Steve Mann | |
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 Mann performing with the Michael Schenker Group in 2022. | |
| Background information | |
| Born | London, England |
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| Instruments |
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| Years active | 1974–present |
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| Formerly of |
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Steve Mann (born 9 August [1] in London) [2] [3] is an English guitarist, keyboardist, record producer and engineer, best known as a member of Andy Scott's Sweet from 1989 to 1995 and as a member of many bands by German guitarist Michael Schenker.
Mann began taking classical piano lessons at the age of 7 and continued until he was 15, [3] when, he bought his first electric guitar. [2] He grew up in a musical family with his father playing Hawaiian guitar and his mother and brother, Dave, both playing piano. [3] While still at school he was a member of bands Heavy Water and Blind Eye and just before heading off to university he joined Fast Buck with Charlie Harper (who later formed UK Subs) and Scott Gorham (shortly before he joined Thin Lizzy). [3] After university he took up classical guitar, studying at the John Williams School in London. He also auditioned for the Deep Purple spin-off band Paice Ashton Lord (with Ian Paice, Tony Ashton and Jon Lord) but the position went to Bernie Marsden. [3]
Mann joined his first professional band, Liar, in 1977 [4] who later opened for UFO, although after Michael Schenker's departure. [5] Three years later, Mann joined Lionheart with former members of Tygers of Pan Tang, Iron Maiden, Def Leppard and Judas Priest. [5] Their first album, Hot Tonight, was released in 1984, but the group disbanded after several line-up changes and problems with the label. [2]
During his time with Lionheart he was also a member of NWoBHM band Tytan. [6]
Mann, joined McAuley Schenker Group, as keyboardist and guitarist, alongside Lionheart bassist Rocky Newton, in 1986 [2] but later left in mid 1987 to work with NWoBHM band Saxon, [7] he was replaced by guitarist Mitch Perry. [8] Mann later returned to the band in 1988 [9] and contributed to the highly successful albums Perfect Timing in 1987 and Save Yourself in 1989. The latter, recorded in Los Angeles, spawned the US number 5 hit [10] single ‘Anytime,’ written by Mann and Robin McAuley. [11] [12]
After the group split in the early 90s, Mann established his Frida Park Studio in Hannover. [3] Over the following years, he honed his producer and studio engineer skills. He also spent several years as keyboardist and guitarist of the legendary British glam rockers Sweet and played several tours with the German progressive rock band, Eloy. [2] [12]
In 1998 Mann moved back to England where he took up work as an audio engineer at Channel 4 Television in London. This ran until 2004 at which point he moved back to Hannover and continued with his production and engineering exploits along with some coding work. [3] [12]
Mann has continued his work as a musician, producer, and studio engineer. [13] Lionheart reunited in 2016, featuring the original members Mann, Newton and Dennis Stratton, and new members vocalist Lee Small (ex-Shy) and Mann's longtime friend, drummer Clive Edwards (ex-UFO and Uli Jon Roth) who played with the band briefly in the 1980s. [2] [14] The renewed band has since released three studio albums, Second Nature (2017), The Reality of Miracles (2020) and The Grace Of A Dragonfly (2024).
In 2016 Mann also re-joined Michael Schenker, replacing longtime keyboardist and guitarist Wayne Findlay. [15] Schenker was putting together a new band, Michael Schenker Fest, consisting of only the members of his past bands, at points the band included vocalists Gary Barden, [15] Graham Bonnet, [15] Robin McAuley, [15] Leif Sundin [16] and Doogie White, [17] Mann on keyboards, guitar and backing vocals, [15] Chris Glen on bass and backing vocals [15] and drummers Simon Phillips, [18] Bodo Schopf [18] and the late Ted McKenna. [15] [19]
Mann is currently a part of the Michael Schenker Group with the eponymous Schenker as well as vocalist Robin McAuley, bassist Barend Courbois (ex-Blind Guardian) and Bodo Schopf (ex-Sweet), [20] former members include bassist Barry Sparks [21] and vocalist Ronnie Romero. [22] He is also part of a project with McAuley, dubed McAuley-Mann who are expected to release an album. [5]
Since 2019, Mann has made regular appearances on guitar/keyboards with The Sweet, following the exit of Tony O'Hora. [23] He has alternated duties with Tom Cory and sometime performs alongside him. [24]
| Year | Artist | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Lovelight | Activate | Lead guitar on unspecified tracks |
| 1988 | Saxon | Destiny | Backing vocals on unspecified tracks |
| 1990 | Rough Silk | Demo '90 - Ups And Downs | Production |
| 1991 | Letter X | Time Of The Gathering | Backing vocals, production and engineering |
| 1991 | Sargant Fury | Still Want More | Backing vocals on unspecified tracks |
| 1992 | Letter X | Born Into Darkness | Guitars, keyboards and choirs engineer |
| 1992 | True Brits | Ready To Rumble | Keyboards on "It Ain't Over Till It's Over" with members of Iron Maiden, MSG, Saxon, Samson, Tank, The Damned and The Sweet |
| 1992 | Suckspeed | End Of Depression | engineering |
| 1993 | Operating Strategies | The Waters & The Wild | engineering, mixing and electric guitar on unspecified tracks |
| 1993 | Boogeyman | Who's Afraid? | engineering and mixing |
| 1994 | Thunderhead | Classic Killers Live! | Producer |
| 1994 | Mad Jac | Who's Mad ? | Co-producer and mixing |
| 1994 | Eloy | The Tides Return Forever | acoustic guitar solo on "The Tides Return Forever" |
| 1997 | Cholane | Black Box | engineering and mixing |
| 1998 | Eloy | Ocean 2: The Answer | slide guitar on "The Answer" |
| 2000 | Praying Mantis | Nowhere To Hide | mixing, mastering and production |
| 2003 | Eloy | Timeless Passages | guitar on "Poseidon's Creation" (live in Munich, 1994) |
| 2011 | Steve Swindells | The Lost Albums | Guitar on disc one |
| 2012 | Osssy | Serum | Guitar on two tracks, also assistant mixing |
| 2014 | Eloy | Reincarnation on Stage | guitar |
| 2014 | House Of X | House Of X | production and mixing |
| 2014 | Albert Lee | Highwayman | additional instruments, production and mixing |
| 2015 | Jeff Brown | Slipping Away | guitar solo on one track |
| 2020 | Alcatrazz | Born Innocent | guest brass on one track |
| 2022 | Circle Of Friends | The Garden | keyboards and lead guitar on unspecified tracks |
| 2023 | Gabrielle de Val | Kiss In A Dragon Night | keyboards on unspecified tracks |
Michael Schenker is a German guitarist. He played in the rock band UFO and leads the Michael Schenker Group (MSG). He was an early member of the hard rock band Scorpions, a band co-founded by his elder brother Rudolf Schenker. In the mid-1970s, Schenker joined UFO, playing lead and rhythm guitar. He left the band in 1978 to briefly rejoin Scorpions for the recording of Lovedrive, and then to form MSG. He has rejoined UFO three times, producing an album each time. Schenker continues to perform and record. He has been called "a legendary figure in the history of metal guitar."
