Credit: © Phil Dent, Getty Images

June is LGBTQ+ Pride Month. All month long, Behind the Headlines will feature lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer or questioning pioneers in a variety of areas.

As COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, many people are returning to sporting events. While fans cheer for their teams and order hot dogs from their seats, they will sing such classic songs as “We Will Rock You” and “We Are the Champions.”

These sporting-event anthems were recorded by the rock group Queen, which gained popularity in the 1970’s and 1980’s. Leading this band—just as a captain leads a sports team—was the British rock singer, songwriter, and musician Freddie Mercury (1946-1991). He was known for his soaring, operatic vocals and theatrical stage presence.

Mercury was born on Sept. 5, 1946, in Zanzibar, to Parsi parents from India. His real name was Farrokh Bulsara. He was given the nickname Freddie while attending a British boarding school. Around this time, he began taking piano lessons. He later played in rock and roll bands. In 1964, Bulsara’s family moved to Middlesex, England.

In the late 1960′s, Bulsara attended Ealing Art College in London. Around this time, he befriended several musicians in a local band called Smile. They were lead singer and bassist Tim Staffell, guitarist Brian May, and drummer Roger Taylor. Inspired by the group, Bulsara began singing and playing piano with several rock groups. He joined Smile as lead singer after Staffell left the group. In 1970, encouraged by Bulsara, the group changed its name to Queen. Soon after, Bulsara changed his last name to Mercury. Bassist John Deacon joined the group in 1971.

The group’s first album, Queen, was released in 1973. The albums Queen II and Sheer Heart Attack were released in 1974. The group’s third album, A Night at the Opera (1975) was a breakthrough for the group. It featured the huge hit “Bohemian Rhapsody,” written by Mercury. It has been called one of the greatest songs in rock and popular music. The song is a six-minute musical suite, containing several movements, including a piano ballad section; a layered, operatic vocal passage; and a charging, hard rock segment. A groundbreaking promotional music video accompanied the song’s release. Years before the era of MTV, when music videos became commonplace, Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” video greatly added to the song’s popularity.

Queen combined hard rock and flamboyant (showy) “glam” rock with layered guitars and intricate vocal harmonies. Queen’s many hits include “Bicycle Race” (1978); “Don’t Stop Me Now,” “Killer Queen,” and “You’re My Best Friend” (all 1979); “Another One Bites the Dust” and “Crazy Little Thing Called Love” (both 1980); “Somebody to Love” (1981); “Under Pressure” (with the British singer David Bowie, 1981); and “I Want to Break Free” and “Radio Ga Ga” (both 1984).

Mercury also performed as a solo artist. He recorded the albums Mr. Bad Guy (1985) and Barcelona (1988). He also recorded a number of singles, including “Time” (1986) and “The Great Pretender” (1987).

Mercury died of complications from AIDS on Nov. 24, 1991. Queen was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001.

February 4, 2019

On Feb. 3, 1959, 60 years ago yesterday, a plane crash in the Midwestern state of Iowa took the lives of young rock and roll music stars Buddy Holly, J.P. Richardson (known as the “Big Bopper”), and Ritchie Valens. All three stars had achieved quick success, and their deaths at the early heights of popularity shocked the American public. The lasting impact of the tragedy led singer Don McLean to pen the 1971 hit song “American Pie,” which remembers the rockers’ deaths as “the day the music died.”

Buddy Holly was the most famous of the artists killed in an Iowa plane crash 60 years ago on Feb. 3, 1959. He was 22 years old. Credit: © Pictorial Press Ltd/Alamy Images

Buddy Holly was born in Texas in 1936. He began playing the piano when he was 11 years old but soon turned to playing the guitar. He performed as a country singer during the early 1950′s. In 1957, he and his his band The Crickets gained fame with the song “That’ll Be the Day.” That same year, Holly recorded his first solo hit, “Peggy Sue.” His other hits with the Crickets included “Oh, Boy!,” “Maybe Baby,” and “Rave On.” As a solo artist, Holly recorded the 1959 hits “It Doesn’t Matter Anymore” and “Raining in My Heart.” Holly was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. The Crickets were inducted in 2012.

