Guitarist extraordinaire ULI JON ROTH (Ulrich Hans Joachim Anton Josef Roth), born on December 18th 1954 in in Düsseldorf, made his mark initially with the SCORPIONS, joining them in 1973 from DAWN ROAD as replacement for MICHAEL SCHENKER. Throughout his tenure as lead guitarist and pivotal songwriter for the SCORPIONS, the band released five albums, 'Fly To The Rainbow' in 1974, 'In Trance' in 1975, 'Virgin Killer' in 1976, 'Taken By Force' in 1977 and the 1978 concert recording 'Tokyo Tapes'. Although the band was proving successively more successful with each release, the SCORPIONS having a particularly strong fan base in Asia, Roth's dissatisfaction with the commercial nature of their output led to the guitarist opting out.

Leaving the SCORPIONS in 1978 at the peak of their creativity, Uli produced two albums for the German Metronome Musik label with his eclectic band ELECTRIC SUN 'Earthquake', recorded with bassist Ule Ritgen and WILD HORSES drummer Clive Edwards, and 'Firewind' in a much more experimental vein than the straightforward Hard Rock of the SCORPIONS. Both these releases featured cover art by artist and former JIMI HENDRIX partner Monika Danneman. 'Firewind', retaining Ule Ritgen on bass but now seeing Sidhatta Gautama on drums, was notabley dedicated to assassinated Egyptian leader Anwar el-Sadat.

Although Roth's guitar abilities were universally acknowledged as being truly masterful, his critics lambasted Roth for his insistance on utilising his own below par vocals on recorded works, which affected his potential commercialty. Nevertheless, the guitar abilities displayed via ELECTRIC SUN were unquestionable and Roth retained his position as one of the most exalted musicians of his generation.

Signing to EMI Records, actually as part of a package deal with ZENO engineered by then manager Dave Corke, Roth released the 'Beyond The Astral Skies' album in 1985. For his first touring band Roth assembled a line-up comprising vocalists Nicky Moore of SAMSON repute and Roger Meakin, ex-JETHRO TULL drummer Clive Bunker, keyboard players John Young and Larry Dawson, and bassist Ilbert Stubbs. Support act for this opening European tour was guitar protege ROBIN GEORGE. Nicky Moore quit after these dates and his place was taken by former RAGE vocalist Dave Lloyd for the North American tour.

Roth garnered heady critical praise for the album and tour but unfortunately record sales failed to match. Dropped by EMI Records, Roth retreated to his home studio in Seaford to lay down tracks for the proposed 'Soldiers Of Grace' album. Initial demos featured ZENO vocalist Michael 'Flexig' Flechsich. The only track from these sessions to see commercial release was 'Amadeus' released as a bonus track on a Roadrunner Records compilation album.

With no deal forthcoming the guitarist launched into an even more ambitious project an entirely instrumental classical Barocque album centred around his unique Sky guitar and streching over eighty minutes. Strangely, although much material has been recorded, none of this has yet seen the light of day. Roth remained an enigma with a legion of fans awaiting his next release. A rare public performance saw him at the JIMI HENDRIX tribute concert in Cologne during 1991 alongside Simon Phillips, RANDY HANSEN and JACK BRUCE. That same year Roth produced the 'Aquila Suite - 12 Arpeggio Concert Etudes for Solo Piano'. In 1992 Roth worked on the 'Europa ex Favilla' piece and faced the public once again for the German television special 'Symphonic Rock For Europe'.

Finally an album emerged during 1995 titled 'Prologue To The Symphonic Legends' under the band title name of SKY OF AVALON. This set included Roth's interpretation of Puccini's 'E Lucevan Le Stelle'. Featured singers were erstwhile SAHARA vocalist Liz Vandall, FAIR WARNING's Tommy Heart, Leonora Gold as lead soprano and Michael Flexig once again with violin from Steve Bentley-Klein and cello courtesy of Roger Smith. Quite amazingly after such a lengthy gap in between releases the album went straight to the number 1 position in the Japanese charts.

With the tragic publicised suicide of Roth's longterm companion and artist Monika Dannemann on April 5th 1996, the guitarist relocated into the depths of Wales, securing a new base at his custom built Skylight Studios in Tanybwlch Hall in Aberystwyth. Here he busied himself on recording 'Requiem For An Angel'. Returning to live action Roth partnered with JOE SATRIANI and MICHAEL SCHENKER for a 'G3' tour of Europe.

ULI JON ROTH toured Europe in 2000 as guests to UFO. The 2000 'Transcendental Sky Guitar' album, which alongside new studio compositions and improvisations on classical and JIMI HENDRIX themes included material recorded live in Vienna during 1999 and re-worked ELECTRIC SUN tracks, saw a recording line up of former YNGWIE MALMSTEEN rhythm section bassist Barry Sparks and drummer Shane Galaas, ex-RAINBOW keyboard player DON AIREY, vocalist Liz Vandell and violinist Steve Bentley. Both Galaas and Sparks are members of COSMO SQUAD as well as aiding UFO vocalist PHIL MOGG on his 2000 solo album. The double disc 'Transcendental Sky Guitar' comprised arrangements of pieces by Mozart's 'Rondo Alla Turca', Chopin's 'Sensucht', Vivaldi's 'Tuona E Fulmina', Mussorgsky's 'Baba-Yaga', Massenet's 'Meditation', Mendelssohn's 'Fairy Dance', Tarréga's 'Recuerdos De La Alhambra' and Rodrigo's 'Air De Aranjuez'.

Uli would appear at the 2001 annual 'Rock & Blues' festival in the UK, his show seeing JACK BRUCE alongside the UFO trio of Phil Mogg, PETE WAY and Michael Schenker as guests. This performance would be captured on the 'Live At Castle Donington' album released in Japan by Nippon Crown and through SPV in Europe. As well as Uli's own material the album captured run throughs of UFO's 'Let It Roll', 'Rock Bottom' and 'Doctor Doctor', CREAM's 'Sunshine Of Your Love' and 'White Room' along with JIMI HENDRIX's 'All Along The Watchtower' and 'Little Wing'. The success of these shows prompted the announcement of a further run of gigs dubbed the 'Legends Of Rock', to commence in ULