Klaus Meine
| Klaus Meine | |
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| Background information | |
| Born | May 25, 1948 Hannover, Germany |
| Genres | Heavy metal, hard rock |
| Instruments | Vocals, guitar |
| Years active | 1965–present |
| Labels | RCA, Mercury, Sony BMG |
| Associated acts | Scorpions, Avantasia |
Klaus Meine (born May 25, 1948, Hannover, Germany) is a German singer, best known as the lead vocalist and occasional rhythm guitarist of the heavy metal band Scorpions. Besides guitarist Rudolf Schenker, he is the only member of the group to appear on every album, despite the fact that he did not join until 1970.
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[edit] Biography
Meine is well-noted for his unique tenor voice, strong German accent and polished delivery which ranges from high notes to soft ballads.
Meine writes most of the lyrics to Scorpions' songs. He also shares the authorship of some lyrics with Herman Rarebell (former drummer of Scorpions) on some songs like the major hit "Rock You Like a Hurricane", among others. Meine composed some songs alone like "Wind of Change" and "A Moment in a Million Years".[1]
In 1981, after a world tour and during the recording of the Blackout album, Meine lost his voice so badly he could not even speak properly. Meine was advised by his doctor to consider another profession because of his voice problems. However, Scorpions stuck together and after therapy and 2 vocal cord surgeries, Meine's voice recovered. Meine was ranked by Hit Parader as the twenty-second greatest heavy metal vocalist of all time.[2]
In 1990 Klaus performed in the "Live In Berlin" rendition of Roger Waters' "The Wall." Klaus was a highlight singer during the performance.
After 46 years together, Scorpions announced in January 2010 that they will retire after a final world tour.[3] In the year 2000 he was awarded the city of Hanover plaque.[4]
[edit] With Scorpions
The longtime frontman for German heavy metal export the Scorpions, singer Klaus Meine was born May 25, 1948, in the city of Hanover; prior to a stint in the military he led a group called the Mushrooms, and following his service stay he returned home in 1970 to form Copernicus with teen guitar phenom Michael Schenker. The following year the duo joined the Scorpions, founded six years earlier by Schenker's brother Rudolf, and in 1972 issued their Conrad Plank-produced debut LP Lonesome Crow. Lineup changes plagued the group in the years to come, but subsequent LPs like 1974's Fly to the Rainbow and 1976's Virgin Killer earned them a growing following throughout Europe. With 1980's Animal Magnetism, the Scorps appeared poised for an American breakthrough, but when Meine developed nodes and a polyp on his vocal cords, he required two major surgeries and a half-year of vocal training before returning to action. Despite rumors that he'd been dismissed from the band, Meine came back to complete 1982's Blackout, which generated the hit "No One Like You"; buoyed by the smash "Rock You Like a Hurricane," the 1984 follow-up Love at First Sting went double platinum in the U.S. In 1988, the Scorps became the first metal band to tour Russia; the experience inspired the ballad "Wind of Change," a Top Five pop hit in 1991. Although the emergence of grunge effectively derailed the group's American following, they remain popular overseas.
[edit] References
- ^ Interview with Klaus Meine
- ^ Hit Parader’s Top 100 Metal Vocalists of All Time
- ^ "Imporant Message to our Fans". Scorpions official website. http://www.the-scorpions.com/english/news/news_item.asp?NewsID=100. Retrieved 17 March 2011.
- ^ http://www.hannover.de/de/buerger/entwicklung/oberbuergermeister_rat_bezirksraete/ob_buer/ob_fotog/ob_aus08.html
[edit] External links
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