Description
Queen – A People’s History is compiled from over 500 fan memories, Queen – A People’s History tells the Queen story through previously unpublished eyewitness accounts.
The book has been put together by Manchester music historian Richard Houghton, who said:
‘Queen are one of the biggest bands of the last 50 years. No band ever had a front man quite like Freddie Mercury. And never has the Queen story been told this way before, in the words of fans.’
Queen formed in 1970 when vocalist Freddie Bulsara joined Brian May and Roger Taylor’s band Smile. With the addition of bassist John Deacon, Queen went from college gigs to supporting Mott the Hoople’s British and American tours before becoming headliners in their own right with hit singles such as ‘Seven Seas of Rhye’ and ‘Killer Queen’. With the global chart topper ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ in 1975, Queen conquered the world.
Richard Houghton said:
‘My book includes memories of a very early Queen gig, where there was literally no one in the audience, through to the big American tours of the late 1970s following the success of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, the global success of ‘Under Pressure’ with David Bowie and the American number one hit single, ‘Another One Bites the Dust’, and onto Live Aid, where they stole the show with their exuberant 20 minute performance in front of a worldwide TV audience of 1.9 billion.’
The book ends with memories of the huge stadium tour of 1986 that concluded at Knebworth Park in front of 150,000 exultant fans and fans’ reflections on the death of lead singer Freddie Mercury in 1991.
Richard Houghton said:
‘This book is a celebration of Queen and of Freddie Mercury, who was arguably the most charismatic front man that pop music has ever seen.’
Queen – A People’s History is published on 3 December 2021 – containing over 250 black and white images of Queen and Queen fans. It is available to order now.
