Roger Taylor (Queen drummer)
Roger Meddows Taylor OBE (born 26 July 1949) is an English musician, songwriter and record producer. He achieved international fame as the drummer and backing vocalist for the rock band Queen.[1] As a drummer, Taylor was recognised early in his career for his unique sound[2] and was voted the eighth-greatest drummer in classic rock music history in a listener poll conducted by Planet Rock in 2005.[3] He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001 as a member of Queen.
Roger Taylor
(BSc) Bachelor Degree in Biology, East London Polytechnic
- Musician
- songwriter
- record producer
1968–present
- Drums
- percussion
- vocals
- guitar
- Queen
- Queen + Adam Lambert
- Felix & Arty
As a songwriter, Taylor composed at least one track on every Queen album, and often sang lead vocals on his own compositions. He wrote or co-wrote three UK number ones ("These Are the Days of Our Lives",[4] "Innuendo" and "Under Pressure") and wrote a further five major hits ("Radio Ga Ga", "A Kind of Magic", "Heaven for Everyone", "Breakthru" and "The Invisible Man").[5] He has collaborated with such artists as Eric Clapton, Roger Waters, Roger Daltrey, Robert Plant, Phil Collins, Genesis, Jimmy Nail, Kansas, Elton John, Gary Numan, Shakin' Stevens, Foo Fighters, Al Stewart, Steve Vai, Yoshiki, Cyndi Almouzni and Bon Jovi. As a producer, he has produced albums by Virginia Wolf, Jimmy Nail and Magnum.
As a singer, Taylor employs a falsetto vocal range. During the 1980s, in addition to his work with Queen, he formed a parallel band known as the Cross, in which he was the lead singer and rhythm guitarist. During the early 1980s, Taylor was also a panellist on the UK quiz show Pop Quiz, hosted by Mike Read. In 2014, he appeared in The Life of Rock with Brian Pern as himself.
Early life[edit]
Roger Meddows Taylor was born on 26 July 1949 at West Norfolk and Lynn Hospital in King's Lynn, Norfolk. The new maternity ward was opened by Princess Elizabeth (the future queen, Elizabeth II), where she was introduced to 16 new mothers including Winifred Taylor, his mother. Taylor first lived at 87 High Street in King's Lynn and later moved to Beulah Street in the town. Taylor's first school was Rosebury Avenue school.[6] Taylor moved to Truro, Cornwall, in south west England, with his mother Winifred, father Michael and younger sister Clare. When he was seven years old, he and some friends formed his first band, the Bubblingover Boys, in which he played the ukulele. He briefly attended Truro Cathedral School; at the age of 13, he joined Truro School as a day boy.[7]
At the age of 15, Taylor became a member of the Reaction, a semi-professional rock band formed mainly of boys from Truro School. Taylor had originally learned guitar, but became a drummer when he realised he had a more natural aptitude for it. Taylor taught himself to tune his drums, inspired by Keith Moon of the Who because of the "great drum sounds" on the early Who records.[8] Another key influence on Taylor was Mitch Mitchell of the Jimi Hendrix Experience, who Taylor stated was his early role model.[9]
In 1967, Taylor went to London to study dentistry at the London Hospital Medical College,[10] but he became bored with it and changed to biology obtaining a BSc at East London Polytechnic.[11]
Influences and favourite drummers[edit]
Taylor has stated that his early role model as a drummer was Mitch Mitchell of the Jimi Hendrix Experience. He said: "I still think listening to Mitch Mitchell, especially the early stuff with Hendrix, is just fantastic. This fusion of jazz technique and wonderful riffs but with this rolling ferocious attack on the whole kit, it had lots of jazz influences I think. In fact for me he played the kit like a song, it was just wonderful. Total integration into the song. Not just marking time".[9]
Taylor has also expressed great admiration for John Bonham of Led Zeppelin. Speaking of Bonham, Taylor said, "The greatest rock and roll drummer of all time was John Bonham, who did things that nobody had ever even thought possible before with the drum kit. And also the greatest sound out of his drums – they sounded enormous, and just one bass drum. So fast on it that he did more with one bass drum than most people could do with three, if they could manage them. And he had technique to burn and fantastic power and tremendous feel for rock and roll".[9] For sheer technique, Taylor described the jazz and big band drummer Buddy Rich as "the best I've ever seen".[9]
Speaking to Modern Drummer in 1984, Taylor described Keith Moon, the drummer of the Who, as "absolutely brilliant...he had a total unique style; he didn't owe anyone anything."[8]
Portrayal in film[edit]
He was portrayed by Ben Hardy in the 2018 film Bohemian Rhapsody.[50] Taylor, along with bandmate Brian May, were creative consultants on the film.