Michael Schenker Group is a German hard rock band from London, England. He was trained in 1979 by Michael Schenker during a stay in the United Kingdom.
After leaving his former UFO band, and a brief appearance in the Scorpions, Michael Schenker formed his own group in 1979 in which he had to make no compromises. After first working with Rush's Geddy Lee and Neil Peart, the founding members include bassist Billy Sheehan, drummer Denny Carmassi (later Whitesnake) and unknown singer Gary Barden.
This first training, which records several demos (releases on the remastered version of their first album in 2009), only lasts a month. Then, suddenly, Schenker disappears and leaves his group behind him, helpless. His comrades Sheehan and Carmassi do not want to continue the adventure. Schenker continues to play with Barden, and then recruits studio musicians Simon Phillips (drums, later Toto), Mo Foster (bass) and Don Airey (keyboards, ex-Rainbow, then Deep Purple). The band released the group's first album in 1980, The Michael Schenker Group. It involves Paul McCartney and Stephen Stills. However, studio musicians are not available for the tour that follows, they are replaced by drummer Cozy Powell (ex-Rainbow), bassist Chris Glen (former Sensational Alex Harvey Band) and keyboardist and guitarist Paul Raymond . With the latter, Michael Schenker had already played in UFO between 1977 and 1978. This incarnation only records and publishes a single album in 1981, MSG, which contains many live classics.
In 1983 released the album Built to Destroy. At the time, the band featured new keyboardist Andy Nye and guitarist and vocalist Derek St. Holmes. St. Holmes also participates in the previous tour as second guitarist.
