Sir Brian May has shared a rare insight into how his father helped map out Queen’s first tour of Europe in 1974.
The Queen icon and world-famous guitarist has recently had the history of Queen celebrated at the Polar Music Prize ceremony at Stockholm's Grand Hotel, Sweden (May 27) where he and his bandmate Roger Taylor received the 2025 Polar Music Prize.
Before the ceremony May reminisced about how his father had once drawn a detailed map of Europe to commemorate the band’s first extensive tour of the continent.
On Instagram, the 77-year-old wrote: “My Dad's supportive handiwork for our first Queen tour of Europe... 1974!!! As honoured in Stockholm last night. Love to all - Bri.”
The illustration features all the dates of the tour, which lasted from 22 November until 14 December 1974, and where each leg of their journey would be stopping.
The countries the band visited on the tour included Sweden, Finland, The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Spain.
The heartfelt post has since received more than 50,000 likes with many fans telling May how touched they were by his father’s handiwork.
“I love how neatly this is executed! I think your Dad was a lot like mine,” one fan wrote.
Another added: “Wow, this is awesome! Look at the details and everything is so neatly done and precise. Great memories and lovely treasure.”
A third said: “Oh wow that’s brilliant - it reminds me of a school project I did on the subject of something I loved so I chose Queen. I wrote about them and drew maps to illustrate their early tours too!”
Meanwhile, a fourth person remarked: “How precisely and esthetically done. What a precious memory.”
On receiving the award, Taylor, 75, said: “When we started our band… we had ambitions, but never dreamed of the journey that was to follow.
“We were fortunate in the fact that our four wildly different personalities came together to achieve a wonderful chemistry.
“The Polar Music Prize is exceptional in the fact that unlike other awards it recognises the entirety of an artist’s career.
“What an honour to be included in the glittering cavalcade of previous laureates. True Olympian company indeed. We are so proud to be the recipients of this incredibly prestigious award.”
May, 77, added: “In this special moment, I contemplate how that younger Brian May in 1974 would have felt if he knew that we would be living this kind of dream 50 years in the future.”
The award was created by Abba’s manager Stig Anderson in 1989. It annually recognises the careers of one contemporary musician and one classical musician. Previous winners include Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Paul McCartney, Elton John and Bob Dylan.
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