Brian May personal life. Queen guitarist Brian May: “The issue of alcoholism and drug addiction was not on our agenda. Quoted by Brian May

Date of publication: 07 September 1999

Brian May is the legendary guitarist of the band QUEEN, whose guitar playing was the band's calling card as much as Freddie Mercury's vocals ( Freddie Mercury). Many believed that on the first albums the musicians used synthesizers - Brian's guitar sounded so diverse. How did he achieve such a unique sound? That's what his guitar sounds like whole orchestra from different instruments, then with the effect of a three-voice unison. Where did this extraordinary guitar come from?

B Ryan Harold May was born on July 19, 1947 in Hampton, Middlesex, England. At the age of five he began learning to play the piano and banjo. However, Brian soon switched to the guitar, which seemed to him a more expressive and “yielding” instrument. For his seventh birthday, he received an acoustic guitar as a gift, but the new instrument was too big for his childish fingers. Then Brian started reworking it to suit himself and give it an electric sound. He put pickups on it and played through a homemade amplifier. Some time passed, and Brian was no longer satisfied with playing an acoustic guitar with pickups; he dreamed of a Fender Stratocaster, but his family could not afford it. So Brian decided to make his own guitar, calling on his father to help.

Both had experience working in wood and metal, and Brian also had a penchant for physics. Brian decided that if he was going to make his own guitar, it should completely satisfy him in every way. "I started with a classical Spanish guitar and started experimenting to see how the sound changed. I didn't want my guitar to sound like a Fender. I also knew I wanted 24 frets and could never understand why people settled on 22... "

His guitar, called the Red Special, took two years to complete. Two years of experimenting with sound and form. The neck was made from a piece of mahogany wood cut from a 200-year-old fireplace beam, the body was made from solid oak, the tuning heads were made from old mother-of-pearl buttons, and the metal parts were made from parts from an old motorcycle. The cost of all these materials was only £8. After much experimentation, Brian realized that instead of a standard pick, it was more convenient for him to play with an ordinary English six-pence coin. “I feel like it gives me closer contact with the strings and more control over them when playing.” This coin has been out of circulation since the early 70s. But in 1993, the Royal Mint agreed to print coins with Brian's image so that he could continue to use them as a pick. The Red Special is featured on almost all of QUEEN's studio hits, and Brian still prefers to use his fireplace guitar in the studio and live.

Sometimes Brian picked up other guitars - a Fender Telecaster for the song "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", an acoustic twelve-string for "Love Of My Life" and "Is This" The World We Created?.."; sometimes played branded copies of his guitar and other electric guitars.

And yet, the matter did not end with the production of Red Special. Brian was not satisfied with the sound of any amplifier. "I had an exact idea of what I wanted my guitar to sound like, but I could never quite achieve it. I was lucky that, thanks to my father, I knew roughly what was going on inside these amps. I wanted the amp to sound clean and expressive on low tones and the individual notes sounded less like distortion and more like a violin. I tried a friend's Vox AC30 one day and knew it was it from the moment I got it home and plugged it in. what love! Soon I bought another Vox AC30, and then another, and as the size of the room where we performed grew, so did the number of amplifiers. Of course, in very large rooms we used monitors, making do only. one amplifier." The band's bass player John Deacon helped Brian perfect the Vox AC30. Brian still uses these amps today.

Meanwhile, Brian, while studying music, did not even think about neglecting his studies. He entered the Faculty of Astrophysics at Imperial College, won a scholarship and completed his studies with flying colors. But, having received a degree in physics, he did not stop. Brian began to specialize in the field infrared radiation in astronomy. His second passion after music was astronomy, and he kept it “in reserve.” Later, when asked what he would be doing now if he had not met the members of QUEEN, he will say that he would be an astronomer. But a different fate awaited him.

We can say that Brian is the founder of the group QUEEN, although the name was invented by Freddie Mercury. Brian was invited to other groups, but he never betrayed his “Queen”. In addition to QUEEN, he played in the group "1984" and "Smile", which featured another member of the future QUEEN - Roger Taylor. Brian May is the author of such hits as "Keep Yourself Alive", "Tie Your Mother Down", "We Will Rock You", "Save Me", "Who Wants To Live Forever". The idea to write the songs "I Can't Live With You", "I Want It All" and "The Show Must Go On" also came to his mind.

Despite the flow of energy emanating from him on stage, in life Brian May is most often a serious, slightly sentimental and vulnerable person. He did not always get along with the extravagant lead singer and handsome drummer of the group. On several occasions, the group's existence was called into question due to these conflicts. But respect for each other and love for music kept them together.

