Queen History

With 15 studio albums & millions of albums & Queen tickets sold, Queen has returned with new singer Paul Rogers.

Queen: Smile
Guitarist Brian May and bassist Tim Staffell formed the blues-rock group Smile along with drummer Roger Taylor in 1968. Tim Staffell introduced Brian May and Roger Taylor to his college classmate Farrokh “Freddie” Bulsara. Smile signed to Mercury records in 1969, but the label would not release Smile’s debut album Gettin' Smile until 1982. Smile disbanded when Tim Staffell left the group; Farrokh Bulsara persuaded Brian May and Roger Taylor to continue without Tim Staffell.

Queen: Doing All Right
Farrokh Bulsara later changed his name to the more rock star appropriate moniker Freddie Mercury in the 1970s. Freddie Mercury took over as Smile’s lead singer, and the band changed its name to Queen. Freddie Mercury became well known on stage for his flamboyant onstage antics and remarkable showmanship. In 1971, Queen recruited bass player John Deacon to join the band. Queen released its self-titled debut album on Elektra records in 1973. The critically acclaimed album featured the Queen singles “Keep Yourself Alive” and “Liar.”

In 1974, Queen released the album Queen II. The album hit No. 5 on the UK charts and produced a Top 10 UK single “Seven Seas of Rhye.” Queen II is credited with being Queen’s darkest album and featured fantasy-themed lyrics. Queen was able to play many of the songs from Queen II for fans with Queen tickets during its opening slot on English glam-rock band Mott the Hoople’s U.S. tour in 1974.

Queen: Killer Queens
Queen released their breakthrough album Sheer Heart Attack in 1974. The album peaked in the Top 15 in the U.S., where it eventually sold over 1.3 million copies and at No. 2 in the UK where it sold nearly 1 million copies. The first single “Killer Queen,” a campy, cabaret-inspired number, reached No. 2 on the UK singles chart and placed inside the Top 15 on the Billboard singles chart, their first entry in the US. In 1975, Queen embarked on their first-ever headlining world tour joined by opening acts Kansas and Styx. Queen played over 70 tour dates to eager fans with Queen tickets in North America, Europe and Japan.

Queen: Go Rock Opera
In 1975, Queen achieved its greatest success yet with A Night at the Opera. The album portrayed the many sides of Queen’s music from the hard-rock, sharp-tongued album opener “Death on Two Legs” to the sweet ballad “Love of My Life” and the first of its kind rock opera “Bohemian Rhapsody.” The latter would be come Queen’s biggest hit to date and one of its most memorable songs. In 1975, “Bohemian Rhapsody” topped the charts in the UK and peaked at No. 9 in the U.S. When the song was re-released in 1992, due to its inclusion in the hit film Wayne’s World, “Bohemian Rhapsody” once again ranked No. 1 in the UK and peaked at No. 2 in the U.S.

Queen: Somebody to Love
Queen released A Day at the Races in 1976. The album once again featured the many different musical styles used by Queen. The lead single “Somebody to Love,” like “Bohemian Rhapsody,” features the multi-tracked voices of Freddie Mercury, Brian May and Roger Taylor appearing as a gospel choir. “Somebody to Love” reached the top 15 in the U.S. and No. 2 in the UK. The hard-rock song “Tie your Mother Down” was released as A Day at the Races’ second single.

Queen: Worldwide Success
In 1978, Queen released its seventh album Jazz which spawned the classic Queen songs “Fat Bottomed Girls,” “Let Me Entertain You” and “Mustapha.” In 1980, Queen released The Game, featuring the rockabilly-inspired “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” and bass-driven “Another One Bites the Dust.” The Game reached No. 1 in several countries including Argentina, Australia, Canada, the U.S. and the UK. The Game was Queen’s first album to feature the use of a synthesizer.

By 1981, Queen brought its tour to South America and Mexico, performing for over 1 million fans with Queen tickets to The Game World Tour. Queen’s tour lasted over 17 months and boasted 83 tour dates along the way in North America, Europe and Japan and had Queen tickets flying out of the box office! Fans with Queen tickets were able to hear Queen perform a mixture of its greatest hits including crowd favorites “We Will Rock You,” “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Another One Bites the Dust.”

Queen: The End of an Era
Queen released Innuendo, its last album with singer Freddie Mercury, on February 5, 1991. The album topped the charts in nine countries including the UK and the U.S. Leadoff single “Innuendo” was Queen’s 12th No. 1 single. Innuendo also featured the now classic Queen song “The Show Must Go On.” Freddie Mercury died of complications from AIDS on November 23, 1991. Queen went on to produce Made in Heaven in 1995, featuring leftover vocal tracks made by Freddie Mercury before his death.

Queen: With Paul Rogers
Guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor teamed up with former Free and Bad Company singer Paul Rogers for a Queen reunion tour in 2004. Having retired from music in 1997, Queen bassist John Deacon would not participate. The pairing of Queen + Paul Rogers was a success, leading to the release of the live album Return of the Champions in 2005.

Queen + Paul Rogers performed for hundreds of thousands of fans with Queen + Paul Rogers tickets in hand from North America to Europe and Japan. Queen + Paul Rogers played 66 tour dates over 10 months and performed a variety of songs from both Queen and Paul Rogers’ musical catalogues. Queen + Paul Rogers delighted fans with Queen tickets by performing Queen hits “Tie your Mother Down” and “Love of my Life” as well as the Paul Rogers hit “Feel Like Makin' Love.”

Queen: Paul Rogers 2008
In 2008, Queen + Paul Rogers joined forces again to record The Cosmos Rock. The album features new Queen songs written by Brian May, Roger Taylor and Paul Rogers. Featuring the singles “Say It’s Not True” and “C-lebrity,” The Cosmos Rock album ranked in the Top 10 in a handful of countries. Hopeful fans counted down the days until Queen tickets would go on sale.

Queen + Paul Rogers’ The Cosmos Rock Tour kicked off on September 9, 2008, in Kharkov, Ukraine. The tour will make over 40 stops in Europe, South America and the Middle East, playing for fans with Queen + Paul Rogers tickets. Those lucky fans with Queen + Paul Rogers tickets will hear hits new and old from Queen and Paul Rogers’ back catalogue including “Radio Ga Ga” and “Bad Company.”

Queen: Greatest Hits

• “Killer Queen”
• “Now I’m Here”
• “Bohemian Rhapsody”
• “You’re my Best Friend”
• “Somebody to Love”
• “Tie Your Mother Down”
• “We Are the Champions”
• “We Will Rock You”
• “Bicycle Race”
• “Fat Bottomed Girls”
• “Crazy Little Thing Called Love”
• “Save Me”
• “Another One Bites the Dust”
• “Flash”
• “Under Pressure”
• “Radio Ga Ga”
• “I Want to Break Free”
• “It’s a Hard Life”
• “One Vision”
• “A Kind of Magic”
• “Princes of the Universe”
• “I Want it All”
• “Breakthru”
• “Innuendo”
• “I’m Going Slightly Mad”
• “The Show Must Go On”
• “Heaven for Everyone”