Francis Buchholz, Former Scorpions and Michael Schenker Group Bassist, Dies
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Francis Buchholz, the steady low-end force behind Scorpions during their most successful and influential years, has died. He was 72.
Born February 19, 1954 in Hanover, Germany, Buchholz joined Scorpions in 1973, stepping into a band that was still shaping its identity and helping anchor what would become one of hard rock’s most enduring catalogs. His tenure stretched across nearly two decades, covering the group’s creative and commercial peak.
Buchholz played bass on a defining run of albums, including Fly to the Rainbow, In Trance, Virgin Killer, Taken by Force, Lovedrive, Animal Magnetism, Blackout, Love at First Sting, Savage Amusement, and Crazy World. Those albums produced some of the band’s most recognizable songs and helped Scorpions grow from European hard rock contenders into a global arena act.
While guitarists Rudolf Schenker and Matthias Jabs handled the flash and Klaus Meine delivered the voice, Buchholz brought stability, groove, and feel. His playing rarely demanded attention, but it held everything together, giving Scorpions’ music its muscle and momentum. Whether driving the speed of their heavier tracks or locking into the slower burn of their ballads, his presence was constant.
Beyond his role as a bassist, Buchholz was also involved behind the scenes, contributing to songwriting during key periods of the band’s evolution. His work helped shape the sound that carried Scorpions through the late ’70s and into the MTV era of the ’80s.
He departed the band in 1992 following Crazy World, closing the chapter on a lineup that many fans still consider the group’s classic era.
After leaving Scorpions, Buchholz remained active, including a period with the Michael Schenker Group, where his grounded, melodic bass work fit naturally alongside Schenker’s sharp-edged guitar style.
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Kelly Johnson was, most famously, lead guitarist and sometime lead singer for Girlschool, arguably the first major all-female heavy metal band. Formed in 1977 out of the ashes of London’s Painted Lady, Girlschool released a series of classic metal albums and played in front of huge crowds alongside the likes of Iron Maiden, Deep Purple, Saxon and the Scorpions. Having recorded on four albums, Johnson left Girlschool in 1983 to move to Los Angeles. She reunited with the band in 1993 and stayed through 2000, around the time she learned she had spinal cancer, of which she died in 2007.