When after tragic death Freddie Mercury in 1991 QUEEN broke up, Brian started solo career. True, back in 1983 he recorded an album with other famous musicians - “Star Fleet Project”. Other works include the album "Back To The Light" (1992), "Live At The Brixton Academy" (1994) and the latest on this moment 1998 album - "Another World". This album contains a lot different material: from the rather heavy "Cyborg" to the lyrical ballads "Why Don't We Try Again" and "Another World". Soon after the release of the album, Brian May went on a world tour, during which he visited Russia for the first time. "We wanted to go to Russia in the 80s, when QUEEN still existed, but they didn’t let us in. Elton John and Cliff Richard had already performed there, but we were too wild a group for them." And in November 1998, Brian May and his band performed in St. Petersburg and Moscow. He was accompanied on tour by no less famous musicians Stars: Eric Singer (Kiss), James Moses (Duran Duran), Neil Murray ( Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Whitesnake). The folk group "White Day" played as a warm-up act and amazed everyone with their performance of "Bohemian Rhapsody" on balalaikas and harmonicas. In addition to songs from the new album, Brian also performs famous QUEEN songs. In an interview after the concerts, Brian said that he was amazed by the warmth of his reception by Russian QUEEN fans.

Brian recently recorded the soundtrack for the film Pinnochio. He is no stranger to the classics; he wrote the music for the play Macbeth based on Shakespeare. Although the guitar is his favorite instrument, Brian, like the rest of QUEEN, can play the piano and keyboard instruments. Brian once said, "I love playing the guitar. I sometimes start doing something else, go away from it a little, but then I think, 'God, I can't live without the guitar,' and I go back to the guitar. It's my favorite instrument." .

Brian Harold May was born on July 19, 1947, in Hampton, London. He attended the local Hampton School and graduated in Physics and Mathematics from Imperial College. May named his first band, Nineteen Eighty-Four, after novel of the same name George Orwell.

The next musical group, Smile, appeared in 1968. In addition to Brian, the band was represented by Tim Staffell, and later by Roger Taylor, also a member of Queen. The legendary Queen formed in 1970: with Freddie Mercury, pianist and lead vocalist; May, guitarist and vocalist; John Deacon, bass guitarist; and Roger Taylor, drummer and vocalist.

Brian wrote international hits for Queen such as "We Will Rock You", "Fat Bottomed Girls", "Who Wants To Live Forever", "I Want It All" and "The Show Must Go On", as well as such iconic compositions , like “Save Me”, “Hammer to Fall”, “Brighton Rock”, “The Prophet’s Song”, etc. As a rule, most of the songs from Queen albums were written by either Mercury or May.

After Mercury's death in 1991, May voluntarily came to a clinic in Arizona. He explains his decision: "I considered myself sick, completely sick. I was exhausted and in pieces. I fell into a deep depression. I was consumed by a sense of loss." Determined to deal with his pain, Brian tried to fulfill himself as best he could, including finishing his solo album, Back to the Light, and going on a promotional tour. The guitarist often noted that he considered creativity “the only form of independent therapy.”

At the end of 1992 it was officially created group The Brian May Band, which on February 23, 1993, with a renewed lineup, went on a world tour - both as a headliner and as an opening act for Guns N "Roses. In December 1993, May returned to the studio, where, together with Roger Taylor and John Deacon worked on the tracks included in "Made In Heaven", the final studio album Queen.

May received an honorary Doctor of Science degree in November 2002 from the University of Hertfordshire. The musician took part in the BBC program "Sky at night", hosted by Brian's longtime friend, English astronomer Patrick Moore. Friends, co-authored with Chris Lintott, released the book “Big Bang! Full story Universe" (“Bang! – The Complete History of the Universe”).

In 2007, Brian completed his dissertation in astrophysics and successfully passed the oral exam. On April 14, 2008, May became rector of Liverpool John Moores University, where he remained until March 2013. The musician was awarded the Armenian Order of Honor in 2009, and the following year received an award from the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) for his contribution to animal welfare.

April 18, 2011 Lady Gaga ( Lady Gaga) confirmed that May will play guitar on her track "You and I" from the album "Born This Way". In June 2011, Brian performed in Tenerife with the German band Tangerine Dream at the Starmus festival, organized in honor of the 50th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's first space flight.

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In August 2012, Queen performed at the closing ceremony of the London Olympics. May played a solo segment of "Brighton Rock" before joining Taylor and Jessie J for their timeless hit "We Will Rock You."

