Compact Timeline Guide To Queen’s Career 1946 – Present

The British rock band Queen has proved to everyone that they can conquer the world through music. With their sheer talents and charming personalities, they sure aimed at the right spot of fame and fortune. Below are the iconic events inside the Queen’s career, how they rose to stardom, and how they managed to maintain their legendary impact.

 

September 5, 1946 – Frontman Freddie Mercury was born in Zanzibar. His birth name was Farrokh Bulsara.

July 19, 1947 – Guitarist Brian May is born in Middlesex, England.

July 26, 1949 – Drummer Roger Taylor is born in Norfolk, England.

August 19, 1951 – Bassist John Deacon is born in Leicester, England.

June 27, 1970 – The quartet changed their band name Smile to Queen and played for the first time under that name.

April 9, 1973 – Queen, performed their first concert at the Marquee Theater in London. It was the first concert they’ve done after signing with EMI records.

November 12, 1973 – Queen held their first tour in Leeds, England. They were the opening act for Mott the Hoople.

March 1, 1974 – Queen started their first-ever tour as a headline at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool. It was reported that the tickets were as low as £1.

April 16, 1974 – Queen made their American live debut in Denver, Colorado. They were an established front act to Mott the Hoople during this point.

May 16, 1974 – The US tour didn’t last long when Brian May came down with hepatitis.

November 30, 1974 – Fortunately, Brian May got better for the following months of treatment and the group proceeded to record songs. After the release of the album Sheer Heart Attack, the band went on to tour again.

November 10, 1975 – Queen shoots their iconic “Bohemian Rhapsody”, a single from their A Night at the Opera album. The success of the song skyrocketed the band to fame.

November 29, 1975 – at the UK charts, “Bohemian Rhapsody” charted the top spot and remained there for 9 weeks.

December 10, 1976 – The release of their 5th studio album A Day At The Races in the UK. For the US, it was released on December 18.

July 10, 1977 – “We Will Rock You” / “We Are the Champions” single was released and blew the entire world over and is often used as a stadium anthem.

September 17, 1978 – Queen put on a bicycle race with professional models in the nude during their video and cover art shoot for their “Bicycle Race” single.

October 13, 1978 – “Fat Bottomed Girls” / “Bicycle Race” single was released.

November 16, 1978 – They replicated their infamous “nude bicycle” shot to promote their single in Madison Square Garden in New York.

December 22, 1979 – The series of concerts for the people of Kampuchea launched and were held at Hammersmith Odeon in London. Among the rockers present were the Who, Paul McCartney, Queen, and Rockestra.

October 4, 1980 – “Another Bites The Dust” topped the US charts for 3 weeks.

December 5, 1980 – The movie Flash Gordon premiered in theaters. The movie made use of Queen’s “Flash” as their theme song.

November 21, 1981 – Queen and David Bowie joined forces to create “Under Pressure”. It topped the UK charts, and was Queen’s 1st chart-topper since the hit “Bohemian Rhapsody”.

September 15, 1982 – The last US Concert by Queen with Mercury was held at the Los Angeles Forum. Michael Jackson joined the group backstage.

January 11, 1985 – Queen together with Iron Maiden and Whitesnake performed on the first day of the Rock In Rio festival.

July 13, 1985 – the Iconic Live Aid concert was held in Philadelphia and London to raise money for the Ethiopia famine. They were joined by the legendary artists of the century.

August 9, 1986 – Queen held their very last concert with Freddie Mercury as their frontman. It happened at Knebworth Park Festival in England.

June 3, 1989 – the 13th album of Queen The Miracle hit the top spot in UK album charts.

February 18, 1990 – the last public appearance of Freddie Mercury happened during the BRIT awards as the group collected the BPI award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music.

November 23, 1991 – Freddie Mercury issued a statement confirming he has AIDS. He called for help in fighting this disease.

November 24, 1991 – Freddie Mercury dies in AIDS-related pneumonia. He was 45 years old.

November 27, 1991 – Mercury’s funeral was held in London and was attended by Mercury’s close friends and family in a small ceremony.

December 21, 1991 – “Bohemian Rhapsody” topped the UK charts subsequently after the death of Freddie Mercury.

February 14, 1992 – “Bohemian Rhapsody” was later used for the movie Wayne’s World.

April 20, 1992 – the remaining members of Queen held a concert to raise awareness and money for AIDS. Among the performers were David Bowie, Elton John, Guns N’ Roses, etc.

May 29, 1992 – “We Are the Champions” was re-released as a single when the principal at Sacred Heart School in Clifton, New Jersey, didn’t allow the 8th graders to perform the song for their graduation. The gesture became an issue and radio stations were flooded with requests to play the song.

November 6, 1995 – “Made In Heaven”, the whole result of the fragmented pieces from Mercury’s work before he died was released.

November 18, 1995 – “Made In Heaven”, Queen’s final album, topped the UK charts.

March 19, 2005 – Queen performed with Paul Rodgers on vocals, during the 46664 Festival in George, South Africa. Queen + Paul Rodgers was their moniker during the show.

November 16, 2006 – Queen’s Greatest Hits became the best-selling album in Britain, replacing The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

May 12, 2007 – A schizophrenic left a letter in Brian May’s home, blaming him for his mental illness and also threatened to kill him. May asked for police protection.

August 23, 2007 – Brian May finally earned his Ph.D. in astrophysics at London’s Imperial College.

November 19, 2007 – May became a chancellor of Liverpool’s John Moores University.

June 30, 2012 – Queen held their first tour with American Idol winner Adam Lambert on lead vocals.

June 8, 2016 – Brian May wrote a statement on his website, heavily opposing Donald Trump’s use of “We Are The Champions” during his campaign events.

November 2, 2018 – The famous “Bohemian Rhapsody” biopic starring Rami Malek was released in cinemas.

February 24, 2019 – Queen + Adam Lambert opened the Academy Awards with the “We Will Rock You” and “We Are the Champions” medley. Their biopic won a total of 4 awards.