Synopsis

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, at age 45.

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 quartetwho Mercury dubbed Queenplayed their first
gig together that June.

Queen
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 costumesoften
featuring skintight spandexand 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 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.