Michael Schenker (born 10 January 1955) is a German guitarist. He played in the rock band

UFO An unidentified flying object (UFO), more recently renamed by US officials as a UAP (unidentified aerial phenomenon), is any perceived aerial phenomenon that cannot be immediately identified or explained. On investigation, most UFOs are id ...

and leads the

Michael Schenker Group The Michael Schenker Group (often abbreviated as MSG) are a guitar-oriented hard rock band, formed in London in 1979 by former Scorpions and UFO guitarist Michael Schenker. In 1986, Schenker and vocalist Robin McAuley formed the McAuley Schenke ...

. He was an early member of the hard rock band

Scorpions Scorpions are predatory arachnids of the order Scorpiones. They have eight legs, and are easily recognized by a pair of grasping pincers and a narrow, segmented tail, often carried in a characteristic forward curve over the back and always end ...

, a band co-founded by his elder brother

Rudolf Schenker Rudolf Schenker (born 31 August 1948) is a German guitarist and founder of the hard rock band Scorpions. He is the rhythm guitarist, primary songwriter and longest-serving original member of the band. He is also the CEO/owner-manager of the Sco ...

. In the mid-1970s, Schenker joined UFO, playing lead and rhythm guitar. He left the band in 1978 to found the Michael Schenker Group. He has rejoined UFO three times, producing an album each time. Schenker continues to perform and record. He has been called "a legendary figure in the history of metal guitar."

Career

Early career and rise to fame: Scorpions and UFO

Schenker started playing guitar at an early age, after his brother Rudolf got a

Gibson Flying V The Gibson Flying V is an electric guitar model introduced by Gibson in 1958. The Flying V offered a radical, "futuristic" body design, much like its siblings: the Explorer, which was released the same year, and the Moderne, which was designed ...

guitar for his birthday, which captured his imagination. His main influences were

Jimmy Page James Patrick Page (born 9 January 1944) is an English musician who achieved international success as the guitarist and founder of the rock band Led Zeppelin. Page is prolific in creating guitar riffs. His style involves various alternative ...

Jeff Beck Geoffrey Arnold Beck (born 24 June 1944) is an English rock guitarist. He rose to prominence with the Yardbirds and after fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. In 1975, he switched to a mainly instrumental style, with a focus ...

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...

Leslie West Leslie West (born Leslie Abel Weinstein; October 22, 1945 – December 23, 2020) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was the co-founder, guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the rock band Mountain. Life and career Early years: 1 ...

Johnny Winter John Dawson Winter III (February 23, 1944 – July 16, 2014) was an American singer and guitarist. Winter was known for his high-energy blues rock albums and live performances in the late 1960s and 1970s. He also produced three Grammy Award-win ...

and

Rory Gallagher William Rory Gallagher ( ; 2 March 1948 – 14 June 1995) was an Irish guitarist, singer, songwriter, and producer. Due to his virtuosic playing, but relative lack of fame compared to some others, he has been referred to as "the greatest ...

. He played his first gig when he was 11, with Rudolf and the Scorpions in a nightclub. Schenker debuted with

on their debut album ''

Lonesome Crow ''Lonesome Crow'' is the debut studio album by the German hard rock band Scorpions. It was recorded soon after Scorpions became a fully professional band under the production of Conny Plank, apparently in only six or seven days, and released 9 F ...

'' at age 16. The Scorpions went on tour after recording their first album as the opening act for up-and-coming UK band

in Germany. Schenker was offered the position of lead guitar player for UFO (taking over for

Bernie Marsden Bernard John Marsden (born 7 May 1951) is an English rock and blues guitarist. He is primarily known for his work with Whitesnake, having written or co-written with David Coverdale many of the group's hit songs, such as "Fool for Your Loving", ...

, himself a temporary replacement for Mick Bolton) and, with the blessing of his brother, accepted (Scorpions replaced him with

Uli Roth Uli Jon Roth (born Ulrich Roth; 18 December 1954) is a German guitarist who became famous for his work with the hard rock band Scorpions and is one of the earliest contributors to the neoclassical metal genre. He is also the founder of Sky Ac ...

