Queen's Golden Jubilee

On the 50th anniversary of the iconic band’s founding, members Brian May and Roger Taylor talk about luck, legacy and Freddie Mercury.

- By David Chiu

GUITARIST BRIAN MAY CAN STILL REMEMBER the moment when he first realized his band were on their way. It happened in 1973 when Queen played at London’s Imperial College, where he’d been a student and had been on the school’s entertainment committee. “We booked Jimi Hendrix to play in the Great Hall for 1,000 pounds,” he says “And then came the day when we played that hall. I don’t think we were paid as much as 1,000 pounds, but it was our gig, it was full, and we went on. And for the first time, the audience knew every song. That was a big thrill, an amazing rush of energy and belief.”

Fifty years since the original Queen lineup of May, drummer Roger Taylor, bassist John Deacon and singer Freddie Mercury got together, the British band’s popularity is undiminished. Their ‘70s and ‘80s rock anthems not only still get radio airplay on, but have also been featured on TV commercials and at sporting events. Three decades after Mercury’s death, Queen are still attracting new audiences, buoyed by the 2018 biopic smash Bohemian Rhapsody.

Throughout this year, the members of Queen have been marking their golden anniversary through a number of campaigns, including a 50-part weekly YouTube series highlighting notable moments in their history; the reissue of their first