Future Queen band members Brian May and Roger Taylor were then part of a band named Smile. Freddie sung Elvis Presley's 'Jailhouse Rock'. Though he had been in a band called The Hectics while in primary school, his first performance in front of a paying audience was on Augas a vocalist for the band Ibex, who had been looking for a singer. When did Freddie Mercury first start performing for paying crowds? He also cited Liza Minnelli as an influence, specifically her Academy Award-winning performance in Cabaret. He was influenced by numerous bands, most notably Elvis Presley, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones. In England, Freddie's taste for music expanded from the Indian music he was exposed to growing up, to include the rock and roll music of the day. He earned a degree in Art and Graphic Design from Ealing Art College in London. The earliest known footage of Freddie Mercury was taken during his freshman year at the college. In the following months, Freddie enrolled at Isleworth Polytechnic (now West Thames College), majoring in art. The political unrest in the country put Freddie's family in danger and they fled to the United Kingdom. A month later, the bloody Zanzibar Revolution began, which resulted in the deaths of thousands of Indians and Arabs. The country gained independence from Britain in December 1963. Peters boarding school when he was 16 and returned to his family in Zanzibar.
