UK 1976 BPI Award for “Bohemian Rhapsody”

Presented directly to Norman Sheffield, this in-house EMI award recognises UK sales of more than 1,000,000 copies of the “Bohemian Rhapsody” single, dated 1976. Unlike the official BPI awards issued to record labels, this one was an in-house EMI record — the kind of award the company produced for artists, managers, and key figures around the label, alongside the certified industry discs.

On June 20th 2014, Norman Sheffield passed away. Queen fans will always remember him as “Death on Two Legs,” the song Freddie dedicated to him on the A Night At The Opera album. I always think that the truth, in life, is somewhere in the middle.

Almost a year before his death, Sheffield published his memoir, Life on Two Legs, which recalls his great moments in music history. He founded Trident Studios, where Queen recorded their very first masterpieces — and I will always thank him for believing in the power and energy of our boys. No matter what happened in 1975, and what set off the breaking of the relationship between him and the band: without him and his work with the band, maybe we would have gotten another story.

Read more in Norman Sheffield’s own memoir, “Life on Two Legs.”