Freddie Mercury - Inductee

"When I'm dead, I want to be remembered as a musician of some worth and substance."

- Freddie Mercury

Born in 1946 to Bombay-born Parsi parents living in Zanzibar, Farrokh Bulsara’s musical talent first revealed itself during his early years as a pupil at an English-style boarding school in India. It was at St. Peter’s School, Panchgani that he anglicised his name to Freddie. The violent Zanzibar Revolution of 1964, during which thousands were slaughtered, sent the Bulsaras running for their lives to England, where relatives took them in. Freddie studied Graphic Design and Illustration at Ealing College of Art, graduating in 1969 at the age of 23. His adoration of Jimi Hendrix led him to join a series of bands. The most promising, Smile, metamorphosed into Queen. It was then that he abandoned his family name for the surname ‘Mercury’. His distinctive baritone voice, his ability to extend his three-octave vocal range with a variety of vibrato and distortion techniques, his strutting, seductive showmanship and his ability to connect with his audience made him one of the most thrilling rock performers of all time. Musically diverse, courageous and endlessly experimental, Queen’s studio albums showcased a string of songs that both confounded and celebrated all genres. Every member of the band wrote hits. Freddie penned ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, ‘Crazy Little Thing Called Love’, ‘We Are the Champions’, ‘Killer Queen’.  ‘Radio Ga Ga’ was drummer Roger Taylor’s. ‘Another One Bites the Dust’ and ‘You’re My Best Friend’ were bassist John Deacon’s, while guitarist Brian May wrote ‘We Will Rock You’. In 1985, as part of a superstar line-up, Freddie and Queen stole the show at Live Aid, the global-jukebox fundraiser for African famine relief. Always private about his sexuality and personal relationships, Freddie never came out during his lifetime. Wishing to be remembered for his music alone, he chose not to announce his HIV diagnosis. He spent the final months of his life as a recluse, nursed by close friends. On November 23 1991, he admitted in a statement that he had AIDS, and died the next day, aged 45. The Great Pretender lives on in the hearts, minds and memories of millions.