Biography of Freddie Mercury

A man who gains further notoriety posthumously is not a story that is new. But a man who can rekindle

ones appreciation of musical experimentation in this century is far and few in between. Freddie

Mercury was a man that during his tenure as front man of the British rock band Queen, had equal

criticism as he did praise. Freddie Mercury was born Farrokh Bulsara in Zanzibar, Tanzania. He was born

September 5, 1946. Mercury moved from Tanzania, to Mumbai India, where he began to study and play

piano at a young age. From this point it was where mercury found fellow music enthusiasts and became

part of his first band, The Hectics. After reaching only marginal success, Mercury moved to London,

England to study at the Ealing College of Art. During his time in London, he befriended Brian May and

Roger Taylor. Those two men would become the future band mates of Queen. Mercury, May, Taylor and

the addition of John Deacon, would perform their first show in June of 1971. Mercury on lead vocals and

piano, May on guitar and back up vocals, Deacon on Bass guitar, and Taylor playing drums and back up

vocals.

Queen released their first self- titled album in 1973, with moderate success. It wasnt until their third

album titled, Sheer Heart Attack, in 1974 would they would attract listeners even comparable to their

fan base today. The albums single Killer Queen, would reach massive success in not only Europe, but

also The United States. The bands most Iconic track, Bohemian Rhapsody, would showcase on the

bands next album in 1975, A Night at the Opera. Vocal range from male vocalists was not rare for this

era, but Mercurys vocals teamed with the bands excellent variance in melodic style set the band apart

from any other band of the time. They reached great success in the states. All the while generating

criticism from many who thought Queens unorthodox song structure was a display of naivety to musical

composition. Ironically, it is this irregular song structure now draws an example of excellent variance

from modern pop music.

The band continued to have success thanks to the excellent composition and vocals, but also Mercurys

excellent showmanship on stage. The opera influence within the music was also demonstrated on stage

and in the bands music videos. The flamboyancy and theatrical displays from Mercury certainly

contributed to their success. Mercury would often wear elaborate costumes on stage, and was the

epitome of soliciting crowd participation during his elaborate piano playing and multi octave displays of

vocal talent.

The bands album artwork was also influenced heavily by Mercury. The bands 1978 album, News of the

World, featured a modified painting of a robot holding a dead body, originally painted by science fiction

artist Frank Kelly Freas. Mercury was very intrigued by the painting, and his reasoning for associating the

artwork with the album is still open to interpretation.

The ability for Freddie Mercury to be discussed today for his ability to be multi-faceted in musical

composition, vocal talent and range, and showmanship is remarkable. Considering how prolific

alternative and independent musical artists there are currently, Mercurys legacy continuing to stand

prominent as a composer and vocalist speaks for itself.

To conclude why one must speak in the past tense of the lead man for Queen, he died on November 24,

1991, due to complications of pneumonia resulting from AIDS. Mercury was openly bisexual, which drew

even more negative opinion from his critics. Although a positive diagnosis of AIDS at the time would only

hinder his reputation from critics, due to homophobic opinions, Mercury never succumbed to apologies

or regrets for his personal and private lifestyle.