Mercury spent the bulk of his childhood in India and began taking piano lessons at the age of seven.[15] In 1954, at the age of eight, Mercury was sent to study at St. Peter's School, a British-style boarding school for boys in Panchgani near Bombay (now Mumbai), India.[16] Aged 12, he formed a school band, The Hectics, and covered artists such as Cliff Richard and Little Richard.[17] A friend fro