Francis Buchholz is a German bassist best known as a member of the rock/hard rock band Scorpions. Buchholz discovered rock music at the age of 11. His first public appearance as a bass player was at age 15 while in a high school. From then on he played in different rock, blues and jazz bands in his hometown of Hannover. While a mechanical engineering student at the University of Hannover and taking classes at the Hochschule f�r Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover, Buchholz joined Dawn Road, whose lineup included guitarist Uli Roth. Eventually the musicians from Dawn Road and the Scorpions merged into a new incarnation of the Scorpions in 1973, with Buchholz on bass. Buchholz' first recording with the band was 1974's Fly to the Rainbow, and he stayed with the band for 18 years, recording 12 albums during the band's most commercially successful period. Together they sold over 15 million albums in the USA alone and over 65 million albums worldwide. For his success with the Scorpions, Buchholz was awarded with over 100 gold and platinum awards for record sales all over the world. He left the band after a disagreement over band management in 1992. [More at Wikipedia]

February 19th, 1954 in Hanover (Age 70)