The soloist of the Scorpions group Klaus Meine, whose biography is distinguished by professional brightness and worthy of respect for the monotony in his personal life, is recognized by most music experts as one of the best vocalists in the world. Whenever the song Still loving you begins, the audience gets goosebumps from such a strong and expressive timbre.
Childhood and youth. First steps in music
The legendary lead singer of the Scorpions, Klaus Meine, was born in Germany on May 25, 1948. The hometown is Hanover. The Klaus family belonged to the working class, and there were no prerequisites for the birth of such a unique and large-scale personality. However, in early childhood, parents began to notice extraordinary musicality for the boy.
They encouraged the hobby of his son and even gave him a real guitar for one of his birthdays. Klaus studied excellently and superbly combined his studies with music. His favorite home entertainment for his family and friends was his favorite entertainment for the family.
First steps in music
The most inspiring and guiding was getting to know the Beatles music. He was 9 years old when he first heard the Beatles on one of the radio stations. Then, the personality of Elvis Presley, whose performances simply fascinated Meine, was chosen as a benchmark by a novice musician. Throughout his musical career, the lead singer of the Scorpions group, whose biography is directly related to youthful musical tastes, recalls Elvis as a role model and does not hesitate to consciously repeat some of the techniques of the great king of rock and roll.
Adherence to modern rock determined not only the musical preferences of the young Maine, but also his image, and in many ways his lifestyle.
At the initial stages of musical development with vocals, everything was not going smoothly. Klaus had a very peculiar teacher, who, if one of the students didn’t get along, pricked them with a regular needle. This method of teaching paid off, in the end, Klaus learned excellent vocals, but he still laughingly recalls how, in revenge on a cruel teacher, before the next lesson he bought a large thick needle and pricked the teacher at the fifth point with it.
Professional development
Surprisingly, the future lead singer of the Scorpions group chose a profession not related to music. In many ways, the decision was influenced by the parents. Despite the fact that they supported his son in his passion for music, they tried to give him firmer soil under his feet in the form of a mastered decorator specialty. And after receiving the profession, he was free to do as he pleased. Such was the position of parents who dreamed of a prosperous future for their child.
Scorpions: group membership
The fame of an insanely talented and indefatigable vocalist reached musical circles while still in college. Klaus had the opportunity to choose which group he wanted to play in. Offers rained like cornucopia, and Klaus opted for the Mushrooms group. The group was quite popular, and it was in its composition that Main attracted the attention of Rudolf Schenker, then a novice guitarist. But even when the Scorpions began its full existence, ironically, Klaus fell into the composition of other groups, often competing with the legendary group.
So, the future lead singer of the Scorpions became the lead singer of Copernicus. To entice him from this group became a fundamental task for Rudolf Schenker , since his younger brother Michael played there, the musical confrontation with which was long and painful. In the end, the case ended with Rudolph's victory, and Klaus was in the Scorpions team. Michael Schenker also joined the group. It happened in 1969. No matter how often the Scorpions soloists change earlier, the composition of the group has finally formed.
First album
In the same year, when the group was finally formed and gained its voice, aspiring musicians managed to win one of the contests, where the prize was the opportunity to record their songs in a real studio. However, the joy was short-lived - the studio was equipped with outdated equipment, which did not allow to convey the full depth of the sound of rock compositions. The musicians were refined as best they could, Klaus even tried to sing with his head in a bucket, but all these tricks were useless. This failure delayed the release of their first album, but did not cancel it. So, in 1972, their debut album called Lonesome Crow was released. The producer was Coni Plank. Even then, a landmark on an international level was noticeable - all the songs were recorded in English. This was the decision of Main himself. The album did not have much success, but allowed the novice team to show up quite well in the starry sky.
Meet Gaby
The year 1972 became symbolic for Klaus not only in terms of a musical breakthrough, but also in his personal life. It was then that he met his first and only love Gaby. Their acquaintance happened after one of the many concerts. The difference of 7 years did not stop the couple. And, despite the fact that at that time Gaby was very young (16 years old), the choice made by her turned out to be right.
She repeatedly shared with journalists her impressions of meeting her future husband. Despite the status of a rock star, in life Klaus turned out to be a caring and loyal man. Mutual love and affection in their relationship over the years only grows stronger. In December 1985, Gaby gave birth to a son Klaus.