), even though he didn't speak English. Schenker co-wrote most of the songs on UFO's major label (

Chrysalis Records Chrysalis Records () is a British record label that was founded in 1968. The name is both a reference to the pupal stage of a butterfly and a combination of its founders' names, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis. It started as the Ellis-Wright Ag ...

) debut album ''Phenomenon''. His career with UFO was turbulent, sometimes walking off mid-song causing shows to be cancelled. Despite having a series of successful albums and tours, Schenker unequivocally quit UFO after their show in

Palo Alto, California Palo Alto (; Spanish language, Spanish for "tall stick") is a charter city in the northwestern corner of Santa Clara County, California, United States, in the San Francisco Bay Area, named after a Sequoia sempervirens, coastal redwood tree kno ...

, on 29 October 1978. During this tour the band had recorded six concerts whose selected tracks would make up their live album ''

Strangers in the Night "Strangers in the Night" is a song composed by Bert Kaempfert with English lyrics by Charles Singleton and Eddie Snyder. Kaempfert originally used it under the title "Beddy Bye" as part of the instrumental score for the movie ''A Man Could Get ...

'', which was released after he left the band. Schenker briefly re-joined Scorpions in late 1978, when they were recording the album ''

Lovedrive ''Lovedrive'' is the sixth studio album by German band Scorpions, released in 1979. Considered by some critics to be the pinnacle of their career, ''Lovedrive'' was a major evolution of the band's sound, exhibiting their "classic style" that wo ...

''. He composed and played lead guitar on three songs, "Another Piece of Meat", "Coast To Coast" and "Lovedrive". Although it had been widely believed for decades that the three songs were Schenker's only contribution to the record, during an interview with satellite radio host

Eddie Trunk Edward Scott Trunk (born August 8, 1964) is an American music historian, radio personality, talk show host, and author, best known as the host of several hard rock- and heavy metal-themed radio and television shows. Biography Trunk was born on ...

, Schenker vehemently maintained that he contributed to the whole album. In 1979, Schenker briefly toured with the band in support of the album. He blamed his very short stay on finding out he did not enjoy playing other people's songs. He was permanently replaced by

Matthias Jabs Matthias Jabs (born 25 October 1955) is a German guitarist and songwriter. He is best known for being the lead guitarist in the hard rock band Scorpions. He has played on all but the first five Scorpions studio albums starting with ''Lovedrive ...

, who had originally joined Scorpions before Schenker's return. Schenker auditioned for

Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums) and Brad Whi ...

in 1979 after Joe Perry left. According to Martin Huxley, Schenker stormed out of the room after producer Gary Lyons made several jokes about Nazis. After the death of

Randy Rhoads Randall William Rhoads (December 6, 1956 – March 19, 1982) was an American guitarist. He was the co-founder and original guitarist of the heavy metal band Quiet Riot, and the guitarist and co-songwriter for Ozzy Osbourne's first two solo alb ...

Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adop ...

's first call was to Schenker to replace Rhoads, as the German guitarist and his iconic Flying V were a huge influence on Rhoads. But, Osbourne claims, Schenker made too many outlandish demands (including a private jet). Schenker himself, in an interview with

KNAC KBUE (105.5 FM, "Que Buena 105.5/94.3 FM") is a commercial radio station Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In te ...

radio, claims he was the one to say "no" to Osbourne: "If I would have joined Ozzy Osbourne, I would have screwed up my life. I was almost about to do it, and something told me: DON'T!!" Schenker has also claimed that at some point he was offered, but turned down joining the likes of

Deep Purple Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in London in 1968. They are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal music, heavy metal and modern hard rock music, but their musical style has changed over the course of its existence. Ori ...

Thin Lizzy Thin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Their music reflects a wide range of influences, including blues, soul music, psychedelic rock and traditional Irish folk music, but is generally classified as hard rock or some ...

