How was the childhood and youth of one of the most legendary vocalists in history - Freddie Mercury
Freddie Mercury - cult frontman and vocalist of no less than a cult group Queen! Mercury is considered one of the most legendary figures in rock and roll. The incredible, almost always hit music of Queen, combined with Mercury's truly lively stage presence, turned him into a beloved figure in pop culture ... Although, to be completely frank, even without a band, Freddie was a real legend (in fact, he remains one today, after many decades after his death ...) And it is worth delving into the history of his growing up, as it immediately becomes clear: Freddie Mercury He lived almost his entire life as a legend! Yes, his early years are less known than his time as a superstar... However - they remain no less interesting! From the early days of his existence to the moment when he became a promising artist, Mercury has always had a real gift for creating great music and had a reputation as a family-oriented person. His generosity and kindness may have been overshadowed by his extravagance and brash demeanor in later life, but looking back at his early years reveals a gentle soul who was destined to become one of the most celebrated musical voices in history...
Persian heritage
Although today he is known as a British rocker, Freddie Mercury born on the island Zanzibar in East Africa. Famed for its spices, the island was once the seat of power for the Sultanate of Oman until it was overthrown by the British in "the shortest war in history" in 1896 year ... Freddie's parents moved there from India after World War II. In fact, Mercury led a comfortable lifestyle long before he was successful with Queen.
His father's work in the British colonial administration in Zanzibar led to a prosperous life for his family! A year after Zanzibar, which is now part of Tanzania, became independent (and this happened in 1963 year), the citizens rebelled against the ruling class, causing the Freddy family to move to London…
Remarkable, but Mercury and his family belonged to the Parsi ethnic group! The Parsis are descended from the Persians (the term Parsi itself means "Persian"), who left their homeland to escape religious persecution and ended up in India around 8th century. In this way, Freddie had a Persian heritage! And it is worth noting that the musician was proud of his origin all his life ...
Real name and secrets from loved ones ...
Freddie Mercury - not the real name of the idol. In fact, his birth name was Farrukh Bulsara! This Arabic name, written in Persian, means "lucky" or "fortunate". And although Farrukh later changed his name to the more famous Freddie Mercury, the true meaning never left him: Freddie lived a life full of what made him happy and successful...
Very rare, but Mercury lucky, because he came from a loving family! Although ... he hid something from his relatives. Even after fame, Mercury cherished the ease of returning to his family, whom he liked to shock with his antics ... His husband Kashmiri sisters, Roger, describes his wife's older brother as "a loving and caring member of the family who - despite shocking and fame - liked the normality of family life ..."
Although Mercury was close to his family, he never told them about his personal life, his partners and his unusual preferences, or his diagnosis AIDS. They found out about all this only when he was gone. November 24, 1991…
Zoroastrianism and the joint collection with his father
In childhood Mercury collecting stamps, a hobby shared by his father. The collection (one of the few surviving items from Mercury's childhood) features colorfully designed stamps, many of which refer to non-existent countries ... It is worth adding that Mercury's family raised him in the Zoroastrian faith. The religion that over 3000 years, Zoroastrianism got its name from the prophet Zarathushtra, who preached the word of the supreme being Ahura Mazda. It is worth noting that Zoroastrianism follows some beliefs that are contrary to the lifestyle of the deceased. Freddie Mercury…
However - despite possible conflicts, Zoroastrianism remained important to Mercury throughout his life! Musician's sister Kashmir, even stressed that faith gave her brother the passion to continue his musical career.
Since the Zoroastrian origin Mercury demanded that his property be burned after his death, his father and mother complied with this requirement. But not completely... His father, Bomidecided to save the stamp collection! And not just to save, but to do a good deed: after Royal Mail bought the collection at auction for the National Postal Museum, Bomi donated the proceeds to a charity created in honor of Mercury ...
The first group and moving from the parental home
As a child, Mercury studied at St. Peter's boarding school in India, and while he was studying there, teachers noticed and began to develop his love for music and, in particular, for the piano ... There, in fact, he joined his very first group Hectics aged 12 years old! And although many believe that the group was formed by Freddie himself, in fact it was formed by his friend Bruce Murray. Consisting of five students dressed in "tight pants and pointy shoes", the Hectics played rock music at many school events! According to the band members themselves, it was Mercury as a vocalist that brought them fame:
“He was the only real musician among us…” recalls former member Farang Irani.
From now on Freddie making music all the time! And, as you understand, this happened in his parents' house, which was not quite “comme il faut” for people living in the neighborhood: neighbors often complained about the noise, but, in the end, noise and music became an integral part of life Mercuryso he had to move out of his home...
Admiration and mockery...
Classmates in the boarding school considered Freddie a musical prodigy! Mercury trained his soprano voice, participated in the school choir and, apparently, brought his children's group Hectics to local fame ... One of his former classmates even stated that Freddie was such a natural musical talent that he could play most of the songs he heard, just by ear! However ... in the life of the future star there were less pleasant moments, namely, he was often bullied because of the wrong bite.
As cruel as it sounds, it's really true: throughout your life Mercury ridiculed for his overbite. He had four extra teeth! His classmates nicknamed him "Bucky", and as an adult Freddie often hid a smile or covered his mouth with his hand while laughing ...
Curiously, Mercury never corrected his malocclusion, even after he became a star: he feared that the operation could affect his vocal range. This is what it means to be an artist dedicated to his work and to his fans…
