Brian May, born in 1947, explored rock and roll in his teens. May witnessed rock music’s emergence in the 1960s, which changed his life and made him a rock and roll devotee.
Brian May was influenced by Buddy Holly, Hank Marvin, Jimi Hendrix, Pete Townshend, and Jeff Beck. “When I look back, I don’t think I could have been born at a better time,” he told Guitar World. “As kids, we were so lucky to have grown up when things were bursting through and all the boundaries were broken”.
Among these guitarists, May loves The Who’s Pete Townshend. May watched The Who as a kid. As a mere artist, he witnessed their peak. In 2019, Brian recalls seeing The Who live with BBC Radio.
Shepherd’s Bush produced them. We used to visit them as a local phenomena. Me and Rog Taylor. Probably the most risky concert ever. Because you never knew if they would show up.”
May was 22 and talking about 1969. “When they arrived, chaos ensued. I suppose it was noisy, dangerous, and anarchic. A long time before Punk. The Who probably wrote the Punk recipe. We saw them often because they played locally. We adored and followed them. They ripped the rulebook, May said.
In 2020, Total Guitar polled fans to determine the greatest guitarist of all time, and May was pleased to be included.
Brian was unsatisfied. He didn’t consider himself the best guitarist to ever live. Instead, he called Pete Townshend the guitar God and a famous songwriter.
I saw feedback and Pete Townshend—wow! Pete Townshend is guitar god forever! Brian May recalled seeing him stand there and let the guitar burst on its own.
A separate Total Guitar interview May added that Townshend influenced Queen, “We (Queen) wanted to take people off into the stratosphere. Always so with us. We were inspired by our heroes, and The Who was my favorite. Pete Townshend masters mood change and suspended chords. I owe him much.”