, Ian Hunter and

Motörhead Motörhead () were an English rock band formed in London in 1975 by Lemmy (lead vocals, bass), Larry Wallis (guitar) and Lucas Fox (drums). Lemmy was also the primary songwriter and only constant member. The band are often considered a precu ...

in order to focus on his solo career.

Michael Schenker Group, McAuley Schenker Group and UFO Reunion

In 1979, Schenker started a solo career by founding the

(MSG). The history of MSG is strewn with personality conflicts and incidents. In 1982, original singer

Gary Barden Gary John Barden (born 27 August 1955, Royal Tunbridge Wells, England) is an English singer-songwriter, best known for his work with Michael Schenker Group. Barden was discovered by Schenker upon the guitarist's hearing a demo of Barden's pre ...

, who sang on the first two studio albums and a live album, was fired in favour of

Graham Bonnet Graham Bonnet (born 23 December 1947) is an English rock singer. He has recorded and performed as a solo artist and as a member of several hard rock and heavy metal bands including Rainbow, Michael Schenker Group, Alcatrazz, and Impellitteri.Pr ...

. Bonnet lasted one album ('' Assault Attack'') and a single gig, at Sheffield University, where he drunkenly exposed himself and was subsequently fired from the band. Barden rejoined MSG for the rest of the tour. He also appeared on the 1983 studio album ('' Built to Destroy'') and the band's second live album (''

Rock Will Never Die ''Rock Will Never Die'' is a Michael Schenker Group live album released in 1984 and recorded at Hammersmith Odeon in London, over two nights in October 1983. The concert was also released in VHS with the same title. This is the last album rec ...

''). After Barden's second departure, Schenker reorganized the band around himself and new singer

Robin McAuley Robin McAuley (born 20 January 1953) is an Irish singer. He is best known as the vocalist for the rock band McAuley Schenker Group from 1986 to 1993, which saw the band release three studio albums: '' Perfect Timing'', '' Save Yourself'', '' M.S ...

and renamed it the

McAuley Schenker Group McAuley Schenker Group were an American rock band based in Los Angeles featuring core members Robin McAuley (vocals) and Michael Schenker (guitar), a successor (and eventual predecessor) to Schenker's earlier band Michael Schenker Group. McAu ...

. The new incarnation of MSG was steered toward a more commercial hard rock sound. After three albums, Schenker and McAuley parted company. In the meantime, he briefly replaced Robbin Crosby in

Ratt Ratt is an American glam metal band formed in San Diego, California, in the 1970s, that had significant commercial success in the 1980s, with their albums having been certified as gold, platinum, and multi-platinum by the RIAA. The group is bes ...

, appearing on their 1990

MTV Unplugged ''MTV Unplugged'' is an American television series on MTV showcasing musical artists usually playing acoustic instruments. The show aired regularly from 1989 to 1999 and less frequently from 2000 to 2009, when it was usually billed as ''MTV Un ...

performance. In 1993, Schenker rejoined UFO. He co-wrote (with Phil Mogg) nearly the whole of their reunion album, '' Walk on Water'' (1995), and toured with them briefly. He then resurrected the Michael Schenker Group with all new members and recorded three more albums, '' Written in the Sand'', '' The Unforgiven'', and ''

Be Aware of Scorpions ''Be Aware of Scorpions'' is the tenth full-length studio album recorded by the various M.S.G. lineups and the seventh album by the German hard rock band Michael Schenker Group released in 2001. Track listing All tracks by Schenker & Logan, ex ...

'' before rejoining UFO for two further releases, ''

Covenant Covenant may refer to: Religion * Covenant (religion), a formal alliance or agreement made by God with a religious community or with humanity in general ** Covenant (biblical), in the Hebrew Bible ** Covenant in Mormonism, a sacred agreement b ...

'' and ''

Sharks Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachimorp ...

''.