The very first musical instrument The one Brian learned to play was the banjolele that appears in the song "Bring Back That Leroy Brown" by Queen. For "Good Company," May used a ukulele that he bought in Hawaii. The musician also used other strings, such as a harp, and bass instruments in recording tracks (for some demos, solo works and albums from the Queen + Paul Rodgers project).

Although Queen's main pianist remained Freddie Mercury, May occasionally served as keyboardist, including on the songs "Save Me", "Who Wants To Live Forever" and "Save Me". Since 1979, Brian has played synthesizers, organ (tracks "Let Me Live" and "Wedding March") and programmable drum machines - both for Queen and for third-party projects, his own and others.

May is an excellent vocalist. From the album "Queen II" to the album "The Game" by Queen, according to at least, for one song, Brian was always the lead vocalist. He was the composer, along with Lee Holdridg, of the mini-opera Il Colosso for Steve Barron's 1996 film The Adventures of Pinocchio. This opera was performed by May together with Jerry Hadley and Sissel Kyrkjebo.

From 1974 to 1988, Brian was married to Chrissie Mullen. The couple had three children: James (better known as Jimmy), Louise and Emily Root. Brian and Chrissie's divorce was made public by British tabloid newspapers. The media claimed that the musician had an affair with actress Anita Dobson, whom he met in 1986. Dobson and May formalized their relationship on November 18, 2000.

Brian stated in an interview that he suffered from severe depression in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The condition was so serious that the Queen guitarist considered solving his problems by committing suicide. Peace of mind May was rocked by problems in his first marriage; a painful feeling that he is unable to properly fulfill the duties of a father and husband; absence touring activities, as well as the death of his father Harold and the illness and death of Freddie Mercury.

Throughout its entire May's life collects stereo photographs from the Victorian era.

The asteroid 52665 Brianmay and the dragonfly Heteragrion brianmayi are named after the musician.

A 2012 Guitar World reader poll ranked May second on its list of the greatest guitarists of all time.

Biography of Brian May / Brian May

Brian Harold May born July 19, 1947 in Hampton, a suburb of London. He began playing guitar at the age of seven, and at 15 he was rehearsing with amateur groups. Your famous guitar Red Special Brian May designed it himself with the help of his father. Oak boards from a 200-year-old fireplace, parts from an old motorcycle and mother-of-pearl buttons were used. Red Special took part in the recording of most of Queen's songs and faithfully serves her creator to this day.

Musical career of Brian May / Brian May

Brian May Graduated from the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics of London Imperial College. In 1964, he organized a student group called " 1984 "in honor of the novel George Orwell. In 1968 the group broke up, and together with the vocalist and bassist Tim Staffel Brian May decided to collect new line-up. I responded to the ad Roger Taylor, dental student at Imperial College. A new group was named Smile. They performed in London pubs and educational institutions and gained their own fans.

Slime left in 1970 Tim Staffel, and took his place Freddie Mercury . Updated group was renamed queen. It existed with unchanged composition until 1991.

Queen's first album was released in 1973, including four songs written by Brian May. World fame brought the musicians a second disc called queenII, and the album released in 1975 ANightAtTheOpera created a real sensation and is still considered one of the best albums of all times and peoples.

Brian May has written many of Queen's hits. He wrote the song " WeWillRockYou", which has become the anthem of many football clubs and has been repeatedly used in films and television. Brian May also owns the composition " Fat Bottomed Girls», « 39 », « Tie Your Mother Down», « Who Wants to Live Forever" And " I Want It All" He is also the author of the hit " ShowMustGoOn", which has become one of the most famous songs in rock music.

Brian May uses a sixpence piece as a pick. They went out of circulation in the late 70s, but in 1993, the Royal Mint released a small batch especially for the musician.

After Queen split in 1991, Brian May began solo career. His album " BackToTheLidht"was released in 1992 and had big success. Later the disc " Resurrection", and within tour album " AnotherWorld» Brian May visited Russia for the first time, giving concerts in St. Petersburg and Moscow.

Mid 2000s Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor decided to revive queen. They invited Paul Rogers, former lead singer of bands Free And Bad Company, and went on a world tour in 2005. Was recorded in 2008 new album entitled " The Cosmos Rocks" Simultaneously with the release of the album, a world tour began, during which the musicians visited Kyiv and Moscow. In 2012 Brian May And Roger Taylor went on tour again, this time they were accompanied by an American singer as a vocalist Adam Lambert, reality show finalist American Idol.

Brian May is the founder of the Save Me Foundation and has been working to protect animals from cruelty for many years. In particular, the musician opposes the repeal of the law prohibiting the “blood sport” of hunting foxes and other animals with dogs.

