Brian Harold May was born on Saturday, July 19, 1947 at Gloucester House Nursing Home, Hampton, Middlesex, to Ruth and Harold May, an electronics engineer.

• At age five, he graduated from Cardinal Road Infants' School to Hanworth Road Primary School in Feltham, Middlesex.
• At age six, he learned to play the ukelele.
• On his seventh birthday, his parents bought him a small Spanish acoustic guitar.
• At age 8, he began to play the Jew's harp and tin whistle.
• At age nine he progressed to Grade IV in his piano lessons, then gave up.
• In 1958, at age 11, he passed a scholarship exam to go to Hampton Grammar, in Hampton Middlesex.
• In August 1963, work began on a guitar built to Brian's specifications.
  • The neck is made of mahogany, and the body of oak, blockboard and other woods.
  • A strong "truss rod" was incorporated to keep the neck straight.
  • Old pearl buttons were used for the fret markers.
  • The guitar was finished in eighteen months and only cost eight pounds to build.
  • The guitar became known as The Red Special.
• In the summer of 1964, at age 17, Brian had various jobs and formed the band "1984".
• On October 28, 1964 they played their first public gig.
• In 1965, at age 18, Brian left school with ten "O" levels and four "A" levels.
• In autumn 1965, he entered Imperial College to study physics and infra-red astronomy, to become an astronomer.
• In September 1967, "1984" entered a competition and won.
• "1984" broke up soon after a December 23rd gig because of differences of opinion.
• Brian, along with Tim Staffell, advertised for a drummer, so they could start a band.
• They found Roger Taylor and Smile formed.
• When Tim Staffell left Smile to go solo, Brian, along with Roger Taylor and Freddie Mercury, formed Queen.

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