Rising star Ritchie Valens was just 17 years old when he died in a plane crash on Feb. 3, 1959. Credit: © Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Ritchie Valens was born Richard Valenzuela in Los Angeles, California, in 1941. He taught himself to play guitar and other instruments as a youth, and was influenced musically by his family’s Latin culture. He recorded his first hit song, “Come On, Let’s Go,” while still in high school. His most famous song, the Spanish-language hit “La Bamba,” was the B-side of the hit ballad “Donna.” Valens’s life was dramatized in the 1987 motion picture La Bamba starring Lou Diamond Phillips. Valens was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001.

J. P. Richardson, better known as the Big Bopper, was the oldest of the young artists killed in the 1959 Iowa plane crash: he was 28 years old. Credit: © General Artists Corporation

J. P. Richardson was born in Texas in 1930. Richardson served in the United States Army and worked as a disc jockey at a radio station (where he was known on air as the Big Bopper). He started his music career writing songs for such artists as George Jones and Johnny Preston. In 1958, Richardson recorded the hit song “Chantilly Lace” and became a full-time musician.

In January 1959, Holly, Valens, and Richardson joined the “Winter Dance Party” tour through the northern Midwest. After performing at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, on February 2, the three boarded an overnight plane bound for their next show in Minnesota. The plane crashed in bad weather, killing the pilot and all three musicians. Notable members of the tour who took the long cold bus ride safely to Minnesota instead of the risky flight included guitarist and future country music star Waylon Jennings (a member of Holly’s band at the time) and the group Dion and the Belmonts.

October 5, 2017

On Monday, October 2, American rock music icon Tom Petty died at age 66 in southern California after suffering a cardiac arrest. Petty’s songs—both as leader of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and as a solo artist—topped FM radio charts for several decades. His hit songs included “American Girl,” “Don’t Come Around Here No More,” “Don’t Do Me Like That,” “Mary Jane’s Last Dance,” and “Refugee.”

Tom Petty performs with the Heartbreakers during the halftime show at Super Bowl XLII on Feb. 3, 2008, at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. Credit: © Jeff Kravitz, Getty Images

Petty’s somewhat grainy voice wavered over sharp guitar riffs, and his powerful songwriting gave an anthem quality to many of his songs, which proved both immediately and enduringly popular. Petty sold more than 80 million albums throughout his career, and he headlined arenas and festivals well into 2017.

Petty was born on Oct. 20, 1950, in Gainesville, Florida. Enthralled by rock music in his youth, Petty started his first band while still in high school. Success began with the 1976 debut of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, which featured “Breakdown” and “American Girl.” The band’s third release, Damn the Torpedoes (1979), began a string of top-selling albums that lasted until the band’s breakup in 1987. Petty then played three years with the Traveling Wilburys, a group that included rock legends Bob Dylan, George Harrison, and Roy Orbison.

Petty’s solo 1989 release Full Moon Fever included the smash hits “I Won’t Back Down,” “Free Fallin’,” and “Runnin’ Down a Dream.” In 1991, he rejoined the Heartbreakers for Into the Great Wide Open, which included the title hit song and “Learning to Fly.” Petty’s diverse career expanded to include many artists, but he continued to record with the Heartbreakers. The group’s last album, Hypnotic Eye, was released in 2014. Petty entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002, and he played the 2008 Super Bowl halftime show.

August 16, 2017

Forty years ago today, on Aug. 16, 1977, rock music icon Elvis Presley died suddenly at Graceland, his stately home in Memphis, Tennessee. One of the most beloved entertainers in American history, Elvis’s death shocked and saddened fans around the world. Elvis—the “King of Rock ‘n’ Roll”—was just 42 years old.

