Rudolf Schenker
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- 5 days ago
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Guitarist Rudolf Schenker celebrates his birthday today !!
(Photo: Timetorock.ru)
He was born on August 31, 1948, in Hildesheim, Germany.
Rudolf is the older brother of virtuoso guitarist Michael Schenker, who is seven years younger than him. Rudolf and Michael grew up listening to bands such as "Deep Purple", "Led Zeppelin", "Wishbone Ash" and others.
At the age of 16, Rudolf originally asked his father for a small motorcycle. His father refused because he was worried Rudolf might get hurt, so Rudolf asked for a guitar instead. His father bought him a Framus guitar, and Rudolf learned his first chords from an instructional book he ordered from the Netherlands. He quickly decided that he did not want to be a solo guitarist, but wanted to form a band.
Rudolf Schenker founded "Scorpions" in 1965 and remains the only continuous member of the band from its formation to the present day.
Before making a living from music, Rudolf trained and worked as an electrician, and at one point also worked as a photographer. The official "Scorpions" website lists both professions among his previous occupations.
During the band's early years, and until Klaus Meine joined in 1969, Rudolf also served as the band's vocalist.
Rudolf is the driving force and principal songwriter of "Scorpions", having been involved in writing many of the band's songs throughout more than 50 years of activity, from their 1972 debut album "Lonesome Crow" to the present day.
Over the years, the Gibson Flying V became Rudolf's unmistakable trademark. In fact, his brother Michael Schenker also began his long association with the model thanks to Rudolf. At one show, Michael needed a guitar, so Rudolf handed him his Flying V. After the performance, Michael told him that he simply could not give it back because he had fallen in love with the instrument. Rudolf bought himself another Flying V, and over the years the two brothers became two of the guitarists most closely associated with the model.
The guitar became so strongly identified with Rudolf that for "Scorpions"' acoustic project "Acoustica", Boris Dommenget built him a custom acoustic guitar in the shape of a Flying V. Years later, Gibson also created its own acoustic Flying V for him.
On "Rock You Like a Hurricane", Rudolf used an original 1958 Gibson Flying V that he had purchased from German guitarist Alex Conti. According to Rudolf, Eric Clapton had also tried to buy the same guitar, but Conti refused to sell it to him. Rudolf recorded the song with the guitar through a Marshall amplifier, and he considers it the finest Flying V in his collection.
Although Rudolf primarily serves as the band's rhythm guitarist, he also plays lead guitar and solos on a number of iconic "Scorpions" songs, including "China White", "Always Somewhere", "Still Loving You", "Send Me an Angel", "Lady Starlight", "Dynamite", "Big City Nights", "Wind of Change", "When the Smoke Is Going Down", "Animal Magnetism" and others.
He recorded two different versions of the guitar solo for "China White" and could not decide which one he preferred. As a result, the American and European editions of the album were released with different guitar solos.
Rudolf also provides backing vocals for the band, but on several "Scorpions" songs he has taken the lead vocal role as well, including "Hey You", "They Need a Million", "Drifting Sun" and others.
One of the images most closely associated with "Scorpions" is the cover of their 1982 album "Blackout". However, contrary to a common misconception, the figure with bandages and forks over his eyes is not Rudolf. It is a self-portrait by Austrian artist Gottfried Helnwein. Rudolf later adopted the look and portrayed the character in the music video for "No One Like You". See it here:
In 1995, Rudolf made a guest appearance on "Big Love", the album by Ali Campbell of "UB40", where he was credited as both a guitarist and recording engineer.
In 2008, he appeared on "The Scarecrow" by "Avantasia", playing the guitar solo on "I Don't Believe in Your Love" alongside Oliver Hartmann. The album also featured Alice Cooper, Michael Kiske, Jorn Lande, Kai Hansen, Eric Singer and others.
In 2011, Rudolf reunited musically with his brother Michael on the album "Temple of Rock", appearing as a guest guitarist on two tracks. He has also performed alongside Michael on various occasions over the years. In 2009, Rudolf published the book "Rock Your Life" together with Lars Amend, combining stories from his career with "Scorpions" with his personal philosophy on life. In 2022, an expanded and updated edition was released, featuring a foreword by author Paulo Coelho.
Yoga and meditation have been part of Rudolf's life since he was around 16 to 18 years old. According to him, his father introduced him to yoga, and he went on to spend decades exploring Indian philosophy, meditation and physical practice. Rudolf has said that these disciplines contributed both to his creativity and to his ability to cope with success and pressure.
In 2009, "Scorpions" received the German ECHO Award for Lifetime Achievement. A year later, Rudolf and the other members of the band left their handprints at Hollywood's RockWalk in Los Angeles.
In July 2023, Rudolf Schenker, Klaus Meine and Matthias Jabs were awarded the "Großes Verdienstkreuz", the Grand Cross of Merit of the state of Lower Saxony, one of the state's highest honors, in recognition of their contribution to music and their public and social engagement.
To date, Schenker has released 19 studio albums with "Scorpions".
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