Queen

(Vocal/keyboards: Freddie Mercury (born Frederick Bulsana), b. Zanzibar, Sept. 5, 1946; d. Kensington, Nov. 24, 1991; Lead guitar: Brian May, b. Twickenham, July 19 1947; Bass: John Deacon, b. Leicester, Aug. 19, 1951; Drums: Roger Taylor, b. Kings Lynn, July 26, 1949.) British exponents of glitter ROCK. Led by flamboyant vocalist Freddie Mercury, Queen was one of the most critically reviled but commercially successful outfits in rock from the mid-'70s to the early '80s, whose career enjoyed another bump in popularity in the early '90s.

The group was formed out of the remnants of other bands in early 1971. It produced a series of albums through the mid-'70s, finally breaking through to pop stardom in 1975 with Bohemian Rhapsody, promoted through one of the first rock videos. It was followed by more chart-toppers expressing characteristic bombastic sentiments, including We Will Rock You (1976) and Another One Bites the Dust (1980).

Bohemian Rhapsody was affectionately revived in the film Wayne's World (1992), and the video and song enjoyed another run of success.

The group's popularity waned in the early '80s, however, and it broke up by 1986. Mercury, long rumored to be homosexual, announced just a day before his death in November 1991 that he had contracted AIDS. This led to an overblown tribute concert and renewed Queenmania.