Queen will receive the Heritage Award from the Performing Right Society for Music on March 5th at Imperial College in London -- the site of their first show on July 18th, 1970. Brian May and Roger Taylor will be on hand to accept the plaque.

May says, "I remember [that first show] very distinctly because I’d seen all sorts of people playing in there. I’d been part of the Entertainment Committee, and we booked a group every Saturday night in those days. People like Spooky Tooth and Steamhammer! We booked Jimi Hendrix, too. So for us it was a dream come true to actually play on that stage. It used to get packed in there, so it was a major stepping stone for us.”

Taylor adds, "Imperial College was effectively our positional and spiritual base and so means a lot to Queen. Many good memories, without it…who knows?”

PRS for Music established the Heritage Award in 2009 to recognize important live music venues where iconic bands and songwriters performed. Previous honorees include Elton John, Jethro Tull and Dire Straits.