rock era.
As a self-taught composer and performer, Zappa's diverse musical influences led him to create music that was often difficult to categorize.
A photographic celebration of Manchester's rock music history. Free exhibition at the University of Manchester
For eight years photographer Brian Duffy worked with David Bowie and shot his most iconic and enduring images. View his fantastic collection
The Beatles were one of the most popular & influential bands of all time. Here we showcase our collection of their iconic fine art prints
The USA has given us many of the world's greatest music artists - we celebrate the best of the best