Elvis Presley performs in Hawaii in 1973. Credit: © United Archives GmbH/Alamy Images

Elvis Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, in 1935. His talent, good looks, charisma, and sense of humor endeared him to millions of fans during his career, which began in 1954 with the hit record “That’s All Right, Mama.” A string of hits followed over the next 15 years, cementing his super-stardom. His biggest songs included “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Don’t Be Cruel,” “Love Me Tender,” “All Shook Up,” “Teddy Bear,” “Jailhouse Rock,” and “Suspicious Minds.” “Burning Love,” his 20th and last number-one hit, was released in 1974. Presley was also a movie star, making 31 feature films between 1956 and 1969.

Elvis Presley rehearses for a 1956 appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show.” Presley’s appearance on the TV show helped establish him as a national celebrity. Credit: UPI/Corbis-Bettman

Elvis was still at the height of his popularity when he died. In the 1970’s, Presley’s live performances in Las Vegas broke attendance records, and his tours—the last of which concluded less than two months before his death—sold out arenas throughout the United States and in other countries. But the pressures of being the King undermined his health. He began taking pills to sleep, to wake up, and to keep his weight down. Many people believe drugs hastened his early death.

Graceland, in Memphis, Tennessee, is the former home of rock music star Elvis Presley, who died there 40 years ago today on Aug. 16, 1977. The 23-room mansion is one of the most visited buildings in the United States. Credit: © Steve Vidler, SuperStock

Fortieth anniversary events in Memphis began Aug. 11, 2017, and run through August 19—a cumulative “Elvis Week” celebration. Members of the King’s huge fan club met for a commemorative dinner to kick off the week. Memphis—overrun with Elvis fans and impersonators—then hosted a 5K run, a memorabilia auction, panel discussions, and several rollicking concerts. Last night, thousands of people gathered for a candlelight vigil running several blocks around Graceland. Similar events will then finish the week, punctuated by an “ultimate Elvis tribute artist” contest. Events in honor of the King have taken place and continue to be held in many other places as well. On June 26, fans converged on the former site of Market Square Arena in Indianapolis, Indiana, where Elvis—in his by-then trademark white-and-gold jumpsuit—gave his final concert on that day in 1977.

March 21, 2017

Over the weekend, rock fans around the world mourned the loss of American music legend Chuck Berry, who died Saturday, March 18, at his home near St. Louis, Missouri. He was 90 years old.

Chuck Berry helped define the rebellious spirit of rock and roll in the 1950′s. He wrote many hit songs, including “Roll Over Beethoven,” “Rock and Roll Music,” and “Sweet Little Sixteen.”
Credit: © UPI/Bettmann

Berry was one of the earliest and most important writers and performers of rock music. He helped define the rebellious spirit of rock and roll in the 1950′s. His songs, aimed at teenagers, combined lively lyrics with a squawking guitar and pounding rhythm. Such songs as “Maybellene,” “School Day (Ring! Ring! Goes the Bell)” (also known as “School Days”), and “Sweet Little Sixteen” dealt with themes that included cars, young love, and the frustrations of adolescence. Berry often said that his goal was to bridge the gap between races by focusing his songs on topics important to young people regardless of their race. At the time of his death, Berry was recording a new album to be released later in 2017.

Charles Edward Anderson Berry was born on Oct. 18, 1926, in St. Louis, and started playing the guitar during his teens. His first hit record was “Maybellene.” Berry’s other hits included “Roll Over Beethoven,” “Johnny B. Goode” and “Memphis, Tennessee.” In 1961, Berry was convicted under the Mann Act of transporting an under-age girl across state lines for immoral purposes. He served 20 months in prison. The conviction damaged his career, and his popularity declined until 1972, when “My Ding-a-Ling” became one of his biggest hits.

