VIVA[official]

Best known for featuring keyboard player Barbara Schenker(founder of Hard Rock band VIVA, she wrote most of the VIVA songs. Barbara Schenker was voted as the best keyboard player by METAL HAMMER MAGAZINE in March 1985) -sister of U.F.O. and MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP guitar hero Michael Schenker and SCORPIONS rhythm guitarist Rudy Schenker, VIVA formed in 1980 in Hannover, as a very young POP Rock Band. 1980's 'Born To Rock', are handled by Frank Algermissen(vocals) alongside with guitarists Kai Reuter(17) and Ralph Murthy, bassist Andreas Kawaldt(17) and drummer Shaban Yavaz. The manager ended up behind bars and VIVA split up. 1981 Barbara Schenker formed the ROCK act VIVA at a Scorpions gig in London where she met Marc Paganini backstage inviting him to join VIVA as a frontman. Algermissen was superseded for the harder hitting Riff Rock of 'What the Hell is going on', issued by CBS Records(6 months later album will be released in Japan), by Swiss Italian frontman Marc Paganini. More changes saw Reuter departing to join JANE and guitarist Andy Fach took his position. 1982 'Dealers of the Night' was promoted by touring Europe(with support from SORTILEGE on 10/10/1983 LA MUTUALITE Paris, France), especially France, Belgium and Sweden were top of the list. VIVA played 18/09/1982 MULHOUSE M. and 21/05/1983 BRUGGE Festivals along with ANVIL, URIAH HEEP, KILLER(Belgium), GARY MOORE, BARON ROJO. Then 1983 Barbara Schenker decided to leave VIVA... ”the good times had gone straight to the guys head". Just 6 months later Marc Paganini quit as well. Paganini recorded one more album with VIVA, 1982's 'Dealers of the Night', before departing. The frontman would re-emerge in 1985 with his own band PAGANINI, debuting with 'Weapon Of Love' in 1985 on the Vertigo label. Ex-VIVA guitarist Ralph Murthy followed the singer into the ranks of PAGANINI. VIVA re-grouped in 1984 and returned with The 'Apocalypse' album, which featured new vocalist Chris Thow. Michael Lauer was also added to the ranks on keyboards, replacing Barbara Schenker. Towards the group's eventual demise, British ex DETROIT vocalist Andy Pyke joined before he opted to form MARSHALL LAW. Bizarrely Schenker was rumoured to be joining the 1985 reformation of U.F.O., but although rehearsals did take place this came to nothing. Schenker briefly joined all female Rockers ROSY VISTA and in 1988 after supporting URIAH HEEP with Berlin act AMAZONE, Barbara moved to London. VIVA guitarist Henrik Woltar later formed THUNDERHEAD. VIVA made an unexpected and low key return in 1996 with the independently released 'Cream Cake Box' album. Based around guitarist Andy Fach, VIVA now comprised of VELVET VIPER bassist Lars Ratz, vocalist Eddy Peterson, keyboard player Ronald Hensel and drummer R.R. Oddly the accompanying press biography with this release gives a somewhat distorted history of VIVA that makes absolutely no mention of Schenker whatsoever! Meantime, 1996 found ex-VIVA singer Marco Paganini singing on demo tracks for former SCORPIONS drummer HERMAN RAREBELL. Quite surreally, a Paganini/VIC VERGAT composition scored the duo a major hit in Germany - sung by 'Baywatch' star David Hasselhoff for the 'Pingu' kids television cartoon series! Kai Reuter re-emeged in 2000 joining FAIR WARNING. Ratz founded the chart Heavy Metal band METALIUM. 'Dealers In The Night' would see a September 2001 re-release courtesy of French label Axe Killer Records. The information provided by Barbara Schenker and Rockdetector.com . P.S. 'Dealers of the Night' 1982 album was sold over 250,000 units in Europe and hit charts 34 in Sweden. The success(along with Europe and Japan, the album hit pretty hard Russia as well) of the album was probably because of 'Some kind of Wonderful'(a cover song of Grand Funk Railroad). URIAH HEEP gave credits to Barbara Schenker on their 1989 'Raging Silence' album. You can order 'Dealers of the Night' and 'What the Hell is going on!' CDs through Axe Killer Records .