Brian May CBE, Jimmy Page OBE

Queen guitarist and founding member Brian May was awarded a CBE and Jimmy Page, Led Zeppelin founding member and guitarist, was awarded an OBE in the Queen of England's Birthday Honours it was announced on Saturday.

This old-fashioned albeit interesting British tradition of awarding Honours stretches back to 1917. Each year important personalities of public life join the ranks of the "British Empire".

The Order includes five classes in civil and military divisions, in order of seniority:

Knight or Dame Grand Cross (GBE)
Knight or Dame Commander (KBE or DBE)
Commander (CBE)
Officer (OBE)
Member (MBE)

Over the years Brian May has been involed in a number of charity projects. He is a patron of the Mercury Phoenix Trust - a charity aimed at raising AIDS awareness, he has supported the British Bone Marrow Donor Appeal for more than 15 years until it was taken over by the National Health Service a few days ago and has been a key figure in Nelson Mandela's 46664 project for fighting AIDS in Africa.

Jimmy Page is also actively involed in charity projects and concerts. He has been a patron of UNICEF's ABC Trust, a charity co-founded by his wife and committed to creating opportunities for disadvantaged young people of Brazil. Page is a supporter of "Riffathon", an annual guitar competition designed to encourage players of all ages "to get out there and riff".
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