Brian May
Queen guitarist and songwriter Brian May shares a life in music, astronomy, stereo photography and animal welfare, from the Red Special’s sound to new collaborations and discoveries.
At 100 nudges, fangea sends Brian’s team an official invite.
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Latest
Brian’s happenings, collected from public sources, plus his backstory and Starbook, where fans write.
Known for
Queen
Overview
- Born
- 19 July 1947 · Twickenham, England
- Known for
- Queen guitarist, songwriter and solo artist
- Breakout
- Queen’s Sheer Heart Attack (1974) and A Night at the Opera (1975)
- Beyond music
- Astrophysics, stereoscopic photography and animal welfare
Mini bio
How it started.
Brian’s parents bought him an acoustic guitar as a child. Starting in 1963, he and his father Harold built the Red Special in their spare-bedroom workshop, using hand tools and materials they had available. It became the guitar at the centre of his sound.
Finding Queen.
Queen’s early years took Brian from university research to touring. Sheer Heart Attack found audiences on both sides of the Atlantic in 1974, followed by A Night at the Opera and Bohemian Rhapsody in 1975. His own songs include We Will Rock You, Save Me and Who Wants to Live Forever.
His own voice.
Brian stepped forward as a solo singer and guitarist with Back to the Light in 1992, followed by Another World in 1998. Away from recording, he helped shape the stage musical We Will Rock You and has continued collaborating with singer Kerry Ellis.
Other worlds.
He returned to his unfinished astronomy research and earned his astrophysics PhD at Imperial College London in 2007. He also heads the London Stereoscopic Company, designs OWL stereo viewers and campaigns for British wildlife through the Save Me Trust.
Creditschronological, newest first
Music
- 2026Death WakeGuest guitarist with Tony Iommi
- 2026My Angels Are CallingLead vocalist, lyricist and co-composer
- 1998Another WorldSolo artist
- 1992Back to the LightSolo artist
- 1977We Will Rock YouSongwriter and Queen guitarist
Books and photography
- 2025Islands in Infinity: Galaxies 3-DCoauthor with Derek Ward-Thompson and J-P Metsävainio
- 2017Queen in 3-DAuthor and stereo photographer
Awards
Quotes
Nature doesn’t ask anything of us, it simply gives us space to be ourselves, and the power to heal…Brian May, Huckleberries patron announcement
Shared after visiting Huckleberries, which announced him as its patron in October 2026.
Trivia
- He uses an old sixpence as a guitar pick.
- The Red Special was a father-and-son project built with hand tools.
- He played God Save the Queen from Buckingham Palace’s roof for the Golden Jubilee in 2002.
- His OWL viewer lets readers see the stereoscopic photographs in his books in 3-D.
Find Brian
Follow Brian for music, space, stereo pictures and the causes he cares about.
Are you Brian May?
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