Rudolf Schenker is a
GermanGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
guitaristA guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
and founding member of
heavy metalHeavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
band
ScorpionsScorpions are a heavy metal/hard rock band from Hannover, Germany, formed in 1965 by guitarist Rudolf Schenker, who is the band's only constant member. They are known for their 1980s rock anthem "Rock You Like a Hurricane" and many singles, such as "No One Like You", "Send Me an Angel", "Still...
, being the rhythm/lead guitarist and one of the main song-writers of the band. He formed the band in 1965 when he was 17 years old.
After starting out with a
Fender StratocasterThe Fender Stratocaster, often referred to as "Strat", is a model of electric guitar designed by Leo Fender, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares in 1954, and manufactured continuously by the Fender Musical Instruments Corporation to the present. It is a double-cutaway guitar, with an extended top...
, Schenker is primarily known for playing
Gibson Flying V-External links:*, , , , and , from the Gibson website*, a June 2001 article from Guitar Collector magazine*, a tribute site that lists all models and re-issues and most notable players**...
s and, more recently,
Dean VThe Dean V is an electric guitar made by Dean Guitars. It was released at the same time as the Dean ML, Dean Cadillac and Dean Z in 1977. It has the recognisable V shaped Dean Headstock and V shaped tailpiece...
s. In the
AcousticaAcoustica is a 2001 unplugged album by German heavy metal band Scorpions.Acoustica was recorded during three concerts, at Convento do Beato, Lisbon, Portugal, in February 2001. It was a most unusual set for the band, as Klaus Meine comments on the DVD...
DVD, he is seen playing an acoustic Flying V made especially for him by Dommenget. He now uses Dean acoustic V models.
In an interview on the 'World Wide Live' video, he mentioned that his goal is not to become the best or fastest guitarist, but to be a very good composer.
In most Scorpions songs, guitar solos are performed by lead guitarist
Matthias JabsMatthias Jabs is a German guitarist and songwriter. He is a member of the heavy metal band Scorpions. Before joining the Scorpions, Jabs had played for the bands Lady, Fargo and Deadlock....
, but there are exceptions, in which Rudolf makes the solos, such as "Wind of Change", "Always Somewhere", "
Still Loving You"Still Loving You" is a song of Scorpions from their 1984 album Love at First Sting. It was the second single of the album, reaching #64 on Billboard Hot 100. In France, the single sold 1.7 million copies...
", "As Soon as the Good Times Roll", "Through My Eyes" "Coast to Coast" (second solo) and "
Big City Nights"Big City Nights" is a song by German heavy metal band Scorpions. The song was released as the sixth track of their 1984 album Love at First Sting. Like many Scorpions songs, "Big City Nights" was composed by band members Rudolf Schenker and Klaus Meine. The song was also released as the third...
".
His younger brother
Michael SchenkerMichael Schenker is a German rock guitarist, best known for his tenure in UFO, in addition to his solo band. 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...
was a member of Scorpions in the band's earliest inception, before joining the band
UFOUFO are an English heavy metal and hard rock band, who were formed in 1969. UFO became a transitional group between early hard rock and heavy metal and the New Wave of British Heavy Metal...
.In the year 2000 he was awarded the city of Hanover plaque.
External links