James Kottak was an American drummer, best known for his work with the German hard rock band Scorpions, which he joined in 1996. At the time of his firing from the band in 2016, he was their longest-serving drummer. Kottak was also an original member of Kingdom Come, of whom he was their drummer from 1987 to 1989 and again from 2018 to his death in 2024, and he had his own band Kottak, formerly known as KrunK. Other bands Kottak played for were Montrose, Warrant, Wild Horses, the McAuley Schenker Group, and Buster Brown.
Robert Rondinelli is an American rock drummer best known for his work with the hard rock/heavy metal bands Blue Öyster Cult, Rainbow, Quiet Riot, Black Sabbath, The Lizards, The Handful, and Rondinelli. In July 2013, Rondinelli was announced as the new drummer for the Axel Rudi Pell band, replacing previous drummer Mike Terrana. Rondinelli has played on subsequent albums and tours, and remains with the band.
The Michael Schenker Group is an English hard rock band, formed in London in 1979 by former Scorpions and UFO guitarist Michael Schenker. After the release of their second live album, 1984's Rock Will Never Die, its members began to have serious discussions that caused a two-year hiatus, and Michael ended the band in 1986. In 1986, Schenker and vocalist Robin McAuley formed the McAuley Schenker Group, which lasted until 1993. Afterwards, in 1996, the Michael Schenker Group was reformed.
Lionheart is a British hard rock band formed in late 1980, originally featuring singer Jess Cox, guitarist Dennis Stratton, guitarist/keyboardist Steve Mann, and bassist/vocalist Rocky Newton, and drummer Frank Noon. The band split up in 1986 but reformed in 2016 with a line-up featuring Stratton, Mann, Newton, plus vocalist Lee Small and Clive Edwards on drums.
McAuley Schenker Group was a multi-national rock band based in Los Angeles featuring core members Robin McAuley (vocals) and Michael Schenker (guitar), a successor to Schenker's earlier band Michael Schenker Group. McAuley was initially contacted to replace singer Gary Barden in MSG. However, the strong partnership immediately formed between McAuley and Schenker led to the change of the name from Michael Schenker Group to McAuley Schenker Group, retaining the same initials of the previous band MSG.
Robin McAuley is an Irish singer. He is best known as the vocalist for the rock band McAuley Schenker Group from 1986 to 1993, which saw the band release three studio albums: Perfect Timing, Save Yourself, M.S.G., the live album Unplugged Live, and the Japan-only EP Nightmare: The Acoustic M.S.G. He has made further appearances with Schenker in 2012, and also in 2016 with Michael Schenker Fest alongside original MSG singers Gary Barden and Graham Bonnet, and Doogie White of Michael Schenker's Temple of Rock.
In the Midst of Beauty is the thirteenth full-length studio album recorded by the various M.S.G. lineups and the tenth studio album by the Michael Schenker Group (MSG). The album was released on 13 May 2008 and marked the comeback of the original MSG singer, Gary Barden, so the MSG name is added with Schenker - Barden on the album's cover. By Schenker's own notes to the CD, "This title came about through my experience and realisation that - in the midst of beauty - the beast is always waiting and ready to attack...".
Perfect Timing is the debut album recorded by the McAuley Schenker Group. It was the first collaboration between Michael Schenker and Robin McAuley, resulting in Schenker's first top 100 US hit with the song "Gimme Your Love."
M.S.G. is the third and final studio album by Michael Schenker and Robin McAuley's project, the McAuley Schenker Group. It was released in 1991 in Japan and 1992 in Europe.
Edward McKenna was a Scottish drummer who played with The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Rory Gallagher, The Greg Lake Band, and The Michael Schenker Group. He also toured with Ian Gillan for a short period of time in 1990, alongside fellow former SAHB member, bassist Chris Glen. He lectured in Applied Arts at North Glasgow College from 1996 to 2011.
Mitch Perry Brownstein is an American guitarist, keyboardist and record producer, best known for playing with artists including Alphonso Johnson, Michael Schenker, Edgar Winter, Lita Ford, The Sweet, Asia, Cher, Talas and Steeler.
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| Studio albums | |
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| Singles | |
| Related articles | |
