Born Michael Willy Schenker on the 10th January 1955 in Sarstedt, then West Germany, he is a guitarist, best known to the world as the original lead guitarist of the rock band The Scorpions, and also as the guitarist for the rock band UFO.
Have you ever wondered how rich Michael Schenker is, as of mid- 2017? According to authoritative sources, it has been estimated that Schenker’s net worth is as high as $6 million, an amount earned through his successful career as a musician which started in 1969. In addition to playing in various bands, Michael has also released a number of albums as a solo act, including “Thank You” (1993), “The Odd Trio” (2000), and “Dreams and Expressions” (2001), among others, which also improved his net worth.
Michael Schenker Net Worth $6 Million
Michael is the younger brother of the Scorpions’ Rudolf Schenker; inspired by his brother’s guitar playing, he also took a guitar to his hands, and when Rudolf formed the Scorpions he played with them in nightclubs, despite being only 11 years old. The Scorpions released their first album “Lonesome Crow” in 1972 when Michael was 17 years old, and to support their album, the band embarked on a tour which also included the rock band UFO, and after Mick Boloton left UFO, Michael was asked to join in. He was UFO’s lead guitarist until 1978, and was one of the major contributors to the albums “Phenomenon” (1974), “Force It” (1975) and “Obsession” (1978). He left the band while they were on a tour, after they finished their concert in Palo Alto, California, but would later re-join UFO in the mid- 90s, and stayed with the band until 2003, through the releases of “Walk on Water” (1995), “Covenant” (2000), and “Sharks” (2002); however, the albums didn’t achieve commercial success.
After he left UFO the first time, he returned to the Scorpions, and worked on their album “Lovedrive”, released in 1979, but left them again, as he realized he didn’t want to play other people’s songs, but to create his own music.
His next move was founding his own band, called Michael Schenker Group, which since inception has gone through numerous line-up changes; some of the most popular musicians include Gary Barden, Graham Bonnet, Robin McAuley, after whose arrival Michael renamed the group to McAuley Schenker Group, then Chris Glen, Ted McKenna, Kelly Keeling, Ray Kennedy, Neil Murray, and Simon Phillips. Under the MSG name, Michael released 10 studio albums, including “The Michael Schenker Group” (1980), “Assault Attack” (1982), “Built to Destroy” (1983), “Arachnophobiac” (2003), and “In the Midst of Beaty” (2008), among others, the sales of which only increased Michael’s net worth.
In 2010 he started a new project, Michael Schenker’s Temple of Rock, which included musicians such as Herman Rarebell, Doogie White, and Francis Buchholz. He released three studio album and two live albums, “Temple of Rock” (2011), “Spirit on a Mission” (2015), and “On a Mission: Live in Madrid” (2016), adding somewhat to his net worth.
Throughout his career, Michael brought some controversy to his name; it started in the late ‘70s when he first left UFO, and continued with alcohol and drug abuse. Nevertheless, he represents one of the most prominent guitarists on the rock and metal scene, and has influenced numerous musicians who reached heights on their own, including Kirk Hammett, Dave Mustaine, James Hetfield, Phil Campbell and Dimebag Darrell among others.
He has received numerous prestigious awards too, for his contribution to music, including the Lifetime Achievement in Rock ‘n’ Roll Award from Vegas Rocks! Magazine, presented by David Coverdale, and Golden God Icon Award at the Metal Hammer Golden God Awards at the IndiO2 in London, presented to him by Joe Perry.
Regarding his personal life, Michael was married to Linda, but the couple divorced due to his problems with alcohol and drugs. The couple has a son together.
