Roy Thomas Baker, who produced “Bohemian Rhapsody” with Queen, has died, Variety reviews. A explanation for dying has not been revealed. Baker was 78 years outdated.
Baker was born in London in 1946. He acquired his begin within the music business at an early age, working on the metropolis’s Decca Studios at age 14. By his function as an apprentice engineer, he was uncovered to the music of England’s greatest rock stars, like David Bowie, the Rolling Stones, and the Who.
After Decca, Baker labored at Trident Studios, the recording facility in London’s Soho district the place Queen recorded. He first labored with Queen on their 1973 debut, co-producing the album with the band and John Anthony. He subsequent co-produced Queen II, Sheer Coronary heart Assault, and A Evening on the Opera, the 1975 album that homes “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
Talking with The New York Times, in 2005, Baker recalled the origins of Queen’s most well-known track. “[Freddie Mercury] performed the start bit on the piano,” Baker mentioned, “then stopped and mentioned, ‘That is the place the opera part is available in.’ Then we went out to eat dinner.” Years later, Baker was portrayed by the British actor Tim Plester within the film Bohemian Rhapsody.
Following A Evening on the Opera, Baker didn’t produce Queen’s subsequent two studio albums (1976’s A Day on the Racees and 1977’s Information of the World), however he did return to work with the group as soon as extra, on 1978’s Jazz.
Past his work with Queen, Baker produced the Vehicles’ first 4 albums: 1978’s The Vehicles, 1979’s Sweet-O, 1980’s Panorama, and 1981’s Shake It Up. He additionally labored with Sure, Journey, Devo, Mötley Crüe, Ozzy Osbourne, Dusty Springfield, the Smashing Pumpkins, the Darkness, Foreigner, and Slade, amongst others.
