Gary Mullen Celebrates 20 Years Honoring to Freddie Mercury

In 2000, singer Gary Mullen won a competitive talent television show in England with his performance as Queen's lead singer Freddie Mercury. Mullen's embodiment of Freddie Mercury resulted in him gaining 864,838 votes in the show's Live Grand Final. The number of fans who voted for Mullen was more than double that of the runner-up, thus setting an all-time record for votes in the history of "Stars in Their Eyes," the Granada-produced television show he appeared on.

Following that, Mullen joined up with The Works and began a Queen tribute show, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a tour that brings them to Boston's Wilbur Theatre on April 5. For other dates on the tour, follow this link.

Since they began performing, the five-member group have performed to sold-out audiences around the world, playing more than 2,500 live shows to audiences in over 20 countries around the globe. They have twice performed in London's Hyde Park and as a featured act at the prestigious BBC Proms at Royal Albert Hall. The group consists of Gary Mullen on vocals, David Brockett on guitar, Billy Moffat on bass, Malcolm Gentles on keyboards and Jon Halliwell on drums.

"To recreate a band as dynamic as the original Queen, with a singer as enthralling, vocally exciting and as flamboyant as Freddy Mercury, is no small feat," reviews The Rutland Herald. "But Gary Mullen and The Works, a British band, has created a show that will give a very creditable nod to the Queen songbook... The current Queen show is a spectacular live concert, recreating the look, sound, pomp and showmanship of Queen and Mercury."

EDGE spoke to Mullen about Freddie Mercury, meeting the members of Queen, and what's been his craziest experiences on tour.

EDGE: When did you know that music was your calling?

Gary Mullen I suppose it was when I was a kid. One of my uncles would always bring his guitar to family parties and sing. He was a really good singer and was always the focal point of a party. I remember when I was four years old and just watching him thinking that'd be cool to do. I was fascinated by the way he could capture a room by singing and I wanted to be able to do that.

EDGE: You resemble Freddie Mercury. Is that what led you to start One Night with Queen?

Gary Mullen I've been a bit of a Queen fan all my life. The funny thing is, this was more of an accident than a choice. I've been in semi-pro bands my entire life until I got married. After having kids, I put music to bed. In 2000, my mother and my wife put me in for this TV show "Stars in their Eyes", which I ended up winning and so started this entire career. Freddie was always one of my heroes. I would go to karaoke and after a few drinks get up and sing and sort of mimic him. As a kid, I would pretend I was at the stadium singing, "We Are the Champions." As an accidental career, which is now going on 22 years, it is probably one of the best jobs in the world.

EDGE: Do you consider yourself a Freddie Mercury impersonator?

Gary Mullen Yes, I would say I am. At first, I thought there would be some negative stigma attached to being a tribute band. Luckily, for us there hasn't been any. The band is a phenomenon and I think they are all world-class musicians, who take their jobs and whom they are representing very seriously. Freddie as a character is great to portray on stage as long as the audience knows it's all tongue in cheek. I would never to anything to insult his memory or legacy.

EDGE: You have been doing this for over 20 years. What keeps you motivated?

Gary Mullen I just love it. I now get what Freddie meant when he would say it wasn't his show, but the audience's show. I love the complete audience participation. I love that I get to share 2 hours on stage to get emotionally involved with the audience. The most important thing for me is going on stage and seeing joy in people's faces and seeing them having a good time.

EDGE: Freddie had a four-octave vocal range. Is it challenging to perform his songs?

Gary Mullen It's bloody hell. It's not easy. Someone asked once asked me, "How do you sing like that?" I relied, "Really tight underwear."

I don't even know where my octave range is. If I can hit the notes, I am happy. I don't even think Freddie really cared about his octave range. I think for him it was just giving it 100% every time he sang. If I can go on stage and hit 98% of the notes, it's been a good show.

EDGE: Have you met any of the members of Queen?

Gary Mullen Back in 2008. I met Brian May. I got an email from Brian while they were on tour and invited me to the concert and to come backstage. My bass player, Billy Moffat accompanied me. When Brian came out, we shook hands and for the first few minutes of our conversation all I could say was "OK." My brain couldn't function. He did place his hand on my knee and congratulated me on our success.

We spent about 40 minutes chatting with him, and he told me to keep up the good work. It all just sort of blew my mind. To this day, I can't believe it. I think if he said we're crap, I would have quit right there.

EDGE: Performing as someone who was so flamboyant. What's the craziest experience you've had on tour?

Gary Mullen That's hard to say. To be honest, nothing really crazy has ever happened. I think one of the funniest sort of flamboyant moments was while performing in England. We were doing a show in an old opera house in a naval town and there was a commotion happening in the balcony. It was a group of Navy guys all dressed as Freddie throughout the years. There were eight of them and I invited them on the stage. They started doing a dance routine and it was so funny I couldn't sing. It was one of the funniest things I have ever seen and maybe that was because they were military. Their timing was perfect. Watching these big, butch guys dancing around on stage in their flamboyant outfits was great. As they left the stage, they received a massive applause and the main guy turned to me and said, "We're coming back tomorrow night for the ABBA show. I thought, God, I would love to see that."

EDGE: What is your take on the popularity of "One Night with Queen?" Why do you think your music achieved such notoriety?

Gary Mullen Oh, I don't know. I suppose it's because we never rest on our laurels. I know that Freddie and Queen never rested on theirs. You are only as good as your last performance and that is how I look at it. I want it to be the best show every time. I believe I have the best band and we are all like-minded and what the same thing. We are always trying to push to make it better than the year before, so that a returning fan will notice an improvement. For people that have never seen the show, I want to be able to go and tell their friends that it was an amazing show.

As long as we know that we've given 100%, for us every gig is Wembley stage. You have to give it that energy because you're only going to get those people in that one room for that one moment. We've made a lot of fans through the years that will come back again and again, but each show is different, and you have to give it your all.

EDGE: If you could have a conversation with Freddie what would you ask?

Gary Mullen I think you are one of the first to ask me that question. As an entertainer, I would love to know how it felt and what was he thinking when he performed in 1985 at the Live Aid concert. How did it feel to stand on that stage, knowing that the entire world is watching you for 20 minutes?

I still get goosebumps every time I watch it. It is one of the most pivotal moments music history. I would also ask him about his thought process when writing a song because he writes songs that shouldn't work. How does his brain work? I've met his personal assistant, Peter Freestone many times. Peter looked after him for 12 years. He said that Freddie got bored really easily and always needed something to work on. I am the same way, so it is nice to see some similarities between us. I am more interested in the man and not the persona on stage. I would have really loved to know the real Freddie Mercury.

For more information on Gary Mullen visit, the group's website and to purchase tickets to see "One Night of Queen" on April 5th at the Wilbur theatre visit, visit The Wilbur Theatre.