Roger Meddows-Taylor

For other people called Roger Taylor, see Roger Taylor.

Roger Meddows-Taylor, a.k.a Roger Taylor, was born on 26 July 1949 in Norfolk, United Kingdom. He was drummer/percussionist and vocalist with Queen. He contributed songs to the band's albums from the very beginning, and usually sang the lead on his own tracks, in addition to playing most of the instruments. His voice is notable for its raspiness, which has been compared to Rod Stewart's. Also, his ability to sing intense high notes added a distinctive tone to many of Queen's memorable vocal harmonies; one notable example of this is found in "Bohemian Rhapsody". Another fine example of his vocal talents is in the music hall-esque 'Seaside Rendezvous' when he and Freddie Mercury imitate tubas, clarinets and kazoos through mere voice manipulation.

His compositions include the hits "Radio Ga Ga", "Heaven for Everyone" and "A Kind of Magic", as well as other tunes that did not receive as much airplay, such as "Modern Times Rock & Roll" (Queen I), "Tenement Funster" (Sheer Heart Attack), and "I'm in Love With My Car" (A Night at the Opera), which he also sings. He released several solo albums and even formed a separate group, The Cross.

In 1994 he worked together with Yoshiki, the leader/drummer/pianist of X Japan and released the song "Foreign Sand" and "Final Destination" which were a big hit in the UK.

Roger, along with Freddie, was one of the party animals of the group. A heavy smoker until recently, he has been known for his love for fast cars, drink and women. He has also been known to be one of the most politically inclined members of Queen, having in 1994 released a single condemning neo-Nazism.

Roger, a natural blond, was fond of using bleach to lighten his hair. One day in 1977 while doing so he accidentally dyed his hair green (as seen in the above photo). Since it was just before a show, Roger had to go on with green hair, much to Freddie's amusement.

In 1999 Taylor appeared in the background of a Royal Mail stamp commemorating the life of Freddie Mercury. This caused controversy as it was an understood rule that the only living people allowed to appear on British stamps could be members of the Royal family.

In 2002, Taylor appeared on the "Twelve Drummers Drumming" Chrismas card in the "Twelve Days of Christmas" set sold at Woolworths to raise money for the NSPCC – alongside his namesake from Duran Duran!

Discography

Singles (not included on albums)

• I Wanna Testify/Turn On The TV (1977)
• Manipulator (1988)

Solo Albums

• Fun In Space (1981)
• Strange Frontier (1984)
• Happiness? (1994)
• Electric Fire (1998)

The Cross Albums

• Shove It (1988)
• Mad Bad And Dangerous To Know (1990)
• Blue Rock (1991)