Francis Buchholz (born 19 February 1954 in ) is a
GermanGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
bassistA bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
best known as a member of the
heavy metalHeavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in England and the United States...
band, the
ScorpionsThe Scorpions are a heavy metal/hard rock band from Hanover, Germany, probably best known for their 1980s rock anthem "Rock You Like a Hurricane" and their singles "No One Like You", "Send Me an Angel, "Still Loving You", and "Wind of Change"...
.
Buchholz discovered rock music at the age of 11. His first public appearance as a bass player was at age 15 while in a high school. From then on he played in different rock, blues and jazz bands in his hometown of Hannover. While a
mechanical engineeringMechanical Engineering is an engineering discipline that was developed from the application of principles from physics and materials science. Mechanical engineering involves the analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of various systems...
student at the University of Hanover and taking classes at Hannover's Music Academy (Musikhochschule), Buchholz joined Dawn Road, whose lineup included guitarist
Uli RothUlrich Roth , more commonly known as Uli Jon Roth, is a Germanguitarist and one of the earliest contributors to the neo-classical metal genre. He is also the founder of Sky academy and inventor of the Sky Guitar. He is the older brother of fellow guitarist and artist Zeno Roth.-Career:In the early...
.
Francis Buchholz (born 19 February 1954 in ) is a
GermanGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a country in Central Europe. It is bordered to the north by the North Sea, Denmark, and the Baltic Sea; to the east by Poland and the Czech Republic; to the south by Austria and Switzerland; and to the west by France, Luxembourg, Belgium,...
bassistA bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
best known as a member of the
heavy metalHeavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in England and the United States...
band, the
ScorpionsThe Scorpions are a heavy metal/hard rock band from Hanover, Germany, probably best known for their 1980s rock anthem "Rock You Like a Hurricane" and their singles "No One Like You", "Send Me an Angel, "Still Loving You", and "Wind of Change"...
.
Buchholz discovered rock music at the age of 11. His first public appearance as a bass player was at age 15 while in a high school. From then on he played in different rock, blues and jazz bands in his hometown of Hannover. While a
mechanical engineeringMechanical Engineering is an engineering discipline that was developed from the application of principles from physics and materials science. Mechanical engineering involves the analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of various systems...
student at the University of Hanover and taking classes at Hannover's Music Academy (Musikhochschule), Buchholz joined Dawn Road, whose lineup included guitarist
Uli RothUlrich Roth , more commonly known as Uli Jon Roth, is a Germanguitarist and one of the earliest contributors to the neo-classical metal genre. He is also the founder of Sky academy and inventor of the Sky Guitar. He is the older brother of fellow guitarist and artist Zeno Roth.-Career:In the early...
. Roth had been moonlighting with the Scorpions as a replacement for
Michael SchenkerMichael Schenker is a German rock guitarist, best known for his tenure in UFO, in addition to his solo work. He first rose to fame as a founding member of the Scorpions, then achieved fame in the mid 1970s as the lead guitar player for UFO. Since leaving UFO in 1978, he has been leading the...
, who had left the band mid-tour to join
UFOUFO are a British hard rock/heavy metal band formed in 1969. UFO became a transitional group between early hard rock and heavy metal and the New Wave of British Heavy Metal...
. Eventually the musicians from Dawn Road and the Scorpions would merge into a new incarnation of the Scorpions in 1973, with Buchholz on bass. Buchholz' first recording with the band would be 1974's
Fly to the RainbowFly To The Rainbow is the second studio album by German hard rock/heavy metal band Scorpions, released in 1974. In support of their Lonesome Crow album, Scorpions landed a spot as the opening act for the British hard rock/heavy metal band UFO...
. He would record and tour with the band for 18 years and 12 albums during the band's most commercially-successful period. He left the band over a disagreement over band management in 1992. His last album with the band was
Crazy WorldCrazy World is the eleventh studio album by the German heavy metal band Scorpions released in 1990. Crazy World peaked at number 21 on Billboard 200 Chart for albums in 1990...
.
Buchholz reunited with Uli Roth for a tour of Europe and the United States in 2005 and 2006. He recorded bass tracks for Dreamtide's 2008 album "Dream And Deliver" and is now a permanent member of their lineup.
Personal
In 1978, Buchholz founded a
PAA public address or "PA" system is an electronic amplification system with a mixer, amplifier and loudspeakers, used to reinforce a given sound, e.g., a person making a speech, a DJ playing prerecorded music, and distributing the sound throughout a venue or building.Simple PA systems are often...
and
stage lightingModern stage lighting is a flexible tool in the production of theatre, dance, opera and other performance arts. Several different types of stage lighting instruments are used in the pursuit of the various principles or goals of lighting....
rental company, Rocksound, in Germany. The company began as a way to distribute special
exponential loudspeaker cabinetsA horn loudspeaker is a complete loudspeaker or loudspeaker element which uses a horn to increase the overall efficiency of the driving element, typically a diaphragm driven by an electromagnet. The horn itself is a passive component and does not amplify the sound from the driving element as such,...
Buchholz had developed, but also to provide employment for the Scorpions'
roadiesThe road crew are the technicians who travel with a band on tour, usually in sleeper buses, and handle every part of the concert productions except actually performing the music with the musicians....
when not on tour. The company thrived in the 1980s and '90's.
Buchholz still lives in Hannover with his family: a son and twin daughters and a son.
In 1996, Buchholz authored the book "Bass Magic," He currently works as a
record producerIn the music industry, a record producer has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes...
and
consultantA media consultant is a term used to describe a marketing agent or public relations executive, hired by businesses or political candidates to obtain positive press coverage....
.
External links