2000–present

Schenker fell on hard times in the early 2000s, despite his rejoining UFO that year. He later recorded the album ''

Arachnophobiac ''Arachnophobiac'' is the eleventh full-length studio album recorded by the various M.S.G. lineups and the eighth studio album by the German hard rock band Michael Schenker Group released in 2003. After leaving UFO, rumors spread about Sche ...

'' and supported it with two years of touring. In 2004, recognition came from

Dean Guitars Dean Guitars, commonly referred to simply as Dean, is an American importer and maker of stringed instruments and musical products with its headquarters in Tampa, Florida. Its products include solid-body electric guitars, bass guitars, and acous ...

, which began producing a Schenker signature

Dean V The Dean V is a model of electric guitar and bass released by Dean Guitars in 1977. It forms part of Dean's classic line of guitars along with the Dean ML, Dean Cadillac and Dean Z. In addition to its body shape, the Dean V is recognisable for ...

(with subtle differences from the Gibson, but with the split black and white trademark Schenker finish). 2005 was the 25th anniversary of the

. Schenker put together a new album of songs called ''Tales of Rock'n'Roll'' to celebrate the anniversary and enlisted singers from each iteration of the band to sing on the album. However, in that same year the collection ''

Heavy Hitters ''Heavy Hitters'' is a 2005 album of cover songs by the Michael Schenker Group. Originally planned by Schenker as a collection of covers featuring himself and a "revolving all-star cast of guest musicians," the album was labeled and marketed ...

'', a set of covers featuring Schenker and a revolving group of heavy metal all-stars, was marketed as a Michael Schenker Group album, with the result that Schenker only received a flat fee. After nearly-disastrous North American and European tours in 2007, which included cancelled shows and less-than-stellar performances caused by heavy drinking, Schenker regained his composure and toured in the UK as Michael Schenker & Friends in 2008. Early 2008, Schenker worked with Gary Barden, Don Airey, Simon Phillips, and Neil Murray on a new MSG album ''

In the Midst of Beauty ''In the Midst of Beauty'' is the thirteenth full-length studio album recorded by the various M.S.G. lineups and the tenth studio album by the Michael Schenker Group (MSG). The album was released on 13 May 2008 and marked the comeback of the or ...

'', which was released in May 2008, followed by touring. In 2009 Schenker toured extensively including Russia, UK and the US with MSG including original members Gary Barden and Chris Glenn. In November 2010, Schenker was given the Marshall "11" award in London along with other rock legends including

Ron Wood Ron is a shortening of the name Ronald. Ron or RON may also refer to: Arts and media * Big Ron (''EastEnders''), a TV character * Ron (''King of Fighters''), a video game character *Ron Douglas, the protagonist in '' Lucky Stiff'' played by Joe ...

and

Slash Slash may refer to: * Slash (punctuation), the "/" character Arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Slash (Marvel Comics) * Slash (''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'') Music * Harry Slash & The Slashtones, an American rock band * Nash ...

. The award was presented to Schenker by

Alice Cooper Alice Cooper (born Vincent Damon Furnier, February 4, 1948) is an American rock singer whose career spans over five decades. With a raspy voice and a stage show that features numerous props and stage illusions, including pyrotechnics, guillot ...

, with

Tony Iommi Anthony Frank Iommi () (born 19 February 1948) is a British musician. He co-founded the pioneering heavy metal band Black Sabbath, and was the band's guitarist, leader and primary composer and sole continuous member for nearly five decades. I ...

and

John Paul Jones John Paul Jones (born John Paul; July 6, 1747 July 18, 1792) was a Scottish-American naval captain who was the United States' first well-known naval commander in the American Revolutionary War. He made many friends among U.S political elites ( ...

also in attendance. The award is given to "those artists and musicians who represent rock 'n' roll excess and livin' on the edge." In 2011 Schenker released a new album, ''Temple of Rock''. It was supported with a tour of Europe, Japan and the USA. In Europe the line up included

Herman Rarebell Herman Rarebell (born 18 November 1949 as Hermann Josef Erbel) is a German musician, best known as the drummer for the hard rock band Scorpions from 1977 to 1995, during which time he played on eight studio albums. Aside from playing drums, Rare ...

