Numerous people in music have made an impact, whether it was by pioneering a certain movement or bringing a community together. Freddie Mercury is one of those people. Even though he died before any current Armijo students were born, he continues to be a notable figure and a huge influence in the world of Rock.

Born Frederick Bulsara on September 5, 1946, on Zanzibar, an East African Island, Mercury spent a lot of his childhood in India where he attended St. Peter’s boarding school. He was artistically inclined at a young age and formed a small band where he played the piano.

In 1964 he and his family moved to Middlesex, England and soon he attended Ealing College of Art where he became the vocalist in a band called Wreckage. He was introduced to drummer Roger Taylor and guitarist Brian May, who were founding members of the band Smile. When Smile’s lead vocalist left, the band took on the name Queen and Mercury joined Taylor and May as their lead vocalist. Twenty years later their final member and bassist, John Deacon joined the band and completed their lineup.

On July 13, 1973, the band released their self-titled debut album, which is now known as one of the most famous albums in rock music. At first they failed to get recognition beyond the United Kingdom, but their third album, Sheer Heart Attack, got them recognition in the United States.

When Bohemian Rhapsody was released in 1975 (yes, that’s the same song that was used in the 1992 movie Wayne’s World and the title of the 2018 biopic about Freddie Mercury), it topped the UK charts and undeniably became their most well-known song. With all the attention they received from the release of Bohemian Rhapsody, Queen slowly began to gain an audience past the UK.

By the early 80s, Queen had become very popular in the rock community. They would perform in huge venues on stage with flamboyant costumes. Their most notable performance was at Live Aid in 1985.

In the mid 80’s Mercury began to focus on solo projects and released many albums. In the early 90’s he began to focus on projects with Queen again and released Innuendo in 1991, but on November 23 of that year, he publicly announced that he had been struggling with AIDS. The next day he passed away.

Mercury’s passing impacted many people. He was regarded as one of the legends in rock. A year later, a tribute concert for him and an AIDS fundraiser were held by the members of Queen. Although it’s been 30 years since his passing, he’s still remembered as a talented singer who had an amazing stage presence and was a defining figure in the history of rock and roll.

His songs and his voice have continued to impact our current generation. In addition to Bohemian Rhapsody being featured in Wayne’s World, other songs have been featured in recent movies, like Another One Bites The Dust in Iron Man 2 (2010), and Under Pressure in Atomic Blonde (2017)