Michael Schenker - 2000 and After

2000 and After

Schenker fell on hard times in the early 2000s. His marriage turned for the worse and he disappeared, leaving the couple's son and daughter with the mother, and his manager allegedly ran off with his earnings; Schenker ended up having to sell three of his prized Flying V guitars. He picked himself up and got back to the business of making and performing music, recording the album Arachnophobiac and supporting it with two years of touring. In 2004, recognition came from Dean Guitars, which began producing a Schenker signature Dean V (with subtle differences from the Gibson, but with the split black and white trademark Schenker finish).

2005 brought the 25th anniversary of the Michael Schenker Group. Schenker put together a new album of songs called Tales of Rock'n'Roll to celebrate the anniversary and enlisted singers from each iteration of the band to sing on the album. However, in that same year the collection Heavy Hitters, a set of covers featuring Schenker and a revolving group of heavy metal all-stars, was marketed as a Michael Schenker Group album, with the result that Schenker only received a flat fee.

After nearly-disastrous North American and European tours in 2007, which saw canceled shows and less-than-stellar performances caused by heavy drinking, Schenker regained his composure and hit the road in the UK as Michael Schenker & Friends in 2008. Early 2008, Schenker worked with Gary Barden, Don Airey, Simon Phillips, and Neil Murray on a new MSG album In the Midst of Beauty, which was released in May 2008, followed by touring.

In 2009 Schenker toured extensively including Russia, UK and the US with MSG including original members Gary Barden and Chris Glenn. With Schenker now clean shaven and having lost weight many fans commented that he both looked and sounded his best, with the tour receiving rave reviews from loyal fans.

In November 2010, Michael Schenker was honored with the Marshall “11” award in London along other rock legends including Ron Wood and Slash. The award was presented to Schenker by Alice Cooper, with Jimmy Page, Tony Iommi and John Paul Jones also in attendance. The award is given to "those artists and musicians who represent rock 'n' roll excess and livin' on the edge."

In 2011 Michael released a new album, Temple of Rock. It was supported with a tour of the USA, Japan and Europe (more dates are to follow, including festival dates in Sweden, France, Bulgaria and South Korea). In Europe the line up included Herman Rarebell on drums and Francis Buchholz on bass, both former members of The Scorpions (Herman also joined the band for the Japanese dates) and Doogie White, formerly singer for Rainbow and Yngwie Malmsteen.

In December 2011, Michael assumed all financial responsibilities for his children when their mother died suddenly. He is currently planning a benefit concert for children mourning the loss of their parents.