World triumph
Despite the cool attitude of the public towards the first album, subsequent records conquered the audience one by one. In 1979, their popularity reached the United States of America. Explosive hits and melodic rock ballads drove crazy fans around the world. A perfect triumph was their famous World Wide Live tour.
Loss of voice and return to the scene
But before the start of the world tour, the group faced a serious test - Klaus lost his voice. His main intention was to leave "Scorpions" so as not to impede the further creativity of the team. However, the members of the group were not just colleagues in the music workshop, but also true friends. It was their support that helped Mine to return to the profession of musician. Voice restoration required surgical intervention, and after two operations on the ligaments Maine regained the ability to sing. I had to train a lot, rehearse, but he continued to work day after day. And the incredible happened - Maine's voice changed. Its possibilities became even wider, the same songs sounded completely different.
Popularity growth
Scorpions have reached incredible heights of popular love around the world. They became the first group from Germany to succeed in performing successfully in Madison Square Garden in New York three times . One by one their albums hit the top of the American and European charts.
The most sought-after album in rock history is considered to be a Scorpions album called Love At First Sting. The most striking performances are considered to be a concert in California in front of 325 thousand spectators, as well as a performance in Brazil in front of 350 thousand people.
Scorpions and Russian fans
The USSR legendary group first visited in 1988. Concerts in Moscow were disrupted due to the principle of the organizers - they refused to remove seats for spectators from the stalls. The group refused to speak. At the same time, 10 concerts took place in Leningrad. Unprecedented was the fact that the team performed every day without interruptions and gathered full halls. Stay in Russia was remembered by musicians for a long time. Subsequently, even the cassette To Russia With Love was released.
After a year has passed since the Leningrad concerts, Scorpions have been invited to take part in the Moscow Festival of Music and the World, along with other rock bands. The team agreed with pleasure. A crowd of Russian fans, numbering more than two hundred thousand people, enthusiastically greeted the musicians. The world-famous hit Wind of Change was recorded by Klaus under the influence of impressions from concerts in the USSR. Later, expressing deep respect to the Soviet public, the musicians created a Russian-language version of this song. As a result, the ranks of Scorpions fans were joined by Mikhail Gorbachev himself, who invited the group to a meeting in the Kremlin.
A new stage in the life of the group
The 2000s marked a new major stage in the creative life of the group. So, in June 2000, the world saw the release of the new Scorpions album, which was recorded together with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. The usual hits sounded completely different, and this fresh breath of change brought even more loyal fans of Scorpions, the biography of the group overcame a new important turn.
Over the past years, the group has been actively touring, organizing one tour after another, including with new programs. In 2010, a new album was recorded called Sting In The Tail, which was followed by new tours around the world.
In 2015, Scorpions flew to St. Petersburg in order to conduct a series of concerts and celebrate Klaus's birthday. According to the musician, he has a special emotional connection with Russian fans, which is simply impossible to break. That is why the team returns to Russia over and over again and readily performs for Russian fans.
Scorpions ("Scorpions") - a group whose biography is still striking in its stable development and unquenchable love of the public.
Klaus Meine in life
According to the reviews of people around Klaus, in life he has little to do with the stage image that we are used to. Unstoppable on stage, in reality he is serious, very focused and attentive. In communication, he is distinguished by radiant sincerity, kindness and intelligence.
In addition to creative activities within the Scorpions group, Mine is active in other areas of life. So, one of his favorite activities is sports. Most of all he loves football, and is not only a fierce fan of his native Hanoverian football club, but also a player, albeit unprofessional. Klaus devotes much time to sports, especially before concerts. It is a known fact that before Maine’s performance, alone with himself, he can perform an exercise for the press a hundred times and, as a vocal warm-up, makes loud, almost inhuman sounds. Another favorite game is tennis, which has not been enough time in recent years. According to Mine, sport helps him tune in to the right wave.
An indisputable fact - the singer is in excellent physical shape, despite the fact that he is 67 years old. Many do not believe this figure, and each time they ask themselves how old the lead singer of the Scorpions group is. The reason is not only regular sports, but also because Klaus Meine is an example of an intelligent and harmonious person who accepts all the victories and trials encountered in his path with joy and gratitude.