on drums and

Francis Buchholz Francis Buchholz (born 19 February 1954) is a German musician best known as the bass guitarist of German rock band Scorpions from 1973 until 1992. Since leaving Scorpions he has been a member of Michael Schenker's Temple Of Rock. Biography Born ...

on bass, both former members of Scorpions (Rarebell also joined the band for the Japanese dates) and Doogie White, formerly singer for

Rainbow A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky. It takes the form of a multicoloured circular arc. Rainbows c ...

and

Yngwie Malmsteen Yngwie Johan Malmsteen ( ; born Lars Johan Yngve Lannerbäck, 30 June 1963) is a Swedish guitarist. He first became known in the 1980s for his neoclassical playing style in heavy metal, and has released 22 studio albums in a career spanning ov ...

. With this line-up he recorded the album ''Bridge the Gap'' which was released in 2013. In August 2012 Schenker received a Lifetime Achievement in Rock and Roll Award from ''

Vegas Rocks! Magazine ''VEGAS ROCKS! Magazine'' is a rock music magazine founded in August 2004 by Sally Steele. It covers rock music currently on showcase in the Las Vegas, NV area especially '80s rock music artists. ''Vegas Rocks! Magazine'' is a bi-monthly public ...

.'' The award was presented by

David Coverdale David Coverdale (born 22 September 1951) is an English singer who is best known as the lead vocalist of Whitesnake, a hard rock band he founded in 1978. Before Whitesnake, Coverdale was the lead singer of Deep Purple from 1973 to 1976, after wh ...

Whitesnake Whitesnake are an English hard rock band formed in London in 1978. The group was originally put together as the backing band for singer David Coverdale, who had recently left Deep Purple. Though the band quickly developed into their own entit ...

. During the award ceremony Schenker performed with

Sammy Hagar Samuel Roy Hagar (born October 13, 1947), also known as the Red Rocker, is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He rose to prominence in the early 1970s with the hard rock band Montrose and subsequently launched a successful solo car ...

of Chickenfoot, Montrose and

Van Halen Van Halen ( ) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. Credited with "restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene", Van Halen was known for its energetic live shows and for the virtuosity of its lead gu ...

Instruments and sound

Schenker's main guitar for most of his career was a

, which he typically played through a "cocked"

wah-wah pedal A wah-wah pedal, or simply wah pedal, is a type of electric guitar effects pedal that alters the tone and frequencies of the guitar signal to create a distinctive sound, mimicking the human voice saying the onomatopoeic name "wah-wah". The ped ...

(switched on but left in a single position, around halfway through the travel of the foot pedal, and used as an equaliser to strengthen the midrange "sweet spot") and

Marshall amplifiers Marshall is a British company that designs and manufactures music amplifiers, speaker cabinets, brands personal headphones and earphones, drums and bongos. The company also owns a record label called Marshall Records. It was founded in Lond ...

. Schenker's "unmistakable midrange tone" was emphasised by the partially engaged wah pedal, as exemplified on the song "Rock Bottom" from the live UFO album ''Strangers in the Night'', was listed among the 50 greatest tones of all time by ''

Guitar Player ''Guitar Player'' is an American popular magazine for guitarists, founded in 1967 in San Jose, California. It contains articles, interviews, reviews and lessons of an eclectic collection of artists, genres and products. It has been in print si ...

'' magazine. Since 2004, Schenker has switched to using a signature model

. In 2007 Dean Guitars, after producing Schenker's signature Dean V, also made two acoustic models with the familiar black and white "V" design.

In video games

*The Michael Schenker Group's song, "Armed and Ready", featured in '' Guitar Hero: Metallica''. *The song "Assault Attack" was featured in ''

Brütal Legend ''Brütal Legend'' is an action-adventure video game with real-time strategy game elements created by Double Fine and published by Electronic Arts for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. The game was released during October 2009 in North America, ...

''.

