Roger Taylor
Birthday: July 26, 1949
Birthplace: King's Lynn, Norfolk, England
Height: 5' 10.5" (179.1 cm)
Talents: Drums, percussion, synths, vocals
Favourtie actor: John Hurt
Favourite actress: Maggie Smith
Favourite singer(s): Bruce Springsteen, U2
Favourite drink: Vodka, and good expensive white wine
In July 1957 he joined his first band The Bubblingover Boys. It was a skiffle group and he played ukulele. They didn't last long and their final performance was at Rogers school Bosvigo School in Truro.
Six years later in 1963 he joined The Cousin Jacks and this time played rhythm guitar. They played a handful of gigs including some for the local Liberal Party.
The following year he joined a trio named Beat Unlimited. This time he played drums and occasional guitar. The groups name changed to The Falcons. He left this group in February 1965.
Within a month he joined Johnny Quale and The Reactions. He played drums and immediately performed with them at Truro City Hall on March 15th at the 'Rock N Rhythm Championships'. He performed in front of 1,000 people - his biggest audience to date. The group came 4th in the competition.
By the end of September he was their lead vocalist as well as their drummer. The group then changed their name to The Reaction. The band became quite established on the Cornwall circuit.
Roger became psychedelic and on New Years Eve poured petrol on his cymbals and lit them during the show!
In March 1966 the band once again entered the 'Rock N Thythm Championship' competition and won! The group then became known as Reaction. By end of September it was back to The Reaction!
During November of that same year Roger went into Wadebridge Sound Studios for his first experience at recording.
The whole of 1967 was spent gigging with the band.
Sadly on 1st September 1968 Roger left The Reaction and his final show was at Trevallas Port in a thunderstorm.
In October once Roger had moved to London a friend of his told him their was an ad at Imperial College asking if a drummer was interested in joining a new band....
Smile went on to play many gigs and earned a great reputation.
Sadly in April 1970 it all came to an end and Smile split and Roger was left with no band to play in. But - a friend of his had an idea...
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:
* Roger has a fear of spiders.
* Roger shaved his legs for the "I want to break free."
* The woman in the "Breakthru" video is Debbie Leng, Roger's future girlfriend and mother of three of his children.
* One time at a gig in the 70's, Roger was pissed about something and completely trashed his kit, nearly hitting Freddie.
* Roger has a dragon tattoo on his upper left arm (?)
* A certain Brian May and Tim Staffell went along to his flat to see him play and after auditioning was asked to join a band called Smile.