Sir Brian Harold May (born July 19, 1947) is an English guitarist, songwriter, singer, producer, astrophysicist and animal-welfare campaigner. He is best known as a founding member of Queen, whose music combined hard rock, pop, progressive rock and theatrical performance. May's layered guitar arrangements, distinctive tone and melodic solos became central to the band's sound, while his songwriting supplied several of Queen's most enduring anthems.
May studied physics and mathematics at Imperial College London, where he also developed an increasingly serious interest in music. Before Queen, he played in the college band Smile with drummer Roger Taylor. When singer Freddie Mercury joined the group and bassist John Deacon completed the lineup, Queen emerged in 1970. May's homemade electric guitar, the Red Special, became one of rock music's most recognizable instruments. Built with his father during May's teenage years, it was played with a sixpence coin rather than a conventional pick, helping produce the bright, sustained sound associated with his performances.
Queen's early albums established May as both a technically accomplished guitarist and a versatile composer. He wrote the driving "Keep Yourself Alive" and "Now I'm Here," the progressive "The Prophet's Song," and the celebratory "We Will Rock You." The latter, built around its famous stomp-stomp-clap rhythm, became a staple of sporting events and public gatherings. Other major May compositions included "Tie Your Mother Down," "Fat Bottomed Girls," "'39," "Save Me," "Hammer to Fall," "Who Wants to Live Forever," "I Want It All" and "The Show Must Go On." His work often balanced muscular riffing with intricate harmonies and emotionally direct melodies.
Following Mercury's death in 1991, May began a more visible solo career. His first solo album, Back to the Light (1992), produced the singles "Too Much Love Will Kill You" and "Driven by You." He followed it with Another World (1998), while also performing with the Brian May Band and contributing to recordings and live projects by other artists. He later worked extensively with singer Kerry Ellis, producing recordings and appearing with her in concert.
May returned to large-scale Queen performances through Queen + Paul Rodgers, beginning in the mid-2000s, and later through Queen + Adam Lambert. These projects presented Queen's catalog to new audiences without attempting to replace Mercury's historical role in the band. May also contributed to the Queen musical We Will Rock You and served as a creative consultant on the 2018 biographical film Bohemian Rhapsody.
His scientific career continued alongside music. After a lengthy interruption caused by Queen's success, May resumed his doctoral research and received a PhD in astrophysics from Imperial College London in 2007. His research concerned the motion of interplanetary dust. He has also pursued stereoscopic photography and space-related imagery through the London Stereoscopic Company, and has collaborated on astronomy publications and projects connected with NASA and other scientific organizations.
May has used his public profile to campaign for animal welfare and wildlife protection, including through the Save Me Trust. He was appointed CBE in 2005 and received a knighthood in the 2023 New Year Honours for services to music and charity. His career remains unusual in combining arena-rock musicianship, scientific scholarship, publishing and sustained public activism.