Bohemian Rhapsody producer Roy Thomas Baker dies at 78
Baker rose to prominence in the 1970s and 1980s, producing for major rock acts including the Cars, Journey, Mötley Crüe, and Foreigner.
His most iconic contribution came with Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody,' the nearly six-minute track that defied radio conventions and became one of rock's most celebrated songs. In a 2005 interview with The New York Times, Baker called the song 'ageless,' noting that its genre-blending nature made it timeless. 'We didn't know it was going to be quite that big,' he said, 'but I thought it was going to be a hit.'
Before rising to fame in the studio, Baker got his start in the London music scene. He was born on November 10, 1946, in Hampstead, England, and began his career in 1963 as a second engineer at Decca Studios. There, he worked alongside noted producers Gus Dudgeon and Tony Visconti. Over the years, he contributed to recordings by David Bowie, the Rolling Stones, the Moody Blues, and T. Rex, and served as chief engineer on classics like 'All Right Now' by Free and 'Bang a Gong (Get It On)' by T. Rex.
Baker first encountered Queen while working for Trident Studios, where the band was recording demo tapes. He went on to produce their first four albums. His work with the Cars also earned widespread acclaim, including hits such as 'Just What I Needed' and 'My Best Friend's Girl.'
Baker's influence spanned decades, helping to shape the sound of classic rock across two continents. He is survived by his wife, Tere Livrano Baker, and his brother, Alan Baker.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
16-07-2025
- Express Tribune
Live Aid stars gather for 40th anniversary
Musicians who performed at Live Aid, the transatlantic concert that raised millions for famine relief in Ethiopia, reunited in London on Sunday to mark the event's 40th anniversary, attending a special performance of the musical Just For One Day. Among the stars gathered at Shaftesbury Theatre were Live Aid organisers Bob Geldof and Midge Ure, Queen guitarist Brian May, musician Nik Kershaw and actor Vanessa Williams. On this day in 1985, some of the biggest names in music came together for the televised international charity show, held simultaneously at London's Wembley Stadium and the John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia. An estimated 1.5 billion people globally watched Live Aid via live satellite broadcasts. The event raised about USD100 million and spawned similar events all over the world for decades afterwards. Irish rocker and activist Geldof told Reuters that Live Aid was still important because it showed the power of collaborative action. "And today in the age of the death of kindness, which [US President Donald] Trump, [Vice President JD] Vance and [Elon] Musk have ushered in, it probably resonates all the more strongly," Geldof said. The musicians attended a performance of Just For One Day: The Live Aid Musical, a behind-the-scenes stage musical featuring songs from Sunday's attendees as well as Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Madonna, Elton John and Paul McCartney. The musical, which had a run at London's Old Vic in 2024, transferred to the Shaftesbury Theatre in London's West End in May. It is produced with the permission of the Band Aid Charitable Trust, which gets 10 per cent from the sales of all tickets. "It made me very emotional at the time. Even thinking about it now makes me emotional," May told Reuters, referring to Live Aid in 1985. Queen's performance that day at Wembley Stadium is widely regarded as a landmark concert in rock music history. "There has never been a day like that in my life," May said. Reuters
Express Tribune
13-07-2025
- Express Tribune
Live Aid turns 40
"It's 12 noon in London, 7AM in Philadelphia, and around the world it's time for Live Aid." This television announcement on July 13, 1985, heralded over 16 hours of music broadcast from Wembley Stadium in London and John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia that united close to 2 billion people across more than 100 countries, reports DW. Live Aid was no ordinary gig. With the primary aim of raising funds for famine relief in then drought-stricken Ethiopia, it was the largest satellite link-up and television broadcast of its time. It featured an unprecedented lineup of music's biggest names across diverse genres, featuring luminaries — some since departed, including Freddie Mercury, David Bowie and Tina Turner — who performed for free. People around the world watched agog as Mercury cued Wembley's 72,000 fans with those iconic overhead claps during the chorus of Queen's 1984 hit Radio Ga Ga, as U2's Bono jumped off the stage and danced with a teenage fan, as Bob Geldof urged viewers to donate money. And to set the record straight about the oft-repeated Live Aid lore: Sir Bob never said, "Give us your f***ing money." He was misquoted. Outreach via rock 'n' roll Conceived and executed by Irish musician Geldof and Ultravox's Midge Ure, Live Aid was put together at astonishing speed, the momentum having come from the 1984 Band Aid single Do They Know It's Christmas? — a now-contentious song that the artists co-wrote. Ure later recalled to The Guardian how much of the Live Aid planning unfolded on instinct and goodwill rather than strategy or budget. Consequently, it set a template that was later emulated by events such as Farm Aid (1985), Live 8 (2005) and Live Earth (2007). Speaking in 2004, when a DVD box set of the event was released, Geldof said: "We took an issue that was nowhere on the political agenda and, through the lingua franca of the planet — which is not English, but rock 'n' roll — we were able to address the intellectual absurdity and the moral repulsion of people dying of want in a world of surplus." 