Killer Queen

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Member Since: 7/3/2006
Band Members:
Brian Harold May was born on Saturday, July 19, 1947 in Hampton, Middlesex to Harold and Ruth May. At the age of five, Brian's parents enrolled him in piano lessons. Brian hated those lessons-he had to practice on Saturday when he would rather be out playing.Brian's father was a practical man who enjoyed making things from furniture to toys and models. He was also a capable musician who was proficient in both piano and ukulele. Brian took after his father in his dexterity, making toys and models.At the age of six, Harold decided that Brian was old enough to play the ukulele. Brian showed amazing aptitude and soon wanted to take up the guitar. On his seventh birthday, he got his wish as his parents presented him with a Spanish acoustic. The guitar was unfortunately too large and needed to be modified for Brian. With the help of his father, they began to carve down the wooden bridge to make the strings lower. Brian also craved an electric sound and created himself a pickup by winding copper wire around three small magnets.Brian also began to take an interest in photography and astronomy. He was given a camera of his own and also constructed a small telescope. To this day, both astronomy and photography play a key role in Brian's life (he is a collector of early stereographs and still partakes in astronomy).Brian's interest in music grew when he started listening to albums by such artists as buddy Holly and the Everly Brothers. He would play along with these records, starting with chords and gradually moving to improvised solos. He began to dissect each song as if it was a "keychain puzzle". "I would listen to the songs and want to know everything-how the harmonies worked, what made one harmony affect you in a certain way".Although he hated the piano, he took lessons until the age of nine, passing the level four theory and practical exams. Then Brian decided to give up the piano lessons. As he was not forced to practice now, he began to enjoy the instrument a bit more.Brian kept up with the guitar, but was finding that his own acoustic guitar was inadequate for the music he was listening to and trying to emulate. Money was short at the time, and Brian could not afford a new Stratocaster or Les Paul that many of his friends had. As both Brian and his father were great at making things, they came up with the idea to build a guitar exactly to Brian's specifications. A small bedroom in the family house was converted into a workshop in August of 1963.Finding the parts for the guitar was an endeavor in itself. The neck was hand carved by Brian from an old mahogany fireplace mantel that a friend was throwing out. The body was made from a piece of oak and whatever wood he and his father could find. His mothers button box was raided for fret markers. A problem arouse when Brian tried to make pickups. He could not get the sound he wanted so he resorted to buying three burns pickups, which of course he modified himself. The bridge was hand carved out of steel and the tremolo system included two springs from a motorbike. Brian and his father had created a masterpiece. A guitar that would be known as the Red Special.Brian finished school in 1965 with 10 O levels. He soon applied to study astronomy at Imperial College in London. During this time, Brian was regularly playing gigs with a band called 1984. 1984 supported everyone from a Snake Dancer to Jimi Hendrix.1984 continued playing through 1968, when they eventually decided to disband. Brian threw himself into his work and even organized a research trip to Switzerland to study zodiacal light. Of course, music was still part of Brian's life and discussed many a night
Profile
Birthday: July 19, 1947
Birthplace: Twickenham, England
Height: 6ft' 1.5" (186.7 cm)
Talents: Guitars, synths, vocals
Favourite song: "Tracks of my Tears" by Smoky Robinson and The Miracles
Favourite actor: Clint Eastwood
Favourite drinks: Guinness

Roger Meddows Taylor was born on Tuesday, July 26, 1949 at the West Norfolk and King's Lynn Hospital in King's Lynn, Norfolk, to Winifred and Michael Taylor. Michael was an inspector for the Potato Marketing Board. 'Meddows' was a family name that had been passed down successive Taylor generations, and it was subsequently passed on to Roger as a middle name.Roger had attended his first school, Gaywood Primary in King's Lynn, for three years when the family, now including sister Clare, born in 1953, decided to make the major move down to Truro in Cornwall where Roger was enrolled at Bosvigo SchoolIn 1957, aged eight, Roger was watching his cousin play simple tunes on his guitar and decided then and there he wanted a guitar too. At first he made do with a ukulele, on which he taught himself basic chords. It was enough to persuade him, even at that age, that he should form a band - there might be money to be made here!The band were called the Bubblingover Boys and played skiffle music. Roger played, or tried to play, the ukulele, someone else had a tea-chest bass, and a couple of other lads had guitarsThe Bubblingover Boys played just once more, at the Bosvigo School at a school dance. It was a short-lived venture, one reason being that none of them were very good at it, and another that in May 1960 Roger started at the Truro Cathedral School and left behind his fellow band members. He was awarded a choral scholarship to the school, which involved joining the cathedral choir. He was an unwilling member of that elite fellowship, as it involved singing three times every Sunday and at special services such as weddings and midnight mass at Christmas. Although the experience was invaluable, Roger never considered himself the choirboy type.In September 1960, Roger won a place at Truro School. This public school