Michael Schenker   Rudy Schenker

Michael Schenker is in all probability the greatest unknown Rock guitar hero of the last 30 years. Although his name is known in the Rock guitar circles, he has never been discovered by the record buying masses. Why? Schenker has been his own worst enemy over the years, and his lack of mainstream success can only be attributed to his own personal problems. He has been given many chances to grab the golden ring over the years, but has always found a way to trash opportunity. With that said however, this is written with only the highest of respects for the man who I would probably claim as being my all-time favorite guitarist, and whose talents I herald at every opportunity in an attempt to spread the good word about this too often overlooked prodigal son.

The eternal image of Michael Schenker leaning deeply over his signature Flying V's is a strong one at that. To give credit where it is most rightly due is important. Simply stated, Michael Schenker was not technically the first of the classically inspired Rock players, but he really shaped the genre in all respects! Blackmore might have pioneered it, but Schenker took it places with his astounding technical expertise and melodic sense that had never before been imagined in Rock guitar. It is Schenker that blazed the way and inspired both Randy Rhoads and Yngwie Malmsteen who would follow several years later. He is a giant at his craft, yet has not received the acclaim that many, many lesser players who followed him have.

The German born Schenker is the younger brother of Rudolph Schenker of German megagroup Scorpions.

Both brothers cite The Beatles as the reason that they started playing guitar and dreaming about playing in Rock 'n Roll bands.

 Michael was obviously born with the aptitudes that would make him the brilliant guitarist that he became at a very young age. By the time Schenker was 16 years old he had already played lead guitar on the first Scorpions album called Lonesome Crow.
Sixteen years old! Things moved very quickly for the young Schenker, who within a couple of years after recording the Scorpions debut was enlisted into English Hard Rock band UFO, and it is here that Michael made his first, and lasting impression on the world. UFO along with Judas Priest were the two big British contenders trying to break the U.S. market, and both were succeeding.

Around 1979 however, the two groups would start down two different paths of success, with Judas Priest staying focused and making huge inroads that would see them conquer the world within 3 years. At the same time UFO tripped up, from which they never fully recovered. What happened? UFO were gaining a great deal of commercial success in America, touring for their biggest selling album to that point called Obsession. This tour would forever be immortalized in the classic double live recording Strangers In the Night, which showcased a brilliant young Schenker just barely 20 years old. It was during this period however that Michael experienced his first personal difficulties, likely the result of the age old 'too much too soon' syndrome. Schenker was in a pressure cooker at a very young age, a blooming Rock Star, a brilliant guitarist and relentless touring of the globe took its' toll. Just as the Strangers In the Night  tour was peaking with the band headlining in the U.S., Schenker went AWOL which threw a wrench into the gears of UFO. Internal strife in the band also likely contributed to his disappearance in the middle of the tour. UFO would replace Schenker shortly thereafter with Paul Chapman with whom they would go on to record several great albums, but the loss of momentum kept the band from ever becoming a huge success like their peers at that time, Judas Priest and Scorpions. The Schenker story however was far from over...

In 1980 Michael released the first self titled MSG album, cementing his position as a premier guitarist of the day. The band was comprised of notables and were a full fledged Rock & Roll machine with recording and touring. Several awesome albums with signature Schenker playing were released in the early 1980's. These albums were MSG, Michael Schenker Group, Assault Attack and Built To Destroy yet the band were not able to break through to the big leagues despite constant touring and major label backing. It wasn't until the point that Schenker hooked up with singer Robin MacAuley that the band got a good shot at American audiences with a couple of high profile videos on a budding MTV. Still, the band touring the powerhouse Perfect Timing and Save Yourself albums failed to break through to the top, thus scuttling Schenker's second serious attempt at Rock stardom. The years from 1992 to present have continued to be fraught with ups and downs for Schenker in terms of success. He has been prolific in his output, most of which continues to bear his signature of high art through his incredible ability, yet he has not been able to step into the international limelight. As of this writing in 2005, Michael is enjoying a new found and hard fought for clarity in his personal life, which may be the most important success that he will achieve...

Ed Roman