'For Africa,' without Africans Though many boomers and Gen Xers may recall Live Aid fondly as a unique moment of global unity before social media, in retrospect it wasn't without its flaws. Especially when viewed through the lens of diversity and representation. Despite being a benefit for Africa, no African performers were featured on stage in 1985. Ditto female representation, where aside from Sade, Tina Turner, Madonna and Patti LaBelle, the line-up was overwhelmingly white and male. Geldof defended the choices, saying the artists were selected based on their pull to maximise donations. In 2005, Geldof organised Live 8 — a series of concerts that coincided with the G8 summit, which aimed to get leaders of the eight major industrialised countries to "Make Poverty History" — but it again wasn't representative. The original lineup featured only Senegalese singer Youssou N'Dour, with Geldof trotting out the star bankability trope again. "This is outrageous and deeply smug," said Andy Kershaw, the DJ who helped with the TV presentation of Live Aid. "They are saying: 'Don't neglect Africa' — but that's just what they are doing here." Subsequently, the Africa Calling concert was organised. Hosted by N'Dour, it featured prominent African artists like Somali singer Maryam Mursal and Beninese vocalist Angelique Kidjo. Moky Makura, executive director of Africa No Filter, was in her late teens when she watched the original concert. She wrote in The Guardian in 2023, "As a Nigerian born in Lagos and educated in the UK, it took me a moment to realise that the version of Africa that Live Aid was selling the world was very different to the one in which I grew up." She added: "Live Aid remains the unfortunate and inadvertent poster child for a development approach to Africa that still drives much of the sector today - the desire to identify and fix the challenges of poor countries and the belief that money is the primary solution." White saviours? Geldof has often been described as having a "white saviour complex," which he rejects. Dismissing a critical comment in The Guardian in 2024 about how some viewed Live Aid as reinforcing "a patronising image of Africa as a continent desperate for, and dependent on, Western aid," Geldof retorted that it was "the greatest load of bullocks ever." Live Aid did raise millions for famine relief, with some political ripple effects. It inspired the set-up of the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) in 2003. The program was recently gutted following Trump's financial cuts. A current documentary, Live Aid at 40: When Rock 'n' Roll Took On The World, also reveals how Geldof's, and fellow Irishman Bono's, relentless lobbying of G8 leaders saw them eventually agree to cancel USD40 billion of debt owed by 18 of the world's poorest countries after Live 8, and promise to increase aid to developing nations by USD50 billion a year by 2010. Geldof, now 73 and doing the interview circuit commemorating Live Aid's 40th anniversary, doubts that the ethos of Live Aid can be replicated in the age of social media. "It's an isolating technology, unlike rock 'n' roll which is a gathering technology," Geldof told NME. Condemning a recent statement by Elon Musk that the "great weakness of Western civilisation was empathy," he said: "No Elon, the glue of civilisation is empathy. We're in the age of the death of kindness, and I object." But the rocker remains hopeful: "You can change things, you really can actually change things. ... The individual isn't powerless and, collectively, you really can change things."
Express Tribune
23-05-2025
- Express Tribune
Did Freddie Mercury really have a secret daughter? Book Love, Freddie explores
A new biography has revealed that Freddie Mercury, iconic frontman of Queen, allegedly had a secret daughter with whom he maintained a close relationship until his death in 1991. The revelation comes from Love, Freddie, a new book by rock biographer Lesley-Ann Jones. According to the biography, the child—known only as B—is a 48-year-old medical professional living in Europe. She claims she was conceived during an affair between Mercury and the wife of a close friend in 1976. Despite the unusual circumstances of her birth, B says Mercury was deeply devoted to her. In a handwritten letter featured in the book, B states: 'Freddie Mercury was and is my father. We had a very close and loving relationship from the moment I was born and throughout the final 15 years of his life.' B has remained anonymous and was previously known only to Mercury's inner circle. She has now chosen to speak out and share 17 volumes of private diaries Mercury gifted her—detailing his thoughts, memories, and feelings. The journals span from June 20, 1976, shortly after he learned of the pregnancy, to July 31, 1991, just months before his death from AIDS-related complications. Biographer Jones, who was first contacted by B three years ago, stated she initially doubted the claims but is now convinced of their authenticity, citing the detailed records and B's consistent cooperation. The book sheds new light on Mercury's private life and the emotional depth of his final years.
