Brian May
AKA Brian Harold May
Born: 19-Jul-1947
Birthplace: Hampton, Middlesex, England
Gender: Male
Race or Ethnicity: White
Sexual orientation: Straight
Occupation: Guitarist
Nationality: England
Executive summary: Guitarist for Queen
Brian Harold May CBE (born July 19, 1947) is an English guitarist best known as the lead guitarist and backing (sometimes lead) vocalist for the English rock band Queen. As a guitarist, he is known for his memorable riffs and solos, distinctive tone, as well as for the fact that he built (with his father) his own guitar, called the "Red Special". He is also cited as a pioneer of the delay effect. He wrote many of Queen's most famous songs and biggest hits, including "We Will Rock You", "Fat Bottomed Girls", "Tie Your Mother Down", "Who Wants to Live Forever" and "I Want It All"[citation needed]. Because of his musical skills, he is often described as a virtuoso.
May was born in Hampton, in Middlesex, and attended Hampton Grammar School (now Hampton School). He went on to study at the Imperial College London departments of Physics and Mathematics, and was part way through a Ph.D. programme at Imperial College, studying reflected light from interstellar dust and the velocity of dust in the plane of the Solar System, when Queen became successful. He abandoned his astronomy doctorate - temporarily, as it later turned out - but did co-author two scientific research papers: MgI Emission in the Night-Sky Spectrum and An Investigation of the Motion of Zodiacal Dust Particles (Part I), which were based on Brian's observations in Tenerife. As of 2007, he is working on the updating and completion of his Ph.D. He was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) in November 2002 by the University of Hertfordshire, although it is not customary in the United Kingdom for honorary doctors to use the title. Most recently, he was the co-author of "Bang! – The Complete History of the Universe" with Patrick Moore and Chris Lintott, which was published on October 23, 2006.
May was proud upon hearing that Cliff Richard had mentioned in an interview that he would have Brian May in his personal fantasy band. As well as recording with Hank Marvin, May also contributed to the 1996 album Twang!: A Tribute to Hank Marvin & the Shadows, playing FBI. The album featured many other renowned guitarists.
Throughout the last several years, he has overseen the re mastering of Queen albums and various DVD and Greatest Hits releases. In 2004, he announced that he and drummer Roger Taylor were going on tour for the first time in 18 years as "Queen", along with Free/Bad Company vocalist Paul Rodgers. Billed as "Queen + Paul Rodgers", the band has played throughout 2005 and 2006 in South Africa, Western Europe, Japan, and North America.
After the early promo tour, Eric Singer replaced Steve Ferrone for the full 1998 world tour. The Band then became Brian May (Lead Vocals & Lead Guitar), Spike Edney (Keyboards), Neil Murray (Bass), Jamie Moses (Guitar), Eric Singer (Drums & Percussion), Susie Webb (Backing Vocals) and Zoe Nicholas (Backing Vocals).
In 2005, Edney and Moses were recruited along with Danny Miranda (Bass) to join the Queen + Paul Rodgers tour, to fill the roles of keyboard player and second guitarist respectively.
