What you didn't know about Roger Taylor - surprising facts about the Queen drummer

Roger Taylor - "shock legend" Queen, drummerwho went down in music history and became an icon for millions! He may not have been the most virtuoso or brilliant drummer, but he was part of one of the most iconic bands, and that was enough to immortalize his name at the height of his fame as a young guy.

We know practically everything about Queen and about Freddie Mercury in particular, but the facts of life of the other members often remain a big mystery even for the fans of the band... And today we decided to correct this injustice by highlighting some surprising details about Roger Taylor!

As an infant he was introduced to the Queen of England

It sounds like an otherworldly foreshadowing from some beautiful novel, but this is the real story. Roger was introduced Queen of England. the first week of his life!

He was born in a new hospital West Norfolk & Lynn in King's Lynn, Norfolk. Just a few days after his birth Princess Elizabeth (the future Queen Elizabeth II) arrived to officially open the institution. She was introduced to 16 mothers, including Winifred Taylor, mother of the future Queen drummer! On seeing little Roger, Elizabeth is known to have remarked admiringly:

"What a beautiful baby!"

He founded the band when he was 7 years old.

Aged seven years old Roger was the youngest member of Queen to found his own band. It was called The Bubblingover Boys.

He used egg cartonsThe musicians had to use the walls of the garage where they practiced with the guys, but the neighbors still complained about the noise. By the way: the idol of that time, which motivated Roger to take up music, was Lonnie Donegan. "The Skiffle King." captivated teens on both sides of the Atlantic with the simplicity of its sound, making the use of simple instruments like the bass more accessible.

Cornwall County Star

While other teenagers had to work boring jobs to earn a few dollars, Roger was making money music! The county of Cornwall, where he grew up, was an ideal environment for wannabe rock stars. Hundreds of young people flocked here to see young bands from the area perform. It was obvious that Roger exceptionally talentedSo when he said he would be cooler than his idol Keith Moon, no one laughed at him.

He's quietly nailed it his drum kit to the floor of the stage because he played so vigorously that once the drums came off the stage during a performance! He was playing in a pretty scandalous placesThe place was a place where fights often broke out, bikers hung out, and ladies looking for a one-night stand. But considering where it led Taylor in the end, it was definitely worth it!

Fashionista in Chief

The fact that Taylor was fashionistaThere is no doubt about it. From a young age he loved eccentric, in some places even feminine outfits. At the same time his facial features were always soft and refined, and his voice hair was long and perfectly ruffled... There is even a legend that in the early years of Queen's existence he was allegedly received so many times for a womanthat he grew facial hair, just so people would stop pestering him with the question:

"Are you a woman?"

But Roger took special care of his hair, actively dyeing it blonde. Although once the "beauty treatment" turned out to be a total disaster for him: for some reason the paint turned out to be... green! Taylor was angry and disappointed.

Living with Freddy

Freddy and Roger They lived together for a long time and owned a place in Kensington Market where they sold very old clothes, sometimes even from the Victorian era. By the way, most of the outfits you see In early Queen photo shoots, taken from this particular kiosk.

They had so much money in those years littlethat they "dreamed of a can of beans. For one Christmas, the only thing they had on the holiday table was a bag of breadcrumbs. And yes: cooking was clearly not Roger's strong suit. When they lived together, he had no idea how to boil an egg:

"I assumed there was water involved somehow."

A punk rocker at heart

Roger may have written the first ever punk song. It's about "Sheer Heart Attack."which was originally written for the 1974 album of the same name, but was not released until 1977.

Listen to the live version to have a little fun: on it, the members of Queen immerse themselves in Punk Mood and showcase wild music and energy!