Scorpions

Initially formed as a beat group in Germany in 1965, Scorpions went on to become internationally famous heavy metal stars, selling over 100 million albums and scoring several huge hits in the process. The band gradually evolved into a hard rock act in the 1970s and, after signing with Mercury Records, they broke out of the European underground when sixth album Lovedrive (1979) caused a stir in America. Now regarded by fans as a classic, the controversial album cover was banned for featuring a man's hand stuck to a woman's breast with bubble gum, though it was named Best Album Sleeve of 1979 by Playboy magazine. Worldwide success came in the 1980s with the US Top 10 albums Blackout (1982), Love at First Sting (1984) and Savage Amusement (1988). Scorpions became favorites on MTV with singles “Rock You Like a Hurricane,” “Bad Boys Running Wild,” and “Big City Nights” receiving significant airplay. However, the band will always be remembered for their classic 1991 power ballad “Wind of Change,” which celebrated the end of the Cold War and the fall of the Berlin Wall and sold an incredible 14 million copies. Since their heyday in the 1980s and 1990s, the band has continued to release a series of albums, although they haven’t been able to reach the level of their earlier success. However, albums such as Unbreakable (2004), Sting in the Tail (2010), Return to Forever (2015), and Rock Believer (2022) have kept the true spirit of hard rock alive and well. On January 22, 2026, former bassist Francis Buchholz, member from 1973 to 1992, died from cancer at the age of 71.