Born in Hereford, England in 1955, Peter Hince began his music career in 1973 as an eighteen-year-old roadie for David Bowie. That same year, then working for Mott The Hoople, he met a relatively unknown band, Queen, who were supporting Mott on their UK tour.
Peter continued to work with other great artists including Mick Ronson, Lou Reed, Brian Eno (Roxy Music), Supertramp, George Benson and Kevin Ayers, before joining Queen full-time in 1975.
Peter was principally Freddie Mercury and bassist John Deacon’s roadie, and subsequently became head of the road crew.
During over a decade with Queen, Peter cultivated a passion for photography, capturing intimate and candid shots of the band in the recording studio, during video shoots, at tour rehearsals, and, on rare occasions, even during live shows.
“During my years with Queen, I was in a privileged position, and because the band trusted me and my cameras, I was able to capture these rare images. You might say I was lucky, but in life, I've found that the harder you work, the more you apply yourself, the more you recognize and seize opportunities, the luckier you become.”
After leaving the music industry following Queen’s final tour in 1986, Peter had a successful career as a photographer, winning awards for his advertising work and personal black and white underwater images.
In 2010 Peter revisited his unique archive of Queen photographs for a London show. The show grew and continues to be exhibited internationally as: Queen – The Unseen Archive. Peter also turned to his earliest passion of writing, and his 2011 memoir, Queen Unseen, has received critical acclaim. A large photographic book: Queen Uncovered, following Peter’s journey with Queen was published in October 2023 - 50 years since he first met the band.
Peter Hince's archive is unique, covering not only a wide span of Queen's public career but also contains rare behind-the-scenes images.
He currently lives between London and Munich, writing, exhibiting, and managing his photographic archive. He is a frequent speaker and presenter on the music business in the 1970s and 1980s.
A curated selection of his work is shown here. Please inquire about any other images from his book that may also be available for sale.