Many critics believe that Berry’s lyrics about the social significance of rock music have made him an important folk poet. Indeed, American songwriter and singer Bob Dylan, who won the 2016 Nobel Prize in literature, once called Berry “the Shakespeare of rock ‘n’ roll.” Berry’s song “Rock and Roll Music” is a stirring tribute to that popular music form. Berry’s style has influenced many rock performers, including the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.

After Berry’s death was announced, Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards, Berry’s greatest protegé, tweeted “One of my big lights has gone out.” Former President Barack Obama recognized Berry’s musical contributions with a commemorative tweet: “Chuck Berry rolled over everyone who came before him—and turned up everyone who came after. We’ll miss you, Chuck. Be good.”

In 1977, Berry gained a measure of cosmic immortality when “Johnny B. Goode” was included on one of the “Golden Records” launched into outer space aboard the Voyager spacecraft. The recordings contain sounds and images selected to portray the diversity of life and culture on Earth, and are intended as messages to any intelligent extraterrestrial life form, or for future humans who may find them.

Berry was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. Chuck Berry: The Autobiography was published in 1987.

October 14, 2016

On October 13, the Swedish Academy in Stockholm, Sweden, awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize in literature to the American composer, singer, and musician Bob Dylan “for having created new poetic expressions within the great American song tradition.” He became the first songwriter to win the award.

Nobel Prize medal (Credit: Nobel Foundation)

Dylan has been one of the most influential songwriters of the past 50 years. He called his early work “finger-pointing songs” aimed at what many people considered the wrongs of society. These early songs, often performed with acoustic guitar and harmonica, included “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “Masters of War” (both 1963) and “The Times They Are A-Changin’” (1964). These songs became anthems that helped galvanize the civil rights movement of the United States and captured the spirit of young American protesters who opposed the country’s involvement in the Vietnam War (1957-1975).

American singer, composer, and musician Bob Dylan won the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature. Credit: © Valerie Wilmer, Camera Press/Redux Pictures

Dylan turned to electronic instruments in 1965, producing one of the greatest of all rock songs, “Like a Rolling Stone.” Dylan recorded many other popular songs, including “Mr. Tambourine Man” (1965), “Subterranean Homesick Blues” (1965), “Rainy Day Women #12 & 35″ (1966), “Just Like a Woman” (1966), “Lay Lady Lay” (1969), “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” (from the soundtrack of the 1973 motion picture Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid), and “Tangled Up in Blue” (1975). Many other artists have recorded Dylan’s songs.

Dylan’s switch from acoustic to electronic music in 1965 angered some of his fans but won him many new ones. Dylan has shifted musical directions several times, such as turning to country music in the late 1960′s and Christian music in the early 1980′s. Today, Dylan continues to explore a variety of musical genres, drawing from folk, blues, country music, jazz, and early rock traditions.

Dylan was born in Duluth, Minnesota, on May 24, 1941. His real name was Robert Allen Zimmerman. After dropping out of the University of Minnesota in 1961, he moved to New York City to meet his idol, folk singer Woody Guthrie.

Dylan has won almost a dozen Grammy Awards. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988. He won an Academy Award for his song “Things Have Changed” from the motion picture Wonder Boys (2000). Dylan received a Pulitzer Prize citation in 2008 for “his profound impact on popular music and American culture, marked by lyrical compositions of extraordinary poetic power.” He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, one of the nation’s highest civilian honors, in 2012.

Other World Book and Back in Time articles

• Popular music
• Back in Time: Popular music (1965)

April 26, 2016

Still reeling from the shocking death of British singer David Bowie in January, the rock music world was again dealt a devastating blow when pop icon Prince died suddenly on April 21. The singer, musician, and songwriter was found unresponsive Thursday morning by Carver County sheriff’s deputies in an elevator of his Paisley Park studio and residence in Chanhassen, Minnesota. The cause of death was unknown. An autopsy was conducted Friday, but authorities said it may be days or weeks before results are complete. A private gathering was held at Paisley Park on Saturday to mourn the musician. He was 57.

