Brian May is a legendary English guitarist and songwriter, widely credited as a member of the rock band Queen . A virtuoso talent whose trademark guitar is the “Red Special” and a sixpence coin (as a pick) are emblematic of May, as is his layered guitar work on many of the band’s top musical numbers. Aside from his artistic leanings, May is also a keen astrophysicist and earned his PhD in 2007. Over the years he has used his fame to promote his much loved animal rights cause with his 2 million followers on Instagram and 1 million followers on Instagram Twitter. He has been married to actress Anita Dobson since 2000.

Born name

Brian Harold May

nickname

Bri

Sun sign

Krebs

Place of birth

Hampton, London, England, United Kingdom

Residence

Windlesham, Surrey, South East England, United Kingdom

nationality

training

Brian studied at Hampton Grammar School in London. During his school years he received 10 GCE Ordinary Levels and 3 GCE Advanced Levels in subjects such as Mathematics, Applied Mathematics and Physics.

He also enrolled at Imperial College London to study Physics and Mathematics and graduated in 1968 with a Bachelors (Hons) degree in Physics. In 1970 he began his PhD before concentrating on his musical career. In 2007 he completed his unfinished PhD thesis entitled “An Investigation of Radial Velocities in the Zodiacal Dust Cloud”. May received his PhD in Astrophysics from a leading college in 2007.

occupation

Musician, record producer, singer, songwriter, author, astrophysicist

family

• Father – Harold R. May (Draftsman for Opinion at the Department of Aviation ) (Died 1991)
• Mutter – Ruth Irving (Fletcher)
• Siblings – None
• Other – Harold May (Paternal Grandfather), Louisa Emma Barrett (Paternal Grandmother)

Manager

Brian is managed by British Duck Productions Ltd. represent.

Genre

rock, rock

instruments

guitar, vocals

labels

• Hollywood Records Inc.
• Parlophone Records Limited

To build

Slim

Height

186,5 cm (6 ft 1½ in)

weight

78 kg or 172 lbs

girlfriend/spouse

Brian May dated –

1. Christine Mullen (1969-1988) – Brian and Christine Mullen crossed paths, the couple were married for over a decade and became the parents of three children – a son named James May (born June 15, 1978) and daughters, Louisa May (born May 22, 1981 ) and Emily Ruth May (born February 18, 1987). Their marriage suffered in the late ’80s and they officially divorced in 1988.
2. Deborah Vidacovich (1974-1978) – During his American tour with Queen , Brian encountered Deborah Vidacovich at a rock and roll bar in New Orleans. He was immediately smitten with Deborah but failed to pursue her as he was hospitalized with hepatitis soon after. The single Now I’m Here He was inspired by his crush, whom he called Peaches in the song. Her stay lasted from April 1974 to October 1978.
3. Anita Dobson (1988-Present) – The Queen ‘s guitarist first spotted EastEnders actress Anita Dobson at a preview of the film Down and Out in Beverly Hills in 1986. The two worked together on Anita’s first album, most notably the song Anyone Can Fall in Love, released August 1986. Her intense attraction was the reason for his divorce from then-wife Christine and the two officially started dating in 1988. They courted each other for twelve years, with their relationship having its own share of drama. In 1999, it was revealed that Brian had cheated on Anita with his secretary, Julie Glover, leading to an unspecified breakup. However, the couple overcame this difficult time and finally tied the knot in a civil ceremony on November 18, 2000 with bandmates Roger Taylor, John Deacon and their three children in attendance.
4. Julie Glover (1999) – Brian had a brief relationship with his secretary Julie Glover in 1999 while he was in a relationship with Anita Dobson.

race/ethnicity

White

He has English ancestry on his father’s side and Scottish ancestry on his mother’s side.

hair colour

Black (natural)

However, due to his advanced age, his hair has turned gray.

eye color

hazel

sexual orientation

Just

distinguishing features

• Extravagant curly hair
• His guitar is called “Red Special”

brand promotion

Music from his band Queen has been featured in commercials for the following brands –

• Ford (Getting Driven By You )
• Pepsi (2004) (With We’ll Sweep You Through )
• Mountain Dew (2000) (With Bohemian Rhapsody )
• dr Pepper (2007) (Contributor I Want It All )
• Coca-Cola (Getting Up I Want to Break Free )
• Carlsberg (Featuring Love Of My Life )
• Viagra (2004) (With We Are the Winners )

Religion

agnosticism

Known for

• His musical work as a guitarist and songwriter with the rock band Queen from 1970 to 1991 until the early death of Freddie Mercury
• To be an accomplished scientist and to make valuable contributions in the field of astrophysics and spectroscopy
• Raising awareness of animal rights and tackling badger culling and fox hunting in the UK

First album

• As a member of Queen – The band released their eponymous debut album Queen in July 1973.
• As a solo artist – His debut album Back to the Light was released in the UK in September 1992 and reached US audiences in February 1993.
• Like Queen + Paul Rodgers – Their debut album The Cosmos Rocks was released on September 15, 2008 to mixed reviews.

First TV show

In 1974 Brian made his first television appearance on BBC Top of the Pops as a member of Queen alongside his bandmates.

Personal trainer

In his own words, Brian has admitted that he’s been abysmal at exercise for most of his life. But decades of living a rock star life caught up with him, and he experienced ongoing body aches in his later years. Then he was motivated to focus on his fitness. He now starts his day with a 40-minute exercise program followed by 10 minutes of meditation. May has credited the mindfulness app Headspace and the 7-minute workout app for maintaining his fitness goals. After struggling with knee problems for years, he underwent knee replacement surgery. He then decided to replace routine routines such as springboks, chair climbs, lunges, and high knees with exercise bikes,

In 2017, Brian had mentioned being a vegetarian, adding that he only consumed meat sporadically. A staunch animal rights activist, he supports veganism and primarily consumes vegan foods, but has admittedly found it difficult to overcome his love of dairy products like cheese. He has expressed a desire to eventually transition fully to a vegan lifestyle.

Brian May favorite things

• Guitar Riff to Play – Tie Up Your Mom
• Song from 1995 album Made in Heaven – Mother ‘s Love
• Scene from the 2018 film Bohemian Rhapsody – When Freddie informs his bandmates that he will be making his solo album
• Queen song to play live – we are the winners , we will sweep you away
• Tier – Fuchs
• Singer – Doris Day
• Song – Secret Love by Doris Day

Brian May Facts

1. Brian built his world famous guitar, the Red, at the age of 16 with the help of his father, who was an electronics engineer. The components for the guitar were handmade materials such as the 18th century mantel, motorcycle valve springs, mother-of-pearl buttons, a knitting needle, shelf binding, etc.
2. On 3 June 2002 Brian played the guitar rendition of God save the Queen on the roof of Buckingham Palace to commemorate Elizabeth II’s golden jubilee.
3. He became the Appointed Commander of the Very Best Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to the music industry and for charitable contributions to the Queen’s Birthday List in 2005.
4. Regarded by many as a virtuoso guitarist, May was listed by Rolling Stone magazine at 26th place in its list of the “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time” in 2011.
5. Rather than using a traditional choice for his homemade guitar, May uses a sixpence coin, which he says gives him more control when playing and produces the best guitar tones. However, since the early 70’s these coins have been phased out so Brian had the US Government custom make the Royal Mint in 1992 with his likeness on these coins.
6. In June 2004, Total Guitar Magazine included 2 of Brian’s guitar riffs in their “100 Greatest Riffs” list. The songs that made the cut were Bind Your Mother Tight at 84th position and A Vision at 60th position.
7. During his 1998 tour, he introduced a new support act, TE Conway. His alter-ego personality sees him appear on stage in a colorful suit and wig reminiscent of a teddy boy crooner. Conway played rock and roll music from the 1950s before giving way to the “real” Brian May. However, the new act was not well received and retired at the end of the tour.
8. He has listed Led Zeppelin , The Beatles , Jimi Hendrix and The Who as his biggest musical influences. His guitar heroes include icons such as Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Rory Gallagher, Steve Hackett and Jimi Hendrix.
9. In 2001 his band Queen was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
10. Brian along with his Queen band members received the 2018 Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
11. In 2002, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Recording was awarded to his band at 6358 Hollywood Boulevard in California.
12. The late ’80s and early ’90s were a particularly difficult time in May as he had to deal with the death of his father, the end of his difficult first marriage, and the illness and subsequent death of Freddie Mercury in a short span of time. He later admitted that he suffered from severe depression as a result and even considered suicide. He overcame this critical period by focusing all of his attention on his music.
13. One of his most successful recent collaborations was with American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert. Queen + Adam Lambert saw Brian May reunite with former bandmate/drummer Roger Taylor, with Lambert on lead vocals. The trio has been touring the world since 2011.
14. May is also known for his role as an animal rights activist. In September 2012 he was appointed Vice President of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA).
15. He was appointed Chancellor of John Moores University in Liverpool in November 2007. He held this position from 2008 to 2013.
16. In September 2015, a newly discovered damselfly species from Brazil was named Heteragrion brianmayi (of the genus Heteragrion, Odonata: Zygoptera).
17. Brian had bought a 157 acre property in Bere Regis, Dorset, became known as “May’s Wood” in 2012. His team has planted around 100,000 trees and over time the site has been transformed into lush woodland.
18. Brian’s lifelong fascination with stereoscopic photography began in his early childhood. His book A Village Lost and Found , published in 2009, contains an annotated collection of 1856 stereoscopic images by Victorian photographer TR Williams Scenes in our village. Co-authored by Elena Vidal, May’s book is accompanied by his personal invention, the OWL focusing stereoscope.
19. Released Queen in 3-D in May 2017, he documents the 50th anniversary of his band’s history through stereoscopic photographs. Containing more than 300 images, it is also the only book about the award-winning band published by one of their members.
20. May worked with NASA scientists on the New Horizons mission to work on the first stereo anaglyph based on images of Ultima Thule (in the Kuiper Belt) taken by the spacecraft.
21. On June 18, 2008 he got an asteroid named after him called 52665 Brianmay.
22. Visit his official website @ brianmay.com.
23. Follow Brian May on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.