Every Member of Queen Studied Impressive Professions Before Dedicating Their Lives to Music
When you think of classic rock anthems that can get an entire stadium on its feet, you think of the band Queen. The band created some of the most iconic rock music of the 1970s and 1980s, including “We Will Rock You” and “We Are the Champions.”
With Freddie Mercury on lead vocal, Brian May on guitar, John Deacon on bass, and Roger Taylor on drums, the band rose to stardom with not only a string of rock hits but also with the look, feel, and stage presence of the band at each concert they played.
However, they could have ended up with very different careers unrelated to music. Each band member actually holds a degree in a different area of study, and if they hadn’t decided to pursue their passion for music, the world could have ended up with another dentist, engineer, graphic artist, and astronomer.
Queen is an iconic ’70s rock band
When rock fans think of Queen, they think of the ’70s classic rock anthems. The band actually got its start with another name. Before Mercury decided to change the name of the band to Queen, they were originally known as Smile. And Smile wasn’t Mercury’s first time up on stage.
In the mid-sixties, Mercury sang in a blues band called Wreckage, according to GQ. It was during this time that Mercury was introduced to Taylor and May, who had already established Smile. Once the band built a following, they became best known for their hits such as “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “Another One Bites the Dust,” “Radio Ga Ga,” and “We Will Rock You.”
Queen was also known for its collaboration with other top artists of the 1970s and 1980s. They collaborated with David Bowie for “Under Pressure,” which is sometimes better known for its bass line that is also included on Vanilla Ice’s track “Ice Ice Baby.” Mercury also recorded a series of duets with Michael Jackson, but those songs were originally never released, and only one has been released in 2014 on Queen’s compilation album, according to Biography.
Each bandmember had a different career path before joining Queen
According to Domesticated Companion, each band member of Queen had a different career path in mind before they started with the band. May studied astronomy, holding a Ph.D. in physics and astronomy that took him some time to complete. He didn’t finish his Ph.D. until 2007.
Deacon received a bachelor’s degree in electronic engineering. Taylor went to medical school. There he began studying dentistry, but instead, he switched to studying biology. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from East London Polytechnic.
Mercury, influenced by his parents and their desire to see their son succeed in a career, started to study art in West London. After switching to graphic art and design, Mercury graduated with a two-year diploma in 1969. Between the time of his graduation and the start of his rock star journey, he worked part-time as a baggage handler at Heathrow Airport.
Mercury put his graphic arts education to good use for the band
Although the other members of the band had trained for other professions before the inception of the band, none of their degrees directly related to what would become their rock star careers. However, Mercury was able to integrate his graphic design knowledge into creating Queen’s logo, according to Smooth Radio.
The logo features each band member’s zodiac sign, plus a Phoenix rising above the rest of the animals in what resembles a classic British coat of arms and has been dubbed by fans as the Queen Crest. It is featured on the band’s album sleeves as well as on most of their band merchandise.
