Freddie Mercury

Singer, songwriter

• Born: September 5, 1946
• Place of Birth: Place of birth: Stone Town, Zanzibar, Tanzania
• Died: November 24, 1991
• Place of Death: Place of death: Kensington, London, England

Freddie Mercury was the lead singer of the popular rock band Queen and is widely considered one of the most iconic rock stars of the 1970s and 1980s, known for both his strong vocal range and his influential, theatrical stage presence. He performed with Queen for more than two decades, launched a solo career, and also worked with other artists as a musician and a producer. His legacy lived on after his death from AIDS in 1991.

Background

Freddie Mercury was born Farrokh Bomi Bulsara on September 5, 1946, in Stone Town, Zanzibar, Tanzania. His father worked for the British government; this afforded the family a more privileged lifestyle than most others in Zanzibar. Mercury attended St. Peter’s Church of England School, an English boarding school in India, where he developed his love for music and art. He took piano lessons and later played the instrument in rock bands formed with friends. In 1964, Mercury’s family fled to England to escape the political unrest in Zanzibar.

Mercury then attended the Ealing College of Art and became enamored with the musical stylings of Jimi Hendrix. He befriended the members of the band Smile and sometimes hung out at the band’s rehearsals. Throughout the 1960s, Mercury joined a few other bands, and he began singing in addition to playing the piano and keyboard.

Mercury was about to give up on his musical aspirations, when in 1970, the lead singer of Smile quit. The band, which at the time consisted of guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor, joined forces with Mercury. With influences from Led Zeppelin, Hendrix, the Beatles, David Bowie, and T. Rex, the band Queen was born, with Mercury debuting as its lead showman. Queen later added John Deacon as bassist.

Life’s Work

In the early 1970s, Mercury issued a solo single, "I Can Hear Music," with Queen backing him, under the pseudonym Larry Lurex. It was not very popular. Queen followed with its self-titled debut album in 1973. The band toured to support the album, and Mercury donned a flamboyant stage look—complete with theatrics, outrageous clothing, makeup, and black nail polish—and a persona to match. He instantly made Queen stand out from the other bands of the time. Fans rushed to see the spectacular performances, and Queen quickly gained a loyal following worldwide.

Queen released Queen II and Sheer Heart Attack in 1974, but the band was elevated to major stardom with the single "Bohemian Rhapsody" (written by Mercury) from the 1975 album A Night at the Opera. Building on this breakthrough success, the band released the subsequent studio albums A Day at the Races (1976), News of the World (1977), Jazz (1978), and Live Killers (1979). These contained several Mercury-penned anthems that would go on to become classic rock standards, including "Killer Queen," "Somebody to Love," "We Are the Champions," and "Don’t Stop Me Now." Meanwhile, Mercury shocked fans in the late 1970s when he traded in his glam rock look for short hair, a mustache, and leather clothes. He also worked outside of Queen, and in 1979, he performed with the Royal Ballet—a lifelong dream of his.

In 1980, Queen released The Game, which notably contained the disco-influenced song "Another One Bites the Dust." The band had one of its most successful tours and then changed gears to further delve into dance music. The result, the album Hot Space (1982), was a colossal failure, however. Queen quickly returned to its former style, releasing The Works (1984) and A Kind of Magic (1986). The band continued to tour and turned out an unforgettable performance at the Live Aid benefit concert in 1985. However, Queen’s popularity with American fans in particular began to wane.

Mercury released his first solo effort, Mr. Bad Guy, in 1985. Meanwhile, however, his personal life was increasingly dominated by drug and alcohol use. He also began to show signs of health problems, and by the end of the decade he was diagnosed with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Mercury initially decided to keep the diagnosis private and continued to focus on his music career, although rumors spread throughout the press. He released the solo singles "The Great Pretender" and "Time" and worked on the album Barcelona (1989) with opera singer Montserrat Caballé.

Mercury returned to work with Queen for the 1989 release of The Miracle, but due to his deteriorating health, he stopped touring around this time. He next worked with Queen on Innuendo (1991), but by this time, he was very ill. On November 23, 1991, he publicly announced he had AIDS. He died the next day at his home in London.

After Mercury’s death, Queen’s surviving members and other performers, including Elton John, Metallica, and David Bowie, held a tribute concert. The proceeds benefited the Mercury Phoenix Trust charity to benefit AIDS research. Queen completed some of Mercury’s unfinished tracks and released them as Made in Heaven in 1995. In addition, his solo tracks were compiled into several albums.

In the twenty-first century, several box sets compiling Mercury’s music, videos, and more were released. A biographical film about Mercury and Queen's rise to fame, the Golden Globe–winning Bohemian Rhapsody, was released in November 2018. The film soon became the highest-grossing musical biography of all time, although some observers criticized aspects of its portrayal of Mercury. It was also credited with sparking a resurgence of popularity in Queen's music, with the soundtrack album reaching number three on the Billboard 200 chart.

Impact

Mercury earned a reputation as a consummate showman and entertainer, helping to develop the public image of a rock star amid the music innovations of the 19870s and 80s. He captured the attention and hearts of many fans throughout his life. After his death, his memory lived on as he continued to inspire numerous musicians who have tried to imitate and replicate his iconic voice and style. Mercury's high-profile battle with AIDS is also credited with helping to educate the public on the disease at a time when not much was known about it.

Personal Life

Mercury, who was known to be relatively shy despite his larger-than-life stage persona, had romantic relationships with both women and men. He remained close friends with one of his early girlfriends, Mary Austin, for his entire life. He also was linked to Jim Hutton, a longtime partner who was with Mercury when he died. Upon his death, Mercury left his house to Austin, and she scattered his ashes in an undisclosed location.

Bibliography

Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Queen Biography." AllMusic, www.allmusic.com/artist/queen-mn0000858827#biography. Accessed 26 Sept. 2024.

Gilmore, Mikal. "Queen’s Tragic Rhapsody." Rolling Stone, 7 July 2014, www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/queens-tragic-rhapsody-234996/. Accessed 26 Sept. 2024.

Kaufman, Gil. "'Bohemian Rhapsody' Highest-Grossing Music Biopic Ever: Report." Billboard, www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/8490275/bohemian-rhapsody-highest-grossing-music-biopic-ever. Accessed 7 Jan. 2019.

Levine, Nick. "Who Was the Real Freddie Mercury?" BBC, 10 Oct. 2019, www.bbc.com/culture/article/20191010-who-was-the-real-freddie-mercury. Accessed 26 Sep. 2024.

Prato, Greg. "Freddie Mercury Biography." AllMusic, www.allmusic.com/artist/freddie-mercury-mn0000130028#biography. Accessed 26 Sept. 2024.