< b a c k >

Facts:

Birthday:
July 26th 1949

Birthplace:
King's Lynn, Norfolk, England

Height:
5' 10.5" (179.1 cm)

Talents:
Drums, percussion, synths, vocals

Bands Before Queen:
The Bubblingover Boys (1957)
Beat Unlimited/Cousin Jacks/The Falcons (1964 - early 1965)
Johnny Quale and the Reactions/Reaction (early 1965 - autumn 1968)
Smile (Autumn 1968 - Summer 1970)

Kids:
Felix Luther (M), May 22nd 1980 (mother - Dominique)
Rory Eleanor (F), May 29th 1986 (mother - Dominique)
Rufus Tiger (M), March 8th 1991 (mother - Debbie)
Tiger Lily (F), October 10th 1994 (mother - Debbie)

Short biography:

Roger Meddows Taylor was born on the 26th July 1949 in Kings Lynn, Norfolk (his middle name has been passed through the generations). He decided to teach himself to play the ukulele at the age of eight after watching his cousin. His first band, called The BubblingOver Boys, was formed with some friends, though Roger admits that none of them could play properly. At the age of eleven, when Roger was awarded a choral scholership to the Truro Cathedral School, he had saved enough to buy an inexpensive acoustic guitar, but soon found percussion was for him, - after forming the band Cousin Jacks and playing rhythm guitar initially, he moved to the more enjoyable drums. A year later, he joined another band called Johnny Quale and the Reaction (later changed to Reaction), which Roger played and sang with for several years.

Roger was a good medical student, and was at the London Hospital Medical School studyng dentistry when a friend told him of a notice on the Imperial College bulletin board. Brian May and Tim Staffell were looking for a dummer, so Roger applied. Brian and Tim were so impressed with him, they took him on (Brian was once quoted saying "we saw him tuning a snare drum and thought he was perfect"). Smile was born.

Over time Smile became Queen when Tim left and Freddie Mercury and John Deacon joined, and since then Roger has had a number of hits. Always known for his powerful influence on girls and the strange names given to his children, Roger wrote three out of the four UK number one songs for Queen (though all three, Under Pressure, Innuendo and These Are The Days Of Our Lives were released as "written by Queen"), as well as the famous Radio Ga Ga and the more recent Heaven For Everyone.

Roger has released a number of solo albums, three of which are with The Cross, the band he was with between 1988 and 1991. Admittedly, however, he has never been as successful as Freddie and Brian with his solo songs, the highest being number 22 with Nazis 1994.