Prince is shown performing in concert on Feb. 1, 2007. He died on April 21, 2016. Credit: © Jed Jacobsohn, Getty Images

Tributes to Prince from fans and celebrities alike poured out over social media over the weekend. Even United States President Barack Obama, a noted Prince fan, released a statement on Thursday, calling him “one of the most gifted and prolific musicians of our time.” At a press conference on Friday, the president said that he and his staff listened to Prince’s music ahead of a meeting with British Prime Minister David Cameron later that day. Prince had performed at the White House along with Stevie Wonder at a private concert in 2015.

An electrifying and versatile performer, Prince’s music touched many styles, including rhythm and blues, pop, soul, blues, jazz, funk, and hip-hop. He played guitar, keyboards, and drums. Prince became a rock music superstar in the 1980’s with the hits “Controversy” (1981); “1999” (1982); “Little Red Corvette” and “Delirious” (both 1983); “When Doves Cry,” “Let’s Go Crazy,” and “Purple Rain” (all 1984); “Raspberry Beret” and “Pop Life” (both 1985); “Kiss” (1986); and “Sign O’ the Times” and “U Got the Look” (both 1987). Prince’s fame spread with his starring appearance in the motion picture Purple Rain (1984), for which he won the 1984 Academy Award for best original score. He also composed the soundtracks for several other motion pictures, including Batman (1989), which produced the hit song “Batdance.”

Prince also aroused controversy. He was criticized for the strong sexual nature of his public performances and his song lyrics. In 1993, out of protest against his record label over artist independence, he changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol and then to “The Artist Formerly Known as Prince.” He changed his name back to Prince in 2000.

Prince was born on June 7, 1958, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. His full name was Prince Rogers Nelson. His first album, For You, was released in 1978. Prince played all the instruments on the record himself. He went on to record hundreds of compositions, including many songs that became hits for other performers, including the Bangles, Sheila E., Sheena Easton, Tom Jones, Chaka Khan, and Sinead O’Connor. Prince also produced a number of groups, including the Time and Vanity 6 (whose lead singer, Denise Matthews, died earlier this year).

Prince continued to record and perform live throughout the 1990’s and early 2000’s. His later hits included “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World” (1995), “Call My Name” (2004), and “Cinnamon Girl” (2004). He made a highly praised appearance at the halftime of the National Football League (NFL) Super Bowl in 2007 before an estimated 140 million television viewers worldwide. Prince was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.

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January 11, 2016

The music world was shocked and saddened to learn of the death on Sunday night, January 10, of the British musician, composer, and actor David Bowie, one of the most creative figures in rock history. According to a statement posted to his official Facebook account, Bowie died “surrounded by his family after a courageous 18-month battle with cancer.” Bowie turned 69 on January 8, the same day his 26th studio album, Blackstar, was released.

David Bowie is shown performing in concert on June 19, 1987. He died on Jan. 10, 2016. Credit: AP Photo

Although Bowie had kept news of his illness secret until the announcement of his death, Blackstar was described as a “parting gift” to his fans, according to Bowie’s longtime producer and collaborator Tony Visconti. Writing on his Facebook page, Visconti said: “[Bowie] always did what he wanted to do. And he wanted to do it his way and he wanted to do it the best way. His death was no different from his life—a work of art. He made Blackstar for us, his parting gift.”

In his haunting last music video for one of the album’s songs, “Lazarus,” Bowie sings eerily from his apparent death bed, “Look up here, I’m in heaven/I’ve got scars that can’t be seen.” The song also appears in the off-Broadway musical of the same name by Bowie and Enda Wash that premiered on Dec. 7, 2015. It was inspired by the 1963 science-fiction novel, The Man Who Fell To Earth by Walter Tevis, and it centers on the character of Thomas Jerome Newton, an alien from outer space, famously portrayed by Bowie in the 1976 motion-picture adaptation directed by Nicolas Roeg.

