Walter Scholz is one of the most successful trumpeters in Germany, with more than 60 years behind him playing in the folk and classical traditions.
Born in Hesse, Germany, just a year before WWII, Scholz first began playing music for an audience at the age of six when he joined a trombone choir. He went on to take music lessons from trumpet virtuoso Franz Willy Neugebauer and, later, to study at the Siegerland music school. At 17 he began playing trumpet at the Staatstheater in Detmold and from there went on to play in Mainz, Darmstadt and the Munich Philharmonic as well as performing as a soloist.
It wasn't until his mid-30s, however, that Scholz began to find a wider audience. In 1972 he released an album, 'Oh, Mein Papa', alongside Rolf Schneebiegl and his wind band Original Schwarzwaldmusikanten and made several television appearances.
In 1984 he had a hit with 'Sehnsuchtsmelodie' and building on the back of that success went on to release several solo albums incorporating elements of folk and classical music that mixed established favourites with new compositions.
In the decades since, Scholz has kept up a steady stream of releases, racking up 15 million sales worldwide, 10 gold records and three platinum discs.
