In 2005, a Planet Rock poll saw May voted the 7th greatest guitarist of all time.He was ranked at No. 26 on Rolling Stonemagazine’s list of the “100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time”.In 2012, May was ranked the 2nd greatest guitarist of all time by a Guitar World magazine readers poll.Brian Harold May, the only child of Harold and Ruth May was born in Hampton, London and attended the local Hampton Grammar Scool, then a voluntary aided school, (nowindependent and known as Hampton School). He is of English and Scottish descent.During this time he formed his first band with vocalist and bassist Tim Staffell, named 1984 after George Orwell’s novel of the same name. At Hampton Grammar School, he attained ten GCE Ordinary Levels and three A-Levels (Physics, Mathematics and Applied Mathematics). He studied Mathematics and Physics at Imperial College London, graduating with a BSc. in Physics with honours.