Brian May greatest guitarist of all time. He was ranked at No. 26 on "Rolling Stone" magazine's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". In 2012, he was ranked the 2nd greatest guitarist in a "Guitar World" magazine readers poll. May was appointed a CBE by Queen Elizabeth II in 2005 for "services to the music industry and for charity work". May earned a PhD in astrophysics from Imperial College London in 2007, and was Chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University from 2008 to 2013. He was a "science team collaborator" with NASA's New Horizons Pluto mission. He is also
Brian James (guitarist) Brian James (guitarist) Brian James (born Brian Robertson, 18 February 1955 in Hammersmith, London) is an English punk rock guitarist, who is best known for being a founding member of The Damned as well as The Lords of the New Church. He began his musical career playing in several proto-punk bands like Bastard, London SS and The Subterraneans. James moved on to The Damned, writing almost all the material on their first two albums "Damned, Damned, Damned" and "Music for Pleasure" before leaving at the end of 1977. James then formed the short-lived Tanz Der Youth together with Andy Colqhoun