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Scorpions music biography continued...

Originally formed in 1969 by Rudolf Schenker, the original lineup consisted of rhythm guitarist/vocalist Schenker, lead guitarist Karl-Heinz Follmer, bassist Lothar Heimberg, and drummer Wolfgang Dziony. In 1971, Schenker's younger brother Michael joined the band to play lead guitar and good friend Klaus Meine became the new vocalist. The band released several albums in the seventies, but none were commercially successful. With a lineup consisting of Klaus Meine on vocals, Rudolf Schenker on rhythm guitar, Matthias Jabs on lead, Francis Buchholz on bass, and Herman Rarebell on drums, the band released Animal Magnetism in 1980 and embarked on a world tour, which won them international notice. Animal Magnetism went gold in the United States and was followed by the album Blackout, which spawned three hit singles: "Dynamite," "Blackout" and "No One Like You". In1984, with the release of Love at First Sting, the band finally cemented their status as rock superstars. Propelled by the single "Rock You Like a Hurricane", Love at First Sting climbed the charts and went double platinum in the USA a few months after its release.



After releasing World Wide Live in 1985, the band took a long hiatus and remained uninvolved from the music industry for two years. Their tenth studio album, Savage Amusement, was finally released in 1988, and the hit ballad "Rhythm of Love" brought on another major success. In 1990, the album Crazy World was released and would eventually become the Scorpions' biggest-selling record to date, drawing on the strength of the hit ballad "Wind of Change." Although the group's popularity began to wane in the mid to late 90s, they continued to perform and record, altogether selling some 80 million albums worldwide and earning the ranking of #46 on VH1's Greatest Artists of Hard Rock program. On December 20, 2007, Scorpions played at a concert for the elite of Russia's security forces in the Kremlin. The concert celebrated the 90th anniversary of the founding of the Cheka - predecessor of the KGB. Members of the audience included President Vladimir Putin, just one of the many fans that the Scorpions have counted on for so many years.