Formed:

1964 in Hannover, Germany

'80s Group Members:

• Klaus Meine (born May 25, 1948 in Hannover, Germany) - Lead vocals, lyricist
• Rudolf Schenker (born August 31, 1948 in Hildesheim, Lower Saxony, Germany) - Rhythm & lead guitars, backing vocals, primary songwriter
• Matthias Jabs (born October 25, 1955 in Hannover, Germany) - Lead & rhythm guitars, backing vocals
• Francis Buchholz (born February 19, 1954 in Hannover, Germany) - Bass guitar, backing vocals

• Herman Rarebell (born November 18, 1949 in Schelz, Germany) - Drums, percussion, backing vocals

Early Years:

Technically the band may have formed the same year The Beatles made their historic first trip to America, but that's pretty much the only thing the band would ultimately have in common with the music of the '60s. Schenker was the only '80s member to be present during this formative era, as a debut album did not emerge until 1972, three years after Schenker's younger brother, Michael, joined. The familiar Scorpions sound began to come together at this point, but when Michael left to join British hard rock band UFO in 1973, the group had a major hurdle to clear.

Heavy Metal Heroes:

Despite the setback of the younger Schenker's departure in terms of both chemistry and guitar wizardry, the Scorpions came into their own as a beacon of the newly minted heavy metal style of the mid '70s. Meine became an iconic lead vocalist of the genre, and with each studio album released the Scorpions sold more records and built a larger concert fanbase.

Still, the final piece of the puzzle was second guitarist Jabs, who joined in 1978 after more personnel changes. Following the brief but potentially disruptive return of Michael Schenker, the signature twin-guitar sound of Rudolf Schenker and Jabs was in place.

Scorpions in Transition:

1980's Animal Magnetism failed to deliver any hit singles in America, but the record sold quite well there, setting the stage for a tremendously successful decade of chart dominance. The single "No One Like You," from 1982's even bigger Blackout LP, reached the top of Billboard's mainstream rock charts, and more importantly, the band's melodic mix of mid-tempo rockers and atmospheric ballads, sometimes within the same song, began to develop fully. "Arizona" and "China White" foreshadowed nicely the outright explosion of Scorpions popularity waiting just around the corner.

Worldwide Superstars & '80s Icons:

Already established as one of the most popular metal bands on both hemispheres, the Scorpions managed to find new heights with the release and record buyer embrace of 1984's massive Love at First Sting. This was the peak of pop/hair metal's first wave, as metal bands began for the first time to enjoy Top 40 pop hits like never before. And while the Scorpions were not among the top hitmakers of this type, the group's mastery of accessible hard rockers ("Rock You Like a Hurricane") and haunting power ballads ("Still Loving You") gave this album major staying power. At least two-thirds of the album's tracks are classics.

The End of a Breakthrough Decade:

By this admittedly high point of their career, the Scorpions had routinely found ways to overcome adversity, from the loss of Michael Schenker (twice) to Meine's vocal cord surgery that threatened the Blackout sessions. So perhaps it should be no surprise that the band was able to weather a lengthy gap between studio releases, as more than four years passed before the group's long-awaited follow-up to its triple-platinum breakthrough LP. 1988's Savage Amusement couldn't exactly measure up to its predecessor, but it was a decent enough advancement of the band's sound to keep up some momentum against many odds.

Beyond the '80s:

The Scorpions would somehow enjoy their widest-reaching success with a rather treacly single about the end of communism in Eastern Europe, 1991's ubiquitous 14 million-selling single "Wind of Change." The song reached the Top 5 on the pop singles charts in both the U.S. and U.K., and it was a chart-topper in multiple Western European countries including the band's native Germany. Still, it was no step forward for a band that generally rocked much harder, and this stellar period would be no match for the post-grunge landscape that loomed ahead. Nevertheless, the Scorpions would survive better than most.

Legacy of a Four-Decade Career in Rock:

Aside from being one of rock's longest-lived bands, especially with a core lineup that remained intact, the Scorpions have always been one of pop music's hardest-working. That kind of consistency continued, amazingly, through the entire decades of the '90s and '00s, up until the band's well-earned but still pending retirement, announced in 2010 to take effect after a lengthy farewell tour. But the Scorpions are in no hurry to hang up their instruments, it seems, as more projects are in the offing for Germany's foremost rock gods. Who knows, maybe another chart-topping performance awaits for these hard rock pioneers.