Born on July 19th 1947, Queen's guitar player is also (as strange as it may seem) a respected astrophysicist with a Phd, although his music has made him abandon the idea of a scientific carrer for more than three decades. Best known for his curly hair, early passion for clogs and one of the most distinctive and superb guitar sounds in the history of modern music, Brian May began playing when he was just a kid. And as his family couldn't afford a Les Paul or Stratocaster guitar, Brian and his inventive father began building in the summer of 1963 their very own guitar. What might have seemed a crazy idea would prove to be a success, although the project took almost two years. Nick-named Red Special and having an unique and impossible to replicate sound, the guitar has been through thick and seen, having been heard not only on Queen and various solo albums, but also during more that 700 gigs played together with Freddie, Roger and John. After more that 30 years, the "old lady" was carefully restored in 1998 and seems to be able to rock for some more decades.
Before playing with Queen, Brian May was in several smaller outfits, such as 1984, Left Hand Marriage, and together with the future Queen drummer, Roger Taylor, and Tim Staffell would establish a new group, called Smile. Not very succesfull, but it would prove to actually be Queen "in nuce".
A long-time Hendrix fan (like his bandmate and friend Freddie Mercury), May has often spoken about the huge influence that the musician had upon him in the early years, as well as The Beatles, The Who, Led Zeppelin.
Brian May likes to play his guitar, both in the studio and on stage, using six-pence coins for plucking the strings. And he always has some in his pockets.
One of the best composers of the band, he wrote the words and/or music for some of the best Queen songs: Tie Your Mother Down, Who Wants to Live Forever, Save Me, Hammer to Fall, We Will Rock You, '39, Scandal, Show Must Go On.
He made his solo debut in 1983, with an EP called Star Fleet Project, but it would take almost a decade and the passing of Mercury that he returned to his solo recordings and launched his first LP, Back to the Light, in 1992. A good and interesting album, it was supported by a rather lengthy and succesful tour.
Photo: rollingstone.com
