Qu e e n i s a Br i t i s h r o c k b a n d f o r me d i n L o n d o n i n 1 9 7 0 ,

o r i g i n a l l y c o n s i s t i n g o f F r e d d i e Me r c u r y ( l e a d v o c a l s ,
p i a n o ) , Br i a n Ma y ( g u i t a r , v o c a l s ) , J o h n De a c o n ( b a s s g u i t a r ) ,
a n d Ro g e r Ta y l o r ( d r u ms , v o c a l s ) . Qu e e n ' s e a r l i e s t wo r k s we r e
i n f l u e n c e d b y p r o g r e s s i v e r o c k , h a r d r o c k a n d h e a v y me t a l ,
b u t t h e b a n d g r a d u a l l y v e n t u r e d i n t o mo r e c o n v e n t i o n a l a n d
r a d i o - f r i e n d l y wo r k s , i n c o r p o r a t i n g f u r t h e r d i v e r s e s t y l e s i n t o
t h e i r mu s i c .
Be f o r e j o i n i n g Qu e e n , Br i a n Ma y a n d Ro g e r Ta y l o r h a d
b e e n p l a y i n g t o g e t h e r i n a b a n d n a me d S mi l e wi t h b a s s i s t Ti m
S t a f f e l l . F r e d d i e Me r c u r y ( t h e n k n o wn a s F a r r o k h / F r e d d i e
Bu l s a r a ) wa s a f a n o f S mi l e , a n d e n c o u r a g e d t h e m t o
e x p e r i me n t wi t h mo r e e l a b o r a t e s t a g e a n d r e c o r d i n g
t e c h n i q u e s a f t e r S t a f f e l l ' s d e p a r t u r e i n 1 9 7 0 . Me r c u r y h i ms e l f
j o i n e d t h e b a n d s h o r t l y t h e r e a f t e r , c h a n g e d t h e n a me o f t h e
b a n d t o " Qu e e n " , a n d a d o p t e d h i s f a mi l i a r s t a g e n a me . J o h n
De a c o n wa s r e c r u i t e d p r i o r t o r e c o r d i n g t h e i r e p o n y mo u s
d e b u t a l b u m ( 1 9 7 3 ) . Qu e e n e n j o y e d s u c c e s s i n t h e UK wi t h
t h e i r d e b u t a n d i t s f o l l o w- u p , Qu e e n I I ( 1 9 7 4 ) , b u t i t wa s t h e
r e l e a s e o f S h e e r He a r t At t a c k ( 1 9 7 4 ) a n d A Ni g h t a t t h e
Op e r a ( 1 9 7 5 ) t h a t g a i n e d t h e b a n d i n t e r n a t i o n a l s u c c e s s .
The latter featured "Bohemian Rhapsody", which stayed at number one in
the UK Singles Chart for nine weeks; it charted at number one in several other
territories, and gave the band their first top ten hit on the US Billboard Hot 100. Their
1977 album, News of the World, contained two of rock's most recognizable anthems, "We
Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions". By the early 1980s, Queen were one of the
biggest stadium rock bands in the world, and their performance at 1985's Live Aid is
widely regarded as one of the greatest in rock history. In 1991, Mercury died
of bronchopneumonia, a complication of AIDS, and Deacon retired in 1997. Since then,
May and Taylor have infrequently performed together, including a collaboration
with Paul Rodgers under the name Queen + Paul Rodgers which ended in May 2009.
The band have released a total of 18 number one albums, 18 number one
singles, and 10 number one DVDs. Estimates of their album sales generally range from
150 million to 300 million albums, making them one of the world's best-selling music
artists. They received the Outstanding Contribution to British Music Award from
the British Phonographic Industry in 1990, and were inducted into the Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame in 2001.
Some of the musicians that have cited the band as an influence
include Anthrax, Nirvana, Def Leppard, Dream Theater, Extreme, Trivium, Foo
Fighters, Franz Ferdinand, George Michael, Green Day, Guns N' Roses, Iron
Maiden, Journey, Kansas, Katy Perry, Keane, Lady Gaga, Manic Street Preachers, Meat
Loaf, Metallica, Mika, Muse, Mtley Cre, My Chemical Romance, Panic at the Disco,
Queensrche, Van Halen, Radiohead,[ Robbie Williams, Trent Reznor, Steve Vai, Sum
41, Styx, Midge Ure, The Flaming Lips, The Killers, and The Smashing Pumpkins.

The cover album "The Spaghetti Incident?" (1993) was the band's last studio
album to feature Slash and McKagan. After more than a decade of work and many
lineup changes, Guns N' Roses released the long-awaited album Chinese
Democracy (2008) which, at an estimated $14 million in production costs, made it
the most expensive album to ever be produced in music history. It debuted at
No. 3 on the Billboard 200 but underwhelmed industry expectations, despite
mostly positive critical reception.
Guns N' Roses have been credited with reviving the mainstream popularity
of rock music, at a time when popular music was dominated by dance
music and pop metal. Their late 1980s and early 1990s years have been described
as the period in which they brought forth a "hedonistic rebelliousness"
reminiscent of the early Rolling Stones, a reputation that had earned them the
nickname "The World's Most Dangerous Band". The band's classic lineup, along
with later members Reed and drummer Matt Sorum, were inducted into the Rock
and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012, their first year of eligibility.