Brian May

While Freddie Mercury was the flamboyant soul of Queen, Sir Brian May was its sonic architect. A man of quiet intensity and immense intellectual depth, May is one of the few individuals in history to successfully balance the life of a world-class rock guitarist with that of a professional astrophysicist. To understand Queen is to understand the unique, orchestral roar of Brian May’s guitar.

A Guitar Like No Other

The most defining element of Brian May’s career is his instrument, the "Red Special." Unlike other rock stars who bought their guitars from shops, Brian and his father, Harold, built his from scratch in 1963.

They used wood from an 18th-century fireplace mantel, motorcycle valve springs, and a knitting needle.

To get his signature "biting" tone, Brian famously eschews plastic picks, opting instead to play with a sixpence coin. This homemade guitar has been his primary instrument for over 60 years, creating a sound that is entirely inimitable.

1. The legendary 'Red Special' (BM1), meticulously crafted from an 18th-century mahogany fireplace mantel

2. A young Brian May and his father, Harold, completing the construction of the Red Special in their family workshop in 1963

3. Brian May’s unique attack and tone are achieved not with a standard pick, but with an antique British sixpence coin

1. The original 'Deacy Amp,' built by bassist John Deacon. This small, battered unit was the building block for Queen’s intricate guitar orchestrations

2. Brian May in studio 1970s, wearing headphones

2. Brian’s operatic guitar solo in the "Bohemian Rhapsody"

The Orchestral Guitarist

May’s contribution to Queen was his ability to treat the guitar like a choir. In the era before synthesizers were common, Brian used a "Deacy Amp" (built by bassist John Deacon) and multi-track recording to layer dozens of guitar parts. This created the "guitar orchestrations" heard on tracks like "Killer Queen" and "Bohemian Rhapsody," where the guitar mimics the sound of woodwinds, brass, and operatic vocals.

"We Will Rock You": The Science of a Hit

Brian May is the songwriter behind some of the most recognizable anthems in human history. His most famous creation, "We Will Rock You," was born from a desire to involve the audience. Drawing on his scientific mind, he calculated the exact delays needed for thousands of people stomping and clapping in a stadium to create a massive, unified sound without it turning into acoustic chaos.

2. Queen Wembley Stadium crowd clapping 1986

3. Brian May acoustic guitar 12 string live

1. A proud Dr. Brian May at his graduation ceremony at Imperial College London in 2007"

2. Tenerife Observatory in the Canary Islands saw Brian May working in 1971 on his coelostat, a flat-mirror instrument that tracks the sky

3. Astrophysicist Dr. Brian May is recognized during a July 17, 2015 New Horizons science briefing at NASA Headquarters

Dr. May: From Rock Stars to Real Stars

In the early 1970s, Brian put his PhD in Astrophysics on hold to pursue Queen. Decades later, he returned to his studies, proving that it is never too late to follow a passion.

In 2007, he finally earned his PhD from Imperial College London, submitting a thesis on zodiacal dust.

Since then, he has worked as a science team collaborator with NASA’s New Horizons mission (Pluto) and the OSIRIS-REx mission, helping to create 3D stereo images of distant asteroids.

The Gentle Knight and Activist

In 2023, Brian was knighted by King Charles III, becoming Sir Brian May. Beyond music and science, he is a fierce advocate for animal rights. Through his organization, Save Me Trust, he campaigns tirelessly against fox hunting and the culling of badgers in the UK.

1. HM King Charles III bestows the honor of Knight Bachelor upon Sir Brian May at Buckingham Palace in 2023

2. Sir Brian May, co-founder of the Save Me Trust

3. Brian May playing guitar on Buckingham Palace roof, 2002

Brian May in 2026

Today, Sir Brian remains the guardian of the Queen legacy. Whether he is performing on top of Buckingham Palace, advocating for wildlife, or analyzing data from deep space, he remains a symbol of the "Renaissance Man"—proving that one can reach for the stars both through a telescope and a stack of amplifiers.