was academically the best in the area, and Roger was the only pupil from the cathedral school to get a free place there. It was a boarding school but as Roger lived nearby he went as a day boy.The joys of playing guitar were already beginning to fade for Roger, and he found himself more and more drawn to percussion. He started off by bashing upturned saucepans with his mother's knitting needles, using the lids as cymbals. He actually found a snare drum one day while out playing with friends, and was given a hi-hat cymbal. For Christmas 1961, his father presented him with a bass drum and a tom-tom - he had picked up both for £12 and had mended and polished them. Although it was a mismatched kit, Roger was exceedingly proud of it. He went out after Christmas and bought himself a brand new Zildjian crash cymbal for eight shillings - his first proper cymbal - and eventually another tom-tom as well.During 1963 he and some friends formed a band. They called themselves the Cousin Jacks. Roger was initially their rhythm guitarist, but he didn't enjoy this, and subsequently took over on drums, where he felt far more comfortable. The band split after a year.In 1965 Roger joined a local band called Johnny Quale and the Reaction. On 15 March, after rehearsing together for a couple of weeks, they considered themselves competent to enter 'The Rock and Rhythm Championship', an annual event run by the Round Table in Truro City Hall, at which bands from all over Cornwall and Devon would compete. Johnny Quale and the Reaction came fourth and that served to start them off on the Cornish music circuit, which was quite significant in those days, attracting many of the bigger, London-based groups.September 1965 saw Johnny, the lead singer, leaving the band. His departure came just before they were booked to play a gig, so Roger, the only one left who could sing, took over on lead vocals. They dropped the first part of the name and became Reaction. On 7 March 1966, Reaction entered the Rock and Rhythm Championship again, this time with Roger on lead vocals. The hard work and endless gigging over the past year paid off, and they won.Even though he was busy with Reaction, Roger's school work didn't suffer, and he left Truro School in the summer of 1967 with seven O levels- in English language, English literature, biology, physics, chemistry, French and math. He also had three A levels in biology, chemistry and physics. By this time he had heeded the advice of his teachers, decided on a career in dentistry and been accepted at the London Hospital Medical School.Reaction eventually split in the summer of 1968 when Roger went back to London. Roger went back to university intent on getting into another band. His appetite for fame and fortune was keen and he read the music press regularly, looking for an opportunity. In early autumn Les Brown noticed a postcard pinned to the Imperial College noticeboard asking for a 'Ginger Baker/Mitch Mitchell type drummer' for a new band. He passed on the information to Roger, who, intrigued, contacted the name on the card the following day. It was Brian May.
Profile
Birthday: July 26, 1949
Birthplace: King's Lynn, Norfolk, England
Height: 5ft' 10.5" (179.1 cm)
Talents: Drums, percussion, synths, vocals
Favourtie actor: John Hurt
Favourite actress: Maggie Smith
Favourite singer(s): Bruce Springsteen, U2
Favourite drink: Vodka, and good expensive white wine

Farookh Bulsara was born of Persian parents, Bomi and Jer Bulsara, on Thursday, September 5, 1946 at the Government Hospital on the small spice island of Zanzibar, off the coast of Tanzania. His father, Bomi, was a civil servant, working as a High Court cashier for the British Government. At just one year old, Freddie had his first taste of fame when the local photographer took his picture and displayed it in his shop window - to be awarded first prize in a baby contest. At the age of five he started to attend the Zanzibar Missionary School, which was run by British nuns.Mr. Bulsara's work meant he had to travel all over India, taking up different posts for various terms. In 1954, at the tender age of eight, Freddie was shipped off from the quiet tranquillity of life in Zanzibar to St. Peter's English boarding school in Panchgani, about fifty miles outside Bombay. It was there that friends began to call him Freddie, a name that the family also adopted.Freddie was a good sportsman. He was also very bright academically and his artistic skills were incomparable. At the age of twelve he was awarded the school trophy as Junior All-rounder.He was also music mad and played records on the family's old record player, stacking the singles to play constantly. The music he was able to get was mostly Indian, but some Western music was available. He would sing along to either and preferred music to school work.During his time at St. Peter's he formed his first band, the Hectics. They played only within the school at fetes, parties and school dances. They were not allowed to venture outside for bookings. Freddie's choirboy training was useful and, even then, his inherent sense of theatrics was very much in evidence - he performed with flair and originality.In 1964, the Bulsara's uprooted from their life in Zanzibar due to political unrest and made their home in Feltham, Middlesex. In September 1966 Freddie enrolled in Ealing College of Art to pursue a graphic illustration course.A fellow student at Ealing College was bass player Tim Staffell, with whom Freddie became good friends. Freddie, Tim and another art student, Nigel Foster, spent a lot of their spare time together as they all shared an interest in music. With the help of a couple of secondhand guitars and Freddie's voice, they managed to entertain themselves; Freddie was good at impersonations of Jimi Hendrix and would mime outrageously to his songs, using