Awards and recognition

* Placed on ''

Guitar World ''Guitar World'' is a monthly music magazine for guitarists – and fans of guitar-based music and trends – that has been published since July 1980. ''Guitar World'', the best-selling guitar magazine in the United States, contains original art ...

'' magazine's 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Guitarists. *In 2010 Schenker was given the Marshall "11" award. *Schenker accepted his "Rock Guitar Legend" award at the

Music Awards 2012. *On 16 June 2014, Schenker was honored the Golden God Icon Award at the Metal Hammer Golden God Awards at the IndiO2 in London.

Influence

Schenker has been on the covers of many guitar magazines and has influenced many notable guitar players, including

Kirk Hammett Kirk Lee Hammett (born November 18, 1962) is an American musician who has been the lead guitarist and a contributing songwriter for heavy metal band Metallica since 1983. Before joining Metallica, he formed and named the band Exodus. In 2003, ...

and

James Hetfield James Alan Hetfield (born August 3, 1963) is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, co-founder and a main songwriter of heavy metal band Metallica. He is mainly known for his intricate rhythm playing, but occasionall ...

(

Metallica Metallica is an American heavy metal band. The band was formed in 1981 in Los Angeles by vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, and has been based in San Francisco for most of its career. The band's fast tempos, instrume ...

Dave Mustaine David Scott Mustaine (born September 13, 1961) is an American musician. He is the co-founder, lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and primary songwriter of the thrash metal band Megadeth, as well as their sole consistent member. Mustaine has relea ...

and

Marty Friedman Marty Friedman (born December 8, 1962) is an American guitarist, best known for his tenure as the lead guitarist for thrash metal band Megadeth from 1990 to 2000. He is also known for playing alongside Jason Becker in Cacophony from 1986 until ...

(

Megadeth Megadeth is an American thrash metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1983 by vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine. Known for their technically complex guitar work and musicianship, Megadeth is one of the "big four" of American thrash metal along wit ...

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(

Pantera Pantera () is an American heavy metal music, heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas formed in 1981, and currently comprised of vocalist Phil Anselmo, bassist Rex Brown, and touring musicians Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante. The group's best-kn ...

Alex Skolnick Alex Skolnick (born September 29, 1968) is an American musician. He is best known as the lead guitarist and one of the songwriters of the thrash metal band Testament and has played with several other bands, including The Alex Skolnick Trio, Tra ...

and

Eric Peterson Eric Neal Peterson (born October 2, 1946) is a Canadian stage, television, and film actor, known for his roles in three major Canadian series – '' Street Legal'' (1987–1994), '' Corner Gas'' (2004–2009), and '' This is Wonderland'' ...

( Testament),

Mike McCready Michael David McCready (born April 5, 1966) is an American musician who serves as the lead guitarist for the rock band Pearl Jam. Along with Jeff Ament, Stone Gossard, and Eddie Vedder, he is one of the founding members of the band. McCready wa ...

(

Pearl Jam Pearl Jam is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. The band's lineup consists of founding members Jeff Ament (bass guitar), Stone Gossard (rhythm guitar), Mike McCready (lead guitar), and Eddie Vedder (lead vocals, guita ...

), Gary Holt (

Exodus Exodus or the Exodus may refer to: Religion * Book of Exodus, second book of the Hebrew Torah and the Christian Bible * The Exodus, the biblical story of the migration of the ancient Israelites from Egypt into Canaan Historical events * Ex ...

), Rob Cavestany (

Death Angel Death Angel is an American thrash metal band from Daly City, California, initially active from 1982 to 1991 and again since 2001. Death Angel has released nine studio albums, two demo tapes, one box set and three live albums. The band has ...

Adrian Smith Adrian Frederick "H" Smith (born 27 February 1957) is an English guitarist best known as a member of heavy metal band Iron Maiden, for whom he also writes songs and performs backing vocals both live and in the studio. Smith grew up in London ...

(

Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. While fluid in the early years of the band, the lineup for most of the band's history has consisted of Harri ...

