Freddie Mercury: The King of Rock Music

Freddie Mercury Biography

Known for his mock operatic masterpiece “Bohemian Rhapsody”, Freddie Mercury became one of the world’s most versatile and engaging performers in the US. Born on 5 September 1946, Freddie was one of the most talented and innovative singer-songwriters and musicians whose music reached the top of the U.S and British charts during the 1970s and 1980s. He became one of the most popular singers of the rock era.

Freddie Mercury Biography

Name	Freddie Mercury
Birth Place	Stone Town, Sultanate of Zanzibar
Birth Date	5-Sep-46
Education	St. Peter’s School Panchgani
Nationality	British
Occupation	Singer, Songwriter, Record Producer
Genres	Rock
Labels	Columbia, Polydor, EMI, Parlophone, Hollywood

Freddie Mercury Early Life

Mercury was born Farrokh Bulsara in Stone Town in the British protectorate of Zanzibar on 5 September 1946.
His parents belonged to the Parsi community of western India. As a Parsi, Bulsaras practiced Zoroastrianism.
Mercury had a young sister, Kashmira who was born in 1952.
In 1969, Freddie registered himself as a citizen of the United Kingdom after his family emigrated to England.
He learned piano in boarding school in India.
Mercury’s speaking voice naturally fell in the baritone range.

Freddie Mercury Education

In 1954, at the age of eight, Mercury was sent to study at St. Peter’s School in Panchgani near Bombay.
In 1963, Mercury joined his first band, The Hectics.

Freddie Mercury Career

In 1964, Mercury’s family fled to London where he befriended numerous musicians at London’s Ealing College of Art.
In 1969, Mercury joined a group called Ibex as a lead singer.
Before joining Queen band-mates, he also joined several other bands.
In 1973, the band released their first album titled- Queen.
His music caught my eyes after the release of his third album Sheer Heart Attack in 1974.
The popularity of Queen soared through the late 70s and early 80s with A Day at the Races (1976), News of the World (1978), and The Game (1980).
Mercury wrote “Bohemian Rhapsody”, a seven-minute rock operetta for the 1975 album, A Night at the Opera.
In 1984, Mercury released several solo albums including Mr. Bad Guy.
Mercury made a notable performance at the Live Aid charity concert in 1985.

Freddie Mercury Achievements

The sale of Queen’s worldwide record reached as high as 300 million.
Two mercury songs, “We Are the Champions” and “Bohemian Rhapsody” have been voted as the greatest songs of all times by Sony Ericsson.
Mercury was posthumously awarded the Brit Award for his outstanding contribution to British Music in 1992.
Mercury was recognized for his contribution to American music history after his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001.

Freddie Mercury Personal Life

Freddie Mercury lived a lavish lifestyle.
He loved to collect art and spent more than $400,000 on a set of hand-painted china.
Once, Mercury threw a grand party on his birthday and took his friends to the island of Ibiza.