In which band features Brian May on guitar?

The story behind the answer

Brian May features on guitar in Queen, the English rock band he co-founded in London in 1970.

May formed Queen with vocalist and pianist Freddie Mercury and drummer Roger Taylor; bassist John Deacon joined the core lineup in 1971. May became the band's lead guitarist, backing vocalist, and one of its principal songwriters. His playing is especially recognizable for its layered harmonies and orchestral-sounding guitar arrangements.

He famously played the Red Special, a guitar he built with his father Harold May in the 1960s. May also wrote several major Queen songs, including “We Will Rock You,” “Fat Bottomed Girls,” “Hammer to Fall,” and “Who Wants to Live Forever.”

A common mix-up is treating Brian May as only a solo musician or assuming he played in the similarly named Brian May Band. That was a later touring project; Queen is the canonical answer to this question. May also performed with Queen in later years alongside other vocalists after Freddie Mercury's death in 1991.

Source: Wikipedia · fact-checked Aug. 2026

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