Editing Brian May (section)

===1983–1999: Side projects and solo works===
During 1983, several members of Queen explored side projects. On 21 and 22 April in Los Angeles, May was in a studio with [[Eddie Van Halen]], with no intention of recording anything. The result of the two-day session was a mini album titled ''[[Star Fleet Project]]'', which was not originally going to be released.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.vhnd.com/2013/10/31/brian-may-and-friends-star-fleet-project/ |title='Brian May and Friends: Star Fleet Project' with EddieVvan Halen |last=VHND |date=31 October 2013 |website=vhnd.com |url-status=live |access-date=9 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190411123650/http://www.vhnd.com/2013/10/31/brian-may-and-friends-star-fleet-project/ |archive-date=11 April 2019 }}</ref> In 1986, May contributed to former [[Genesis (band)|Genesis]] guitarist [[Steve Hackett]]'s album ''[[Feedback 86]]'', playing guitar on the track "Cassandra" and providing guitar and vocals for "Slot Machine", which May co-wrote. Although produced in 1986, the album was not released commercially until 2000. Another song co-written by May and Hackett during this period, "Don't Fall Away from Me", was eventually recorded by Hackett in 1992 for release on his ''The Unauthorised Biography'' compilation album. Also in 1986, May worked with actress [[Anita Dobson]] on her first album, most noted for the song "Anyone Can Fall in Love", which added lyrics to the ''[[EastEnders]]'' theme tune and reached number four on the [[UK Singles Chart]] in August 1986. May and Dobson married in 2000.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.smoothradio.com/features/brian-may-facts-wife-age-songs/ |title=Brian May: 9 interesting facts about the Queen guitarist |last=Eames |first=Tom |date=26 April 2019 |website=smoothradio.com |url-status=live |access-date=9 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191222042432/https://www.smoothradio.com/features/brian-may-facts-wife-age-songs/ |archive-date=22 December 2019 }}</ref> In 1988, May contributed guitar solos to the song "When Death Calls" on [[Black Sabbath]]'s 14th album ''[[Headless Cross (album)|Headless Cross]]'', and the [[Living in a Box]] track "Blow The House Down" on the album ''[[Gatecrashing (album)|Gatecrashing]]''.<ref>[{{AllMusic|class=album|id=mw0000200136|pure_url=yes}} "''Gatecrashing'' credits"]. AllMusic. Retrieved 27 October 2019</ref> Both albums were released in 1989.

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 | quote  = After the tragic break-up of any band, it feels impossible to continue but I was really glad that Brian did launch a solo career. He had such a lot of music in him and a great deal more to give.
 | source =&nbsp;—[[Joe Satriani]]<ref name="Jackson2011">Jackson, Laura (2011). [https://books.google.com/books?id=9bMW7YFSiuoC&pg=PT84 "Brian May: The Definitive Biography"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170210170239/https://books.google.com/books?id=9bMW7YFSiuoC&pg=PT84 |date=10 February 2017 }}. Hachette. Retrieved 26 April 2012</ref>
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In the aftermath of the November 1991 [[Death of Freddie Mercury|death of Mercury]], May chose to deal with his grief by committing himself as fully as possible to work, first by finishing his solo album, ''[[Back to the Light]]'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/back-to-the-light-mw0000093065|title=Back to the Light – Brian May {{!}} Songs, Reviews, Credits {{!}} AllMusic|website=[[AllMusic]]|access-date=28 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171208123940/https://www.allmusic.com/album/back-to-the-light-mw0000093065|archive-date=8 December 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> and then touring worldwide to promote it. He frequently remarked in press interviews that this was the only form of self-prescribed therapy he could think of.<ref>{{cite web |last=Horne |first=Nicky |url=http://queen.musichall.cz/en/interviews/brian-may-talk-radio-98.html |title=Queen – Royal Legend: Interviews: Brian May: Talk Radio '98 |work=Queen.musichall.cz |access-date=24 October 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110928205737/http://queen.musichall.cz/en/interviews/brian-may-talk-radio-98.html |archive-date=28 September 2011 |url-status=live }}</ref> According to [[Def Leppard]] lead singer [[Joe Elliott]], "It was undoubtedly an enormous and terrible blow to lose someone he was so close to. Personally, I know it ripped the heart out of Brian, but having said that, he was in great spirits after the album was finished."<ref name="Jackson2011"/> ''Back to the Light'' featured the single "[[Too Much Love Will Kill You]]", on which he collaborated as a songwriter with [[Frank Musker]] and Elizabeth Lamers. A version with Freddie Mercury's vocals was later released on the Queen album ''[[Made in Heaven]]'' and won the [[Ivor Novello Award]] for Best Song Musically & Lyrically in 1996.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|author=Nigel Hunter|title=Anniversaries Abound at Novello Awards|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KBAEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA48|date=21 June 1997|page=48|access-date=12 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200313145121/https://books.google.com/books?id=KBAEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA48|archive-date=13 March 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>