John Norum John Norum (born 23 February 1964) is a Norwegian-Swedish guitarist and one of the founders of the rock band Europe. Concurrent to his role with Europe, he also maintains a career as a solo artist. Biography As an infant, Norum moved with his p ...

(

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Paul Gilbert Paul Brandon Gilbert is an American hard rock and heavy metal guitarist. He is the co-founder of the band Mr. Big, and was also a member of Racer X, with whom he released several albums. In 1996, Gilbert launched a solo career, for which h ...

, George Lynch (

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(

John Petrucci John Peter Petrucci (born July 12, 1967) is an American guitarist, best known as a founding member of the progressive metal band Dream Theater. He produced or co-produced (often with former member Mike Portnoy before he departed the band in 201 ...

(

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(

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(

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(

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( Annihilator), Phil Campbell (

Kerry King Kerry Ray King (born June 3, 1964) is an American musician, best known for being the co-lead guitarist and songwriter of thrash metal band Slayer. He co-founded the band with Jeff Hanneman in 1981 and remained a member for nearly four decades. ...

(

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), and Syu (

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Michael Schenker Group band members

Current members *Michael Schenker – lead and rhythm guitars, occasional backing vocals *Bodo Schopf – drums *Steve Mann – rhythm guitar, keyboards, backing vocals * Ronnie Romero – lead vocals *Barend Courbois – bass, backing vocals

Discography

Other Schenker projects

*'' Look at Me Now'' (Bernie Marsden Album) (1981) as guest *''

Legends of Rock at Castle Donington ''Legends of Rock: Live at Castle Donington'' is a DVD released by German guitarist Uli Jon Roth. It features Roth's headlining show at Castle Donington, Leicestershire, England in 2001, along with his special guests Michael Schenker, Phil Mogg, ...

'' (2001, Live) *''Siggi Schwarz & The Electric Guitar Legends'' (2004) *''Siggi Schwarz & The Rock Legends'' (2005) *'' Heavy Metal Thunder'' (2005) *''

Numbers from the Beast This is a list of albums recorded in tribute to the British heavy metal music, heavy metal band Iron Maiden. ''The Maiden Years Volume 1 – Tribute to Iron Maiden'' ''Made in Tribute: A Tribute to the Best Band in a Whole Goddamn World! ...

'' (2005) *''Agony & The Xtasy (

Solo Album)'' (2006) *''Siggi Schwarz and Michael Schenker – Live Together'' (2006, Live) *'' Metal X-Mas (two-CD Special Edition)'' (2010) *''Strangers in the Night'' (2010) *''

Seeking Major Tom ''Seeking Major Tom'' is the fourth studio album by William Shatner. It was released October 11, 2011 in the US by Cleopatra Records. Production The album features many noted musicians, including Patrick Kennison, Sheryl Crow, John Wetton, Patr ...

'' (2011)

Compilations

* ''The Essential Michael Schenker Group'' (''Best Of''-style compilation, 1992) * ''The Story of Michael Schenker'' (1994, Compilation) * '' Armed & ready – the best of the Michael Schenker Group '' (1994, Music Collection International) * ''The Michael Schenker Story Live'' (1994): see also

The Michael Schenker Story Live ''The Michael Schenker Story Live'' is a live album by the hard rock band Michael Schenker Group, released in May 1997 through Michael Schenker's own record company. This is a double-CD live album recorded during the March 1997 Japan tour. The ...

, the audio recording. * ''Forever And More: The Best of Michael Schenker'' (2003) * ''Greatest Riffs'' (2009, US-only compilation) * ''Instrumental Intensity'' (2010, Shrapnel Records compilation)

References

External links

* *
2015 Michael Schenker Interview on Guitar.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schenker, Michael 1955 births Living people People from Sarstedt German Christians German rock guitarists German male guitarists German heavy metal guitarists Lead guitarists Slide guitarists Scorpions (band) members UFO (band) members Michael Schenker Group members McAuley Schenker Group members Ratt members G3 (tour) Contraband (band) members