Freddie Mercury

Who Was Freddie Mercury?

Singer-songwriter Freddie Mercury was born Farrokh

Bulsara on September 5, 1946, in Zanzibar, Tanzania.
He studied piano in boarding school in India and
befriended numerous musicians at London's Ealing
College of Art. The music of Mercury's band, Queen,
reached the top of U.S. and British charts. Mercury
died of AIDS-related bronchial pneumonia on
November 24, 1991.

Musical Education

Singer-songwriter and musician Freddie Mercury was born Farrokh

Bulsara on September 5, 1946, in Zanzibar, Tanzania. As the frontman of Queen,
Freddie Mercury was one of the most talented and innovative singers of the rock era.
He spent time in a boarding school in Bombay (now Mumbai), India, where he studied
piano. It was not long before this charismatic young man joined his first band, the
Hectics.

Moving to London with his family in the 1960s, Mercury attended the Ealing College
of Art. He befriended a number of musicians around this time, including future
bandmates, drummer Roger Taylor and guitarist Brian May. In 1969, Mercury joined
up with a group called Ibex as their lead singer. He played with a few other bands
before joining forces with Taylor and May. They met up with bassist John Deacon in
1971, and the quartet — who Mercury dubbed Queen — played their first gig together
that June.

Achmad Hakiki
( X Mia 3)
Queen Reigns: 'Bohemian Rhapsody,' 'We Are the Champions'

In 1973, the band released their first self-titled album, but it took two more recordings
for Queen's music to really catch on. Their third record, Sheer Heart Attack (1974),
featured their first hit, "Killer Queen," a song about a high-class call girl. The single
hit No. 2 on the U.K. charts, and peaked at No. 12 in the U.S.

With a sound that has been described as a fusion of hard rock and glam rock, Queen
had an even bigger hit the following year with their album, A Night at the
Opera (1975). Mercury wrote the song "Bohemian Rhapsody," a seven-minute rock
operetta, for the album. Overdubbing his voice, Mercury showed off his impressive
four-octave vocal range on this innovative track. The song hit the top of the charts in
Britain and became a Top 10 hit in the United States.

In addition to his talents as a singer and songwriter, Mercury was also a skilled
showman. He knew how to entertain audiences and how to connect with them. He
liked to wear costumes — often featuring skintight spandex — and strutted around the
stage, encouraging fans to join in the fun. Artistic in nature, Mercury was also actively
involved in designing the art for many of the group's albums.

Queen's popularity continued to soar through the late 70s and early 80s. "We Are the
Champions," off of News of the World (1978), became a Top 10 hit in the United
States and in Britain. It was featured on a single with "We Will Rock You" — both
songs have taken on a life of their own as popular anthems played at sporting events.
Always exploring new and different sounds, Queen also tried their hand at the big
music trend of the time, with the disco-flavored "Another One Bites the Dust" in
1980. Off that same album, The Game (1980), Mercury and the rest of the band
showed their range as performers with the rockabilly-influenced hit "Crazy Little
Thing Called Love," which Mercury penned.

Achmad Hakiki
( X Mia 3)
Memorable Performances: 1985 Live Aid Concert & More

The following year, the members of Queen collaborated with David Bowie to create
"Under Pressure." A No. 1 hit in Britain, the song's distinctive bass line was later
reportedly used by Vanilla Ice for his 1990 rap hit "Ice, Ice Baby." The group's ability
to sell albums began to wane by the mid-1980s after The Works (1984), which
featured the minor hit "Radio Ga Ga."

As a live act, Queen continued to draw huge crowds around the world. One of their
most notable performances was in 1985 at the Live Aid charity concert. Simply
dressed in a tank top and jeans, Mercury led the crowd through some of the band's
greatest hits with great energy and style. He got the thousands of music fans at
London's Wembley Stadium to chant along to "We Will Rock You." For many who
watched the event live or on television, Queen gave one of the top performances of the
day-long event, which was organized by singer and activist Bob Geldof and
songwriter Midge Ure to raise money for victims of famine in Africa. Inspired by the
event, the band wrote the hit "One Vision."

In addition to his work with Queen, Mercury released several solo albums, including
1985's Mr. Bad Guy. He also collaborated with opera singer Montserrat Caralle for
1988's Barcelona.

Before his death

Mercury had done some work in the studio with Queen. These efforts were released in
1995 on Made In Heaven, the group's last album with all the original members. Gone
but clearly not forgotten, this collection of Mercury's final performances reached the
top of the British charts. In 2001, Mercury and the rest of the band received special
recognition for their contributions to American music history when they were
inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Achmad Hakiki
( X Mia 3)