The Life of
Freddie Mercury

A Musical Childhood

Freddie was born in Zanzibar (an island off the coast of Tanzania) when it was occupied under British rule. As such, Freddie was born a British subject. His parents were from the Parsi community of India, and he has one sister, Kashmira. While living with his relatives, Freddie began to take piano lessons at age seven. He spent much of his childhood in India attending British boarding schools, and it was at age 12 at one of these schools that he formed his first band, the Hectics. They covered various rock and roll artists. One of his friends from this time recalled that:

"He had an uncanny ability to listen to the radio and replay what he heard on piano. His orientation was music and art. That was very clear. He would always end up imitating some of the moves of Cliff Richard or Elvis."

Clearly, music was always going to be a part of Freddie's life.

Moving To England

In 1964, a revolution occurred in Zanzibar in which many ethnic Indians and Arabs were murdered. In order to protect themselves, Freddie's family relocated to Middlesex, just outside of London, England. Freddie studied art and graphic design in college, and he later used his skills to design Queen's logo. He held various jobs after graduation, including being a baggage handler at Heathrow Airport and selling clothes in Kensington market with Roger Taylor.