Queen formed in 1970 in London by guitarist Brian May, lead vocalist Freddie Mercury, and drummer Roger Taylor. Bass guitarist John Deacon joined the following year, completing the band as it would remain until Mercury's death on November 24, 1991. It is uncertain how many albums the band has sold, but estimations range from 130 million to over 300 million albums worldwide The band is noted for their musical diversity, multi-layered arrangements, vocal harmonies, and incorporation of audience participation into their live performances.Their 1985 Live Aid performance was voted the best live rock performance of all time in an industry poll. They have released fifteen studio albums, five live albums, and numerous compilation albums. Eighteen of these have reached number one on charts around the world. Following Mercury's death in 1991 and Deacon's retirement later in the decade, May and Taylor have performed infrequently under the Queen name.