Roger Taylor

Queen's Roger Taylor joins Vernon to choose ten songs from his life, including tracks by The Kinks, The Who, Radiohead and Bob Dylan.

Roger tells Vernon about learning to play drums with a kit assembled from a skip as a child and one of his early bands getting to support The Kinks on tour. Then they discuss the formation of Queen, Roger's reaction to first hearing Freddie Mercury sing and later working with David Bowie on Under Pressure. He also highlights his favourite and most influential drummers, including John Bonham, Keith Moon and Ringo Starr.

Best known as the drummer of one of the most successful bands in history, Queen, Roger also wrote or co-wrote some of their biggest hits like Radio Ga Ga, Under Pressure and A Kind Of Magic. He's been making music as a solo artist for just under fifty years as well and is about to release his latest album, Violence Insane In A Beautiful World.

Roger was born in 1949 in King's Lynn, in a maternity ward opened by the future Queen Elizabeth II, meaning his mother was one of the new mothers introduced to the Princess Elizabeth. After growing up in Cornwall, he moved to London for university and formed the band Smile with guitarist Brian May when he was 19 years old. After Smile lost their lead singer, Roger turned down the chance to join Genesis, leaving the door open for Phil Collins to become their drummer. Instead the vacant singing role was filled by Freddie Mercury, who shared a flat with Roger and worked a market stall with him in Kensington Market, and the band became Queen. They've since sold over 300 million records, with the band's Greatest Hits holding the record as the best-selling album of all time in the UK. Roger is one of the most trusted and beloved drummers on the planet, also performing alongside the likes of Robert Plant, Eric Clapton, Foo Fighters, Roger Daltrey and Genesis in the past.

You can also watch Vernon's conversations for Tracks Of My Years on BBC iPlayer and Radio 2's YouTube channel, just search for 'Tracks Of My Years'.

A BBC Audio production for BBC Radio 2.