Bowie was born in 1947 in London. His real name was David Robert Jones. He first attracted attention with his hit recording “Space Oddity” (1969). His reputation grew with his album The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972). The album describes the rise and fall of a rock star. Bowie soon became famous for his bizarre, gender-bending costumes in concerts and for his experimentation with many musical styles and themes. His hit records include “Fame” (1975), “Heroes” (1977), “Let’s Dance” (1983), “Modern Love” (1983), “Without You” (1984), and “Day-In Day-Out” (1987). Bowie was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.

Bowie also became a respected actor. He made his motion-picture acting debut in The Virgin Soldiers (1969). In addition to The Man Who Fell To Earth, Bowie’s major films include The Hunger (1983), Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (1983), The Last Temptation of Christ (1988), Basquiat (1995), and August (2008). Bowie also received praise for his performance on Broadway in the drama The Elephant Man (1980). Bowie’s son, Duncan Jones, is a motion-picture director.

Other World Book articles:

• Branson, Richard
• Disco music
• Hadfield, Chris
• Popular music (1972) – A Back in Time article
• Popular music (1974) – A Back in Time article
• Popular music (1983) – A Back in Time article
• Popular music (1984) – A Back in Time article
• Popular music (1986) – A Back in Time article
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February 7, 2014

A television special and performances by numerous tribute bands this weekend will help to mark the 50^th anniversary of an event that changed American rock music forever. Playing against hysterical screams from youthful fans, the Beatles made their highly anticipated American TV debut on the Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964. An estimated 73 million people watched the appearance of the Fab Four–Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, George Harrison, and John Lennon. The audience added up to slightly more than 45 percent of American households with television sets. With that performance, the Beatles, who went on to become the most popular group in rock music history, also launched the “British invasion.” Beatlemania opened the U.S. flood gates for other British bands like the Rolling Stones, the Animals, the David Clark Five, Herman’s Hermits, the Who, the Hollies, the Kinks, Manfred Mann, the Moody Blues, and Gerry and the Pacemakers.

The Beatles debuted on the Sullivan show riding a wave of adulation from young, primarily female, American fans. The group had a number-one hit in “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” and they had charmed the media and their followers with their offhand wit and charisma (as well as their distinctive haircuts and suits).  So the country was primed for the Beatles’ first live U.S. exposure, and the lads did not disappoint.

On the February 9 show, the Beatles sang five songs, though they could scarcely be heard over the roar from their frenzied teenage girls in the audience. The group opened with “All My Loving” and continued with “‘Till There Was You,” “She Loves You,” “I Saw Her Standing There,” and “I Want to Hold Your Hand.”

The Beatles, who became the most popular group in rock history, made their American television debut on Feb. 9, 1964. They were, left to right, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, George Harrison, and John Lennon. (AP/Wide World)

The Beatles were actually reinterpreting American rock ‘n’ roll of the 1950′s. Their performances and recordings included songs by Chuck Berry, Buddy Holly, Carl Perkins, and Little Richard. Lennon and McCartney wrote most of the music for the group, and many of their compositions paid tribute to these early rock music influences. Lennon and McCartney eventually became one of the most successful songwriting teams in music history.

During the middle and late 1960′s, the Beatles helped to give rock music a new direction. Most earlier rock music had been based primarily on a strong beat, but the Beatles’ music contained a new sense of melody. Their chord progressions were also more complex, and the lyrics of their songs were more imaginative and meaningful.

Oh, and one more thing. After the arrival of the Beatles, most young men and many older men let their hair grow long and sported long sideburns and mustaches.

Additional World Book articles:

• A Hard Day’s Night
• Bo Diddley
• Sir George Martin
• All Things Must Pass: George Harrison, 1943-2001 (a Special Report)
• Popular music (1964) (a Back in Time article)
• Popular music (1965) (a Back in Time article)