Personal life of Brian May / Brian May

The musician's first wife was Chrissie Mullens, their marriage lasted from 1976 to 1988. They have three children: Jimmy (1978), Louise (1981) and Emily Ruth (1987). In the early 90s, Brian May began dating an actress Anita Dobson, at the end of 2000 they legalized their relationship.

Brian May's solo discography

Star Fleet Project (1983).
Back To The Light (1992).
Resurrection (1994, released only in Japan).
Live At The Brixton Academy (1994).
Another World (1998).
Red Special (1998, released only in Japan).
Furia (2000).

He attended Hampton High School. Graduated from the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics at Imperial College London. He has a number of publications on astronomy, and also wrote a Ph.D. thesis and defended it only almost 40 years later, since the fame of the Queen group set aside the musician’s scientific career.
I became interested in the guitar at the age of 7. In 1963, he began building his own guitar with his father. Money for a Fender Stratocaster young musician there wasn't, but that didn't stop Brian. I came across a beam from an 18th century fireplace and parts from an old wardrobe. Buttons and parts from an old motorcycle were also used. Two years later the product was ready. This is how the Red Special guitar was born, which cost the musician only 8 pounds.
Brian said about creating his guitar: “I started with a classical Spanish guitar and started experimenting to see how the sound changed. I didn't want my guitar to sound like a Fender. I also knew I wanted 24 frets, and I could never understand why people settled on 22."
Music career Brian May started in 1968. At first he was in the group Smile, which later regenerated into Queen.
Brian May on the band's favorite album: “They were all important milestones in our development. My personal favorite will always be Queen II because it was a huge leap forward... the biggest leap we've ever taken in our history. Suddenly we had the ability to control all the power and knowledge that we had accumulated, and we also had the money and time to use it.”
Now I'm Here, We Will Rock You, Dragon Attack, I Want It All, God Save The Queen, Hammer To Fall and many other Queen songs were written by Brian May.
His main instrument to this day is the Red Special, but the musician uses a number of other guitars during performances and in the studio: Gibson Flying V, Fender Telecaster, Gibson Les Paul Deluxe, Fender Stratocaster, Gibson Firebird and Ibanez JS. The guitarist's favorite amplifier is the Vox AC30.
A sixpence coin instead of a pick is Brian May's calling card: “I feel like it gives me closer contact with the strings and more control over them when playing. I hold it loose between the big and index fingers, and the index finger is bent.” The coin was withdrawn from circulation in the early 1970s, but in 1993 the Royal Mint specially minted a batch of these coins for Brian May, featuring the guitarist himself.
May on the main thing for a musician: “I believe that the job of a musician is to go everywhere, entertain people and tell the truth as you see it.”
Brian is the tallest member of Queen: his height is 188 cm.
May on the activity: “I’m not one of those who sit on the beaches. I love creating, making things and solving problems. If I wasn't busy, it would be a disaster."
Brian May about his gastronomic preferences: “Yes, I’m a vegetarian, but not a strict one. I don't eat meat at all and I hardly eat fish. Well, except for those cases when there is no choice... But I believe that we are all, one way or another, trying to take some kind of conscious position on this issue.”
He loves Guinness beer and Baileys liqueur, but otherwise does not abuse alcohol, smoking or drugs. Leads a fairly restrained lifestyle.
The musician is an ardent defender of wildlife, donates funds to various projects and helps foundations. Asteroid 52665 Brianmay was named in his honor in 2008.

Brian May is the greatest musician legendary group Queen. He is the author of the most popular songs Queen and is ranked 26th on the list of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.

May's guitar playing became the band's calling card. and was no less recognizable than Freddie Mercury's vocals. Some believed that a synthesizer was used when recording the albums, Brian's guitar solos sounded so varied and unusual.

Brief biography of Brian May

Brian May was born in 1947 in London and graduated from the Faculty of Physics and Mathematics, is an astrophysicist. May was given his first guitar for his 7th birthday, but he built the Red Special guitar on which he performed his most famous guitar solos with his father in 1963. Before Queen formed, Brian played in several musical groups- Nineteen Eighty-Four and Smile. But in 1970, the legendary Queen line-up gathered, which forever entered the history of music.

Brian May is the author of such group hits as"We Will Rock You", "The Show Must Go On", "Who Wants To Live Forever" and others. It was May and Mercury who wrote most of the group's songs. After the death of Freddie Mercury and the breakup of Queen, Brian May embarked on a solo career and recorded 8 successful albums. In addition, the musician is the founder of the Animal Welfare Fund. Brian May was married twice and has 3 children from his first marriage.