Bryan Ferry was at Buckingham Palace in London today, with the Roxy Music front man and solo artist meeting the Queen to pick up a Cbe - an experience he described subsequently as "humbling". The 66 year-old has been a major force in music for over 40 years, something more than apparent when a reformed Roxy drew tens of thousands to a reunion tour in 2010 and '11, including a storming headlining slot at Bestival in the UK in the summer of last year.
Speaking to The Press Association upon receiving the honour from the Queen, the 66 year-old commented "Getting something like this is actually very humbling and I was very pleased to be recognised for, I guess, a long career and doing something I love doing. To get an official award like this is incredibly nice and quite a surprise - a very good surprise."
Ferry - along with Phil Manzanera, Andy MACkay, Paul Thompson and, initially, Brian Eno - were among the forerunners of the UK glam movement in the 1970s, with Eno pioneering synthesizers and attaching them to the group's bombastic guitar pop rock and extravagant visual aesthetic. The group enjoyed three UK Number One albums, with their final two going platinum, the latter - 1982's 'Avalon' - also achieving that status in the US. Solo, Ferry has gone to release 13 studio albums, all breaching the UK's Top 20, and 1985's 'Boys And Girls' going platinum at Number 1 in the UK.