Queen Honored With UK Postage Stamps For Band's 50th Anniversary

Queen is considered one of the legendary bands of all time. The band has given some of the iconic songs like "Bohemian Rhapsody," "We Will Rock You," and "Another One Bites The Dust" that are still considered fan-favorites even after more than 20 years of their release.

The band won numerous accolades during its active run and just recently added one more feather in its cap.

According to the Official Charts Company, the group, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, has become the third band to appear on the postage stamps in the United Kingdom. The stamps feature the instruments played by lead vocalist Freddie Mercury, guitarist Brian May, drummer Roger Taylor, and bass guitarist John Deacon.

May, who was the lead guitarist of the group, thanked the Royal Mail for such a huge honor and noted that it is hard to put in words what he feels while looking at the stamps. He also shared that the group started its journey almost 50 years ago with a vision to achieve some of the most “impossible” dreams.

“It is hard to put into words what I feel when looking at these beautiful stamps. Since we four precocious boys started out on our quest 50 years ago, our lives have been devoted to making our impossible dream come true,” May said.

Apart from Queen, only two bands, The Beatles and Pink Floyd, have been honored by the Royal Mail. The Beatles were given this honor in 2007 while Pink Floyd received the particular distinction in 2016.

On the other hand, Roger described the collection as ''an honor'' and thanked Royal Mail for recognizing the band's legacy.

The stamps will be issued as a set of 13, which will include a group picture and individual images of every band member. The stamps will also feature the album covers of “Queen II” (1974), “Sheer Heart Attack” (1974), “A Night At The Opera” (1975), “News Of The World” (1979), “The Game” (1980), “Greatest Hits” (1981), “The Works” (1984), and “Innuendo” (1991).

The honor comes almost six months after the band became the first musical group ever to appear on a coin. The coin featured Mercury's piano, May's “red special” guitar, Deacon's precision bass, and Taylor's bass drum with the band's crest.

The band started their musical journey in 1970 in London. They have made a total of 16 studio albums in their career that spanned over more than four decades. "Queen," "A Night At The Opera," "News Of The World," and "A Kind Of Magic" are some of the albums they produced in their illustrious career.

In 2001, the band was inducted to Rock and Roll Hall of Fame while their song "Bohemian Rhapsody" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2004.

A movie on the life of Mercury and the band named “Bohemian Rhapsody” was released in 2018 and went on to earn a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars.