When Queen was formed in 1970 by Brian May, Roger Taylor, and Freddie Mercury, they hired bassist John Deacon the following year, and their iconic lineup was set to truly excite millions of music fans worldwide. Prior to Mercury’s 45-year-old death in 1991, the band put out 14 studio albums and rose to prominence globally.
Given that they are among the bands with the highest lifetime sales, the statistics simply serve to reinforce that. It is believed that they have sold between 250 and 300 million albums globally. In addition to their skill as musicians, Brian May and the other band members have always had a wide range of musical tastes, which is evident in their records.
Throughout the years, May—one of the most renowned and significant guitarists in Rock and roll history—spoke frequently about other musicians. At one point, he even referenced a musician he wished they had met in person.
The guitarist that Brian May said he wished he had met
At the age of sixteen, Brian’s father, an electronics expert, assisted him in building his first guitar, which launched his career. He had a mix of ability and a distinct guitar style that no one else in the world possessed, which allowed him to consistently produce a distinctive sound from the instrument he dubbed “The Red Special.” Intriguingly, he also liked to play the guitar with a penny rather than a pick. It therefore gave him a more unique tone.
May always gave credit to all the guitarists who helped shape his style. However, he was also observing the musicians that had emerged throughout time. He developed a fondness for the late American blues singer and guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan in the 1980s. Active on Instagram, the British guitarist shared a video of SRV in 2019 and complimented the artist, stating that he wishes he had met him.
“Ow ow ow !!! Listen to those wonderful juicy notes !! This is a man to stan ! This is the kind of guitar playing that melts me. Stevie Ray Vaughan, lost in a world of his own. He allows his fingers to be a channel for the burning passions inside him.”
He added, “Like Jimi Hendrix, he effortlessly makes his guitar sing to us, speak to us of wonders beyond words. Even with both hands behind his back !!!! I so wish I had met SRV. But one of the favourite moments in my life was when one of his friends told me, after he was gone, that he liked my playing. But this man was truly one of guitar playing’s greatest champions. An elemental monster. Check him out, all ye who would bend strings !!.”
Seven years younger than Brian May, Stevie Ray Vaughan was born in 1954 in Dallas, Texas, in the United States. Before Double Trouble’s 1983 first album was published, he was a member of several bands during his early years. Queen was one of the largest bands in the world at the time, having toured for 13 years. Regretfully, they were unable to share a room with one another. However, as May said, they were impressed by one another’s creative output.
Following the release of five highly acclaimed albums and several collaborations with musicians such as David Bowie, Vaughan, unfortunately, passed away in a helicopter crash in 1990. He had only recently sober up at the age of 35. SRV is still regarded as one of the musicians that contributed to the Blues’ renaissance in the 1980s. He was essential in resurrecting the careers of some long-gone, great performers in that genre.
His first two albums are still regarded as two of the best albums of the 1980s. They are “Couldn’t Stand The Weather” (1984) and “Texas Flood” (1983). John Mayer presented him with his Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction in 2015.