Wiki Spotlight: Freddie
Mercury
Freddie Mercury was a British-Indian
songwriter and singer, best
known as the frontman for
the British rock band Queen.
He was noted for his powerful
vocal abilities and his
charisma as a live performer.
As a songwriter, he composed
many international hits
such as "Bohemian Rhapsody"
and "We Are the Champions".
Mercury died from complications
of AIDS, greatly increasing
awareness of the disease.
Considered one of the most
versatile male vocalists
in popular music, Freddie
Mercury possessed a very
distinctive voice. Although
his speaking voice naturally
fell in the baritone range,
he also maintained tone
in the tenor range.[5] His
recorded vocal range spanned
nearly four octaves (falsetto
included), with his lowest
recorded note being the
F2 and his highest recorded
note being the D6. His highest
recorded head voice note
was the F5. In addition
to vocal range, Mercury
often delivered technically
difficult songs in a forceful
and powerful manner. However,
due in part to the fact
that he suffered from vocal
nodules (for which he declined
surgery), he would often
lower the highest notes
during many concerts.
With his vocal versatility,
Freddie Mercury was one
of the most technically
accomplished singers to
work in the pop idiom. In
a list of the greatest English
language singers of the
20th century compiled by
BBC Radio, Mercury was ranked
#10.[6] He also came in
second in MTV's list of
the 22 greatest singers
of the past 25 years, having
been beaten by Mariah Carey
for the top spot.
Freddie Mercury's performance
at Live Aid has recently
been voted by various artists,
journalists and music industry
executives as the greatest
live performance of all
time in rock music.[7] The
results of the poll were
televised on a Channel 4
television programme in
the UK called "The
World's Greatest Gigs".
Of all the artists present
at the Live Aid concert,
Queen was widely regarded
as having stolen the show,
largely as a result of Mercury's
incredible talent and charisma.
One of Mercury's trademarks
throughout the years involved
the use of a microphone
and stand minus the bottom
section. In his early years
of singing he made the decision
to pick up his microphone,
still attached to the stand.
At one particular event,
the bottom fell off by accident
and, from that point on,
he decided to use a bottomless
microphone stand.
More: Wikipedia about Freddie
Mercury |