a ruler as a guitar. He and his two friends practiced three-part harmonies, perfecting the technique rather well in the college lavatories.As Tim's and Freddie's friendship became closer, Tim took him along to Smile's rehearsals. Freddie got on famously with Brian and Roger and loved the sound that Smile had achieved; he also had immense admiration and respect for Brian's guitar-playing. Watching and listening to them made Freddie realized that he desperately wanted to be in a band himself; that early schoolboy exposure with the Hectics, however amateur, had given him a taste of the thrill of being on stage.In the summer of 1969 Freddie was introduced to a Liverpool band called Ibex, who had come to London to try to make a name for themselves. Ibex were a three-piece, with guitarist Mike Bersin, John 'Tupp' Taylor on bass and Mick 'Miffer' Smith on drums. They also brought with them their apprentice manager, roadie and general dogsbody Ken Testi; part-time bass player Geoff Higgins used to travel down for occasional gigs. Geoff would play bass when Tupp, a great Jethro Tull fan, wanted to play flute. Live gigs were always opened with their own rendition of 'Jailhouse Rock'. Freddie's stage act had vastly improved, although the other members of Ibex were a little embarrassed by his lively, camp movements and gestures. He was all over the place, such energy, but it wasn't done then!In late 1969, after a typically flamboyant audition, Freddie became the lead singer with Sour Milk Sea. The band were to split just two months later. His determination to make something of himself as a performer was so strong that he found he couldn't be without a band for too long, and finally he formed his own band - Wreckage with Richard Thompson as drummer, Mike Bersin and Tupp Taylor from Ibex. A year later that too folded when Freddie, impatient for stardom, left the band.Freddie remained friends with Smile - and when Tim Stafell left the band to try and make a name for himself with Humpy Bong - Freddie took over and joined forces with Brian and Roger.Freddie tragically died on November 24th, 1991 at the age of 45, of AIDS related bronchial pneumonia.
Profile
Real Name: Farookh Bulsara
Birthday: September 5, 1946
Birthplace: Zanzibar, Tanzania
Died: November 24, 1991 of AIDS in his home, in London.
Height: 5ft'9" (175.2 cm)
Talents: Vocals, piano, tantrums, guitar, keyboards, synth, vocals and more vocals!
Favourite singer: Aretha Franklin
Favourite actress: Marilyn Monroe
Favourite drink: Champagne, iced Vodka
Favourite food: Indian

John Richard Deacon was born on Sunday, August 19, 1951 to Lillian Molly and Arthur Henry Deacon. At the young age of seven, John's parents bought him his first guitar, a red plastic "Tommy Steele" special.Arthur always encouraged John to tinker with electronics, a hobby that Arthur himself loved. One of John's early projects included adapting an old reel-to-reel tape recorder to record music off of the radio -usually the Beatles and Alan Freeman's Hit Parade. As electronics grew into a passion, John thought of turning his hobby into a career.John's interest in music also grew as he soon bought the Beatles first two albums. As a huge fan of the Fab Four, he decided he wanted to learn how to play the guitar. He soon would save enough money from his early morning paper round to buy a proper one. John diligently practiced the instrument and soon was found jamming in his friend's garage.At the age of fourteen, John formed his first band, The Opposition. Throughout the next few years, The Opposition went through frequent member changes and played many a gig. By the end of 1966, they had earned quite a following throughout Leicester. Later that year, the Opposition's bassist Clive Castledine left the band, leaving John to fill the gap. He bought his first bass, an EKO for £22. Because of the new lineup, the band changed their name in a daring move to The New Opposition.1969 saw John leaving the band (now called ART) for London. Here studied electronics at Chelsea College, which is part of the University of London. He did not take part in the music scene at school, but of course brought along his old acoustic guitar just in case an opportunity came up.In October of 1970, John went to see a performance by a band called Queen. He recalls, " They were all dressed in black, and the lights were very dim too, so all I could see were four shadowy figures. They didn't make a lasting impression on me at the time".As he began his second year at college, John realized that he missed music and wanted to be involved in a group. He soon convinced his mother to drive his equipment to school for him. He soon found a few people to play with, yet felt awkward. 1971 soon rolled around, John while looking through the local paper, found a "musician wanted" ad. He only attended one audition, but did not get the gig.In the early months of 1971, John was introduced to Brian May and Roger Taylor of Queen. They had been going through a slew of bass players and had just lost another. They asked John if he was interested in auditioning. Soon enough, he found himself arriving at a lecture hall at Imperial College where the band was rehearsing. He brought along his bass and a tiny amp that he constructed (now known as the legendary Deacy Amp). He began to learn Son & Daughter and a few other songs the band had been playing. A few days later, John Richard Deacon became the fourth and final member of Queen.
Profile
Birthday: August 19, 1951
Birthplace: Leicester, England
Height: 5ft' 9" (175.2 cm)
Talents: Bass guitar, double bass, keyboards, and having kids!
Favourite actress: Jean Alexander
Favourite drink: Tea
Influences:Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, The Who, The Doors, Cream
Sounds Like: MyGen Profile Generatorfuckin good shit
Type of Label: None