Brian May
Birthday: July 19, 1947
Birthplace: Twickenham, England
Height: 6' 1.5" (186.7 cm)
Talents: Guitars, synths, vocals
Favorite song: "Tracks of my Tears" by Smoky Robinson and The Miracles
Favorite actor: Clint Eastwood
Favorite drinks: Guinness
Brian joined his first band in July 1964 and they named themselves 1984. Brian played lead guitar. At one of their shows at Whitton Murray Parkhill Brian met a chap called Tim Staffell.
The group rehearsed at Chase Bridge Primary School. Tim eventually joined the group to play harmonica and take on the job of lead vocalist.
On October 28th the band gave their first performance at Twickenham St Mary's Church Hall. Through constant hard work they became very popular and played many shows. Their first show at Imperial College was during October of their first year together as 1984.
The group recorded some songs onto a tape recorder and used these recordings to enter a competition.
In 1967 on May 13th they returned to Imperial College to support the legendary Jimi Hendrix.
A month later on 28th June Brian was at London Abbey Road studios working with Left-Handed Marriage on some recordings. A month later on July 31st he went into London Regent Sound Studios for more recordings with this group.
On 29th September thanks to the tape recordings they performed at Croydon Top Rank Club and won the competition!
Christmas Eve that year they performed at the huge London Olympia at 5 in the morning!
Three months into 1968 the band decided to go their separate ways. 1984 split!
Later that year in the October Brian and Tim decided to forma new group and placed an ad on the notice board of Imperial College asking for a drummer. Later that month a guy named Roger Meddows Taylor applied and became the third an final member of the trio they were to name Smile.
Smile
Smile's first show was on October 26th 1968 at Imperial College supporting Pink Floyd. They went down a storm.
February 27th the following year they played at London's Royal Albert Hall. This was in aid of the National Council for the Unmarried Mother and her Child. The show was arranged by Imperial College.
Roger took the group down to his home territory in Truro and there they played many shows.
They used to take along a friend of theirs called Fred Bulsara and he would attend as many of their shows as possible,
On April 19th at a show at London speakeasy Club they met up with Mercury Records A & R man Lou Reizner who signed them up to the label. In June they were in Trident Studios recording their own material.
In August a single was released Earth but only in the USA. The following month they were asked to record once again - this time at De Lane Lea Studios.
By the end of the year they performed at the infamous Marquee in London.
Spring of 1970 Tim decided to leave the band and Brian and Roger were gutted!
They weren't down for long as their friend Freddie had a bigger idea for the three of them to form a new band!
Facts:
* Brian and his father literally built his famous guitar, Red Special partly from a fireplace.
* Brian is so overprotective of his Red Special that when he was travelling by plane once he bought a seat for specifically for it! Makes you wish you were guitar!
* Brian was seriously ill in 1974, when he collapsed with Hepatitis in the middle of their US tour, which had to be cancelled. Recovering from the illness, Brian recorded his bits on Sheer Heart Attack in-between rushes to the bathroom!
* No one who knew him believed Brian wrote "Son and Daughter" because it had the word "shit" in it.
* Not a follower of fashion, Brian is also famous for his long curls and clogs which he's been wearing for so long that he actually saw them come back into fashion!
* Brian is a collector of early stereographs and still partakes in astronomy.
* Brian is a vegetarian.