Freddie Mercury

Who is Freddie Mercury?

Freddie Mercury, born Farrokh Bulsara in Stone Town, Zanzibar, then a British protectorate and now part of Tanzania, became the lead vocalist, pianist, and primary showman of the British rock band Queen. Born into a Parsi family whose father worked as a cashier for the British Colonial Office, he spent part of his childhood attending boarding school in India before his family fled Zanzibar for England in 1964 amid the political upheaval of the Zanzibar Revolution. In London he studied graphic art before co-founding Queen in 1970. With his four-octave vocal range and flamboyant stage presence, he helped the band achieve global fame through albums such as "A Night at the Opera" and songs including "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "We Are the Champions." His 1985 Live Aid performance is frequently cited as one of the greatest live performances in rock history. Though his career unfolded almost entirely in Britain, his birthplace in Stone Town is preserved as a heritage site and remains a point of cultural pride and tourism in Zanzibar, Tanzania.

Sources: Lesley-Ann Jones, Freddie Mercury: The Definitive Biography, Hodder & Stoughton, 2011 · Mark Blake, Is This the Real Life?: The Untold Story of Queen, Da Capo Press, 2010 · BBC News, "Freddie Mercury's Zanzibar birthplace draws fans," 2016