In late 1992, [[the Brian May Band]] was officially formed. May had loosely formed an earlier version of the band for 19&nbsp;October 1991, when May took part in the Guitar Legends guitar festival in [[Seville]], Spain. The line-up for his performance was May on vocals and lead guitar, [[Cozy Powell]] on drums and percussion, [[Mike Moran (music producer)|Mike Moran]] and [[Rick Wakeman]] on keyboards, and [[Maggie Ryder]], [[Miriam Stockley]] and [[Chris Thompson (English musician)|Chris Thompson]] on backing vocals.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://jazzbluesrock.online/2018/12/guitar-legends-expo-92-sevilla/ |title=Guitar Legends – Expo '92 Sevilla |website=jazzbluesrock.online |url-status=live |access-date=9 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190929111419/http://jazzbluesrock.online/2018/12/guitar-legends-expo-92-sevilla/ |archive-date=29 September 2019 }}</ref> The original line-up was May on vocals and lead guitar, Powell on drums and percussion, [[Michael Casswell]] on guitar, [[Neil Murray (British musician)|Neil Murray]] on bass, and Ryder, Stockley and Thompson on backing vocals. This version of the band was together only during the South American support tour (supporting [[The B-52's]] and [[Joe Cocker]]) on five dates.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Lemieux|first1=Patrick|title=The Queen Chronology|date=2018|publisher=Lulu|page=137|edition=2nd}}</ref>

May later made significant changes, feeling the group never quite gelled. May brought guitarist [[Jamie Moses]] on board to replace Mike Caswell. The backing vocalists, Ryder, Stockley and Thompson, were replaced by [[Catherine Porter]] and [[Shelley Preston]]. On 23&nbsp;February 1993, this new line-up of The Brian May Band began its world tour in the US, supporting [[Guns N' Roses]] and headlining a few dates.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ultimatequeen.co.uk/live/brian.htm#1993bttlnorthamerica1|title=1993 Back To The Light North American Tour (1st leg)|publisher=Ultimatequeen.co.uk|access-date=27 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120928215832/http://www.ultimatequeen.co.uk/live/brian.htm#1993bttlnorthamerica1|archive-date=28 September 2012|url-status=live}}</ref> The tour included dates in North America, Europe (support act: Valentine) and Japan. On 15 June 1993, the band did a show in London that would end up as [[The Brian May Band]]'s only release as a collective, namely [[Live at the Brixton Academy (Brian May album)|Live at the Brixton Academy]]. At the show, May would sing a few lines of [[Love of My Life (Queen song)|"Love of My Life"]], and then, as Mercury used to, let the audience join in.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UIP2XTztUI |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/7UIP2XTztUI| archive-date=11 December 2021 |url-status=live|title=Brian May-Love Of My Life Live At The Brixton Academy 1993|date=22 March 2011 |via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> After the tour ended on 18&nbsp;December 1993, May returned to the studio with fellow surviving Queen band members Roger Taylor and [[John Deacon]] to work on tracks that became ''Made in Heaven'', the final Queen studio album.<ref name="Buckley">Buckley, Peter (2003). "The Rough Guide to Rock". p.837. Rough Guides, 2003</ref> The band took Mercury's solo album demos and last recordings, which he managed to perform in the studio after the album ''Innuendo'' was finished, and completed them with their additions both musically and vocally.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.queenonline.com/en/the-band/discography/made-heaven/|title=Made in Heaven|publisher=Queenonline.com|access-date=27 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170705100644/http://www.queenonline.com/en/the-band/discography/made-heaven/|archive-date=5 July 2017|url-status=live}}</ref> After Mercury's death, work on the album by Deacon and May began originally in 1992 but was left until a later date due to other commitments.<ref name="Buckley"/>

In 1995, May began working on a new solo album of covers tentatively titled ''Heroes'', in addition to working on various film and television projects<ref>{{IMDb name|id=0006190|name=Brian May}}</ref> and other collaborations. May subsequently changed the approach from covers to focus on those collaborations and new material. The songs included ''[[Another World (Brian May album)|Another World]]'', and featured mainly [[Spike Edney]], Cozy Powell, Neil Murray and Jamie Moses. On 5&nbsp;April 1998, Cozy Powell was killed in a car accident on the [[M4 motorway]] near [[Bristol]], England. This incident caused an unexpected disruption to the upcoming tour for the Brian May Band, which now needed a new drummer on short notice. [[Steve Ferrone]] was brought on to help May finish recording the drum tracks and join the band for the early stage promotional tour of five dates in Europe before the world tour. Following the early promotional tour, [[Eric Singer]] replaced him on the 1998 world tour.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Brian May Band {{!}} TheAudioDB.com |url=https://www.theaudiodb.com/artist/139389-The-Brian-May-Band |access-date=7 June 2024 |website=www.theaudiodb.com}}</ref>

The 1998 tour saw the brief introduction of a 'support act' known as T. E. Conway.  Conway (Brian May in a wig and colourful suit playing the part of a [[teddy boy]] crooner) would play several 1950s [[rock and roll]] standards before May's 'arrival'.  A bonus T. E. Conway EP titled ''Retro Rock Special'' was attached to some pressings of the ''Another World'' album.  The Conway character was retired at the end of the tour.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/artists/brian-may-guide-queen-guitarists-eccentricities-obessions/|first=Adam|last=White|title=From badgers to flamboyant alter egos: a guide to the strange obsessions of Queen's Brian May|date=19 July 2017|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|access-date=4 April 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171121165845/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/artists/brian-may-guide-queen-guitarists-eccentricities-obessions/|archive-date=21 November 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>
In May 1999, May recorded lead guitars for the Guns N' Roses song "Catcher in the Rye" on ''[[Chinese Democracy]]'', but his performance was removed from the album by the time it was released in 2008.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2008/nov/07/brian-may-chinese-democracy|title=Brian May dropped from Guns N' Roses album|last=Anthony|first=James|date=7 November 2008|website=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=4 July 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180625022027/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2008/nov/07/brian-may-chinese-democracy|archive-date=25 June 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>