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Freddie Mercury, lead singer from Queen, died of AIDS related
causes in London on the 24th November, 1991. Immediately, the remaining members of Queen
and their manager, Jim Beach, took the decision to raise money and awareness for AIDS in
his memory. The Mercury Phoenix Trust was founded to distribute the money raised by the
Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness, which took place at Wembley, on 20th
April, 1992.
Since 1992, Queen have been responsible for donating more than £4 million in the
fight against the AIDS crisis to over 100 different charities in countries in Europe,
Africa, Asia and America.
Collaboration has been realised with groups as far removed as the World Health Organisation to grass-root organisations run by voluntary workers in Uganda, Kenya and India. The Trust is supporting the UK based skin disease charity START, with special research into ichy folliculitis, and is working with the Royal Marsden Hospital in London on research into Karposi's Sarcoma. Medical supplies have been shipped to Mother Teresa's sisters of charity in Calcutta. Also the Trust works with various fan-based charities around the world in coordinating their local AIDS fundraising activities.
In the UK, the first National Street Collection commenced in
November 1994. This street collection was fan initiated and has now become an annual
event.
With the release of the album 'Made In Heaven', the final Queen album featuring Freddie
Mercury, in November 1995, the Trust benefited from a donation by Queen and their
respective record companies of all profits from the album worldwide on World AIDS Day, 1st
December 1995. November 1996 saw the launching of a Freddie Mercury Photographic
Exhibition in aid of the Trust, which is travelling the world.
With initiatives such as these, the Trust continues its fundraising activities and
intends to keep AIDS awareness in the forefront through the use of Freddie Mercury's name,
magic and music.
The life of Frederick Bulsara began on the East African island of Zanzibar on
September 5, 1946. 25 years later in London, under the name Freddie Mercury, he was
fronting the now legendary rock group named Queen.
The son of Bomi and Jer Bulsara, Freddie spent the bulk of his childhood in India,
where he attended St.Peter's boarding school. He began taking piano lessons at the age of
seven. No one could foresee where a love of music would take him.
The Bulsara family moved to Middlesex in 1964 and from there Freddie joined up with a
blues band called Wreckage while studying graphic design courses at Ealing College of Art.
While singing for Wreckage, a fellow student introduced Freddie to Roger Taylor and Brian
May, founder members of a band called Smile. Smile metamorphosed into Queen when Freddie
joined Roger and Brian to start a new band with himself as the lead vocalist. The final
member of the band, which was to stay together for the next 20 years was bassist John
Deacon.
The rest is rock history. EMI Records promptly signed the band and in 1973 their
debut album Queen was released and hailed as one of the most exciting developments ever in
rock music.
The immortal operatically styled single Bohemian Rhapsody was released in 1975 and
proceeded to top the UK charts for 9 weeks. A song that was nearly never released due to
its length and unusual style but which Freddie insisted would be played became the
instantly recognisable hit. By this time Freddie's unique talents were becoming clear, a
voice with a remarkable range and a stage presence that gave Queen its colourful,
unpredictable and flamboyant personality.
Very soon, Queen's popularity extended beyond the shores of the UK as they charted and
triumphed around Europe, Japan and the USA, where in 1979 they topped charts with
Freddie's song "Crazy Little Thing Called Love".
Queen was always indisputably run as a democratic organisation. All four members are each
responsible for having penned number one singles for the band. This massive writing
strength combined with spectacular lights, the faultless sound, a sprinkling of
theatricality and Freddie's balletic movements made up Queen on stage and on film.
Through Freddie's ability to project himself and the band's music and image to the four
corners of 70,000 seater venues, they became known as the prime developers of stadium
rock, a reputation perpetuated by their pioneering tactics in South America where they
performed to 231,000 fans in São Paulo, a world record at the time. They also became
known as the key innovators of pop videos as their catalogue of 3 minute clips became more
and more adventurous in style, size and content.
Their phenomenal success continued around the globe throughout the 80s highlighted in 1985
by their show stealing and unforgettable performance on stage at Live Aid.
In the mid 80s, Freddie started concentrating on his solo career which was to run in
tandem with Queen ("the mothership") for several albums, commencing with the
1985 release of "Mr. Bad Guy". Freddie's much loved sense of self parody reached
a zenith with his cover version of The Platter's song "The Great Pretender" in
1987, the video of which recorded him descending a sweeping staircase among acres of
identical cardboard cut-outs of himself.
His first major collaboration outside Queen was with Dave Clark for the recording of
London's West End musical Time. This was followed in 1987 with the realisation of one of
Freddie's long term dreams; to record with the world revered opera diva Montserrat
Caballé. The album's title song Barcelona went on to become an anthem for Montserrat
Caballé's home city and the theme for the Olympics in 1992.
Freddie returned to the studios to record Innuendo with Queen in 1990.
On November 24th, 1991, Freddie's struggle against AIDS ended when he passed away just
over 24 hours after he had publicly announced he had the disease. Musicians and fans from
all over the world paid their highest respects as the passing of rock music's most
innovative, flamboyant ambassador signified the end of an era.
Freddie Mercury, who majored in stardom while giving new meaning to the word showmanship,
left a legacy of songs which will never lose their stature as classics to live on forever.
E-mail: luciana@poboxes.com
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