On September 5th, 1946, God had spent a little more time in creating a very special being. He had selected a baby boy born in Stone Town, Zanzibar, and blessed this child with such an enormous musical talent and a character that was bigger than life itself.

You and I may not have been there to witness this magical event but we were definitely in some way touched and influenced by this person. I'm talking about the late Freddie Mercury of my most favorite band in the world, Queen.

If he had lived, he would've been 62 years old this year. Oh God, if he had lived, I can only imagine what else would he have done for the world of music. If he was still alive, I'm pretty sure I would've found a way to meet my idol.

I could be blind and deaf in one ear but I would still be able to recognise that distinctive Freddie Mercury voice. Eventhough his speaking voice naturally fell in the baritone range, his singing was mostly done as a tenor.

He had a recorded range of 4 octaves (E2 to E6) and was known to be able to hit the high C. Mind you, this coming from a guy who had no vocal training whatsoever and had even suffered from vocal fold nodules.

Biographer David Bret described his voice as "escalating within a few bars from a deep, throaty rock-growl to tender, vibrant tenor, then on to a high-pitched, perfect coloratura, pure and crystalline in the upper reaches." My favorite was when Freddie sang using his throaty rock-growl, like the one in "Spread Your Wings" (which is my current favorite song to play while driving).

Freddie was such a trooper. Even when he was so weak (facing the final stages of AIDS), he was still able to record songs like "The Show Must Go On", which Brian May had dub as the best vocal performance from Freddie. When I listen to track, it's hard to imagine that this guy was dying because the vocals and emotions were so strong in that song.

Call him queer, call him a genius, love him or hate him, you just cannot deny the contributions Freddie has made for the world. Take the song "We Are the Champions". It's become a sports anthem or the soundtrack for fight scenes in movies, and until today there isn't any new song that has taken its place in the hearts of football fans.

Or how about Bohemian Rhapsody? Do you know of any other rock band that has been able to produce anything else like it? The multi-layer vocal tracks, the complex chords, the theatrical segments, the a cappella and heavy metal parts. This song was so huge and yet has no chorus in it!

Oh I could go on and on about Freddie and Queen. Nothing gives me more joy than talking and learning new things about them legends. I mean, I could listen to, for instance, "Love of My Life" so many times and yet there's always something new to learn. Once I blocked out Freddie's voice and just concentrated on listening to the harmonies. Oh, it was beautiful, and not to mention complicated. This song is a good example of Freddie's familiarity with rubato phrasing, showcasing his classical piano influences, notably by Chopin and Beethoven.

Happy Birthday, Freddie, and knowing you're rocking next to God makes me that much more envious of Him.