Photo: Nozu/FilmMagic
Paul Rodgers has revealed that he and Queen are parting ways. The singer told Billboard.com that after almost five years as the group’s frontman — and a summer tour scheduled with the reunited Bad Company — he is leaving Queen amicably. “My arrangement with [Queen’s Brian May and Roger Taylor] was similar to my arrangement with Jimmy [Page] in the Firm in that it was never meant to be a permanent arrangement,” Rodgers said.
Queen + Paul Rodgers was born in late 2004 to perform at the U.K. Music Hall of Fame Awards. The collaboration went on to produce two world tours, two live albums and a studio album, 2008’s Rock the Cosmos. The studio album was the band’s first since 1995’s Made In Heaven, which featured the last recordings of Freddie Mercury. Rodgers said his time with Queen was “an achievement” and didn’t rule out the possibility of perhaps rejoining May and Taylor in the future: “It’s kind of an open book, really. If they approach me to do something for charity, for instance, or something like that… I’d be very much into doing that, for sure.”
“There were some fantastic e-mails we received that almost had me in tears,” Rodgers told Billboard.com of his time with the Rock & Roll Hall of Famers. “There were a lot of younger people who had given up the idea they’d ever see anything like Queen live again, and there it was, full on.” As Rock Daily previously reported, Rodgers will reunite with Bad Company for a 10-concert run starting June 17th. The band will also release a live DVD, Bad Company – Hard Rock Live, on August 8th.
Related Stories:
• Bad Company Book Reunion Tour
• Queen Return With Paul Rodgers: “Imitating Freddie Would Be Pointless”
• Queen Reign Supreme Once Again