Brian May's Success and Achievements in Timeline

A closer look at the biggest achievements of Brian May. Awards, milestones, and records that define success.

Brian May is an English musician, songwriter, record producer, animal welfare activist, and astrophysicist. He is best known as the lead guitarist and backing vocalist for the rock band Queen, co-founding it with Freddie Mercury and Roger Taylor. May's guitar skills and songwriting were integral to Queen's success, making them one of the most influential and popular bands of all time. Beyond music, he holds a PhD in astrophysics and is an advocate for animal rights.

Sections (4)

Full Timeline Early Life & Education Career & Achievements Success & Recognition

1985: Queen writes One Vision

After the Live Aid concert in 1985, Queen wrote the song "One Vision" together, with Brian May primarily contributing the music.

1985: Queen's Performance at Live Aid

In 1985, Queen gave an acclaimed performance at Live Aid, solidifying their status as one of the biggest rock bands in the world.

November 1991: Death of Freddie Mercury and Brian May's Response

In the aftermath of Freddie Mercury's death in November 1991, Brian May dealt with his grief by committing to work, including finishing his solo album, Back to the Light.

1996: "Too Much Love Will Kill You" wins Ivor Novello Award

In 1996, the song "Too Much Love Will Kill You" won the Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically & Lyrically, which Brian May collaborated as a songwriter.

2001: Queen inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

In 2001, Queen, including Brian May, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

2005: May appointed CBE

In 2005, Brian May was appointed a Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to the music industry and for charity work.

2005: May voted seventh-greatest guitarist

In 2005, Brian May was voted the seventh-greatest guitarist of all time in a Planet Rock poll.

January 2007: Guitar World Top Solos

In January 2007, readers of Guitar World voted Brian May's guitar solos on "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "Brighton Rock" into the "top 50 Greatest Guitar Solos of all time", ranking them at No.20 and No.41 respectively.

November 2007: Chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University

In November 2007, Brian May was appointed chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University.

May 2008: Graduation Ceremony

On 14 May 2008, Brian May graduated at the awards ceremony of Imperial College, held in the Royal Albert Hall.

June 2008: Asteroid Named After Brian May

On 18 June 2008, Asteroid 52665 Brianmay was named after Brian May, suggested by Patrick Moore.

October 2010: Award from IFAW

In October 2010, Brian May received an award from the International Fund for Animal Welfare in recognition of his animal welfare work.

2011: Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Guitarists

In 2011, Brian May was ranked number 26 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".

2012: Awarded Saxby Medal

In 2012, Brian May was awarded The Royal Photographic Society's Saxby Medal for achievement in the field of three-dimensional imaging.

2012: May ranked second-greatest guitarist in Guitar World poll

In 2012, Brian May was ranked the second-greatest guitarist in a Guitar World magazine readers poll.

June 2013: Formation of Artful Badger and Friends

In June 2013, naturalist Sir David Attenborough and rock guitarist Slash joined Brian May to form a supergroup, Artful Badger and Friends, and released a song dedicated to badgers, "Badger Swagger".

September 2013: "Save the Badger Badger Badger" Charts

On 1 September 2013, "Save the Badger Badger Badger" charted at No. 79 on the UK Singles Chart, No. 39 on the UK iTunes chart, and No. 1 on the iTunes Rock chart.

2013: New Damselfly Species Named After May

In 2013, a new species of damselfly from Brazil was named Heteragrion brianmayi, paying tribute to the 40th anniversary of Queen's founding.

2018: Queen receives the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award

In 2018, the band Queen received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

2019: Lawrence J. Burpee Medal

In 2019, Brian May was awarded the Lawrence J. Burpee Medal of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society for outstanding contributions to the advancement of geography.

2020: Contribution to Asteroid Research and JAXA Award

In 2020, Brian May participated in the team that contributed stereography images of numerical simulations of asteroid disruptions and re-accumulations, published in Nature Communications. The publication presented a scenario of formation of the asteroids (101955) Bennu and (162173) Ryugu. For his contribution by making stereoscopic images of Ryugu, May was awarded the JAXA Hayabusa2 Honor Award in 2020.

2021: Honorary Fellowships from Royal Holloway College

In 2021, Brian May was awarded an honorary fellowship and Denis Pellerin was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Literature from the Royal Holloway College, University of London for their work to preserve Victorian stereoscopy through the London Stereoscopic Company.

September 2022: Awarded Stephen Hawking Medal

In September 2022, Brian May was awarded the Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication at the Starmus IV festival in Yerevan, Armenia.

December 2022: Made a Knight Bachelor

In December 2022, Brian May was made a Knight Bachelor in the 2023 New Year Honours.

March 2023: Officially Knighted

In March 2023, Brian May was officially knighted by the King.

2023: May contributes to NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission and knighted

In 2023, Brian May contributed to NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission and was knighted by King Charles III in the New Year Honours for services to music and charity.