Brian May and Roger Taylor crowned Ambassadors of Rock

Brian May and Roger Taylor of the legendary rock band Queen were honoured with Hard Rock International’s prestigious Ambassadors of Rock Award at last week’s Silver Clef Luncheon, which took place at London’s Park Lane Hilton Hotel on Friday. They picked up the award at the star-studded event, which benefitted Hard Rock’s charity partner Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy.

Hard Rock’s Ambassadors of Rock Award recognizes Brian May and Roger Taylor for their contribution to music and philanthropic work with various charities. Among the organizations supported by May and Taylor are Mercury Phoenix Trust, Nelson Mandela Foundation and The British Bone Marrow Donor Association. May was also awarded a CBE, Commander of the British Empire, in 2005 by the HM the Queen at Buckingham Palace.

With a musical career spanning four decades, Queen is best known for the global hits “We Will Rock You” and “We Are The Champions,” and to date, has sold more than 100 million albums worldwide. Most notably, the band performed at Live Aid in 1985, which was deemed as the best live rock performance of all time in an industry poll. From 2004 through early 2009, May and Taylor collaborated with Paul Rodgers, touring as Queen + Paul Rodgers, which included a headlining performance at Nelson Mandela’s 90th birthday celebration in London’s Hyde Park in 2008, as part of the 46664 concert series to promote awareness of the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy provides over 30,000 sessions annually with children and adults through 50 projects throughout the country. The annual O2 Silver Clef Luncheon, which began in 1975, is now the jewel in the charity’s fundraising crown. Sponsored by O2 for the past seven years, the awards have raised in excess of 7 million. Bryan Adams received Hard Rock’s Ambassadors of Rock Award in 2008.