Brian May
The astrophysicist who built his own guitar and used it to compose some of rock's most majestic and beloved anthems with Queen.
Born 1947 (age 79)·English musician·Birthday: July 19·Baby Boomers
Biography
Brian May is a man of dual, extraordinary passions. As a PhD student in astrophysics at Imperial College London, he was also hand-soldering his iconic electric guitar, the 'Red Special', with his father from spare parts. That guitar became the weapon of choice for Queen, the band he co-founded with Freddie Mercury. May's layered, orchestral guitar work—a sound he called the 'wall of guitars'—provided the monumental foundation for hits like 'We Will Rock You', 'Bohemian Rhapsody', and 'Who Wants to Live Forever'. His songwriting blended hard rock with music hall and operatic grandeur. After Mercury's death and Queen's initial hiatus, May eventually returned to his academic studies, completing his PhD in 2007 and becoming a published astrophysicist. He has since served as a science team collaborator on NASA missions, all while maintaining Queen's legacy with touring and curation, embodying a rare fusion of rigorous scientific mind and unrestrained rock star heart.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Brian was born in 1947, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Brian Was Born
The biggest hits of 1947
#1 Movie
The Egg and I
Best Picture
Gentleman's Agreement
Brian's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1947Born
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1952Started school
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1960Became a teenager
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1963Could drive
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1965Could vote
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1968Turned 21
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1977Turned 30
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1987Turned 40
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 50
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 60
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 70
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 79 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Co-wrote and performed on Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody', a song that revolutionized music video and studio production.
- Built his signature 'Red Special' guitar by hand with his father, using wood from a 19th-century fireplace.
- Co-wrote anthems like 'We Will Rock You', 'The Show Must Go On', and 'I Want It All' that defined Queen's sound.
- Earned a PhD in astrophysics from Imperial College London in 2007 and has published peer-reviewed research on interstellar dust.
Did You Know?
He is a committed animal welfare activist and founded the Save Me Trust to protect UK wildlife.
An asteroid, '52665 Brianmay', is named in his honor.
He appeared on the children's television show 'The Muppet Show' with Queen in 1977.
He was the chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University from 2008 to 2013.
“I'm not a person who's particularly satisfied. I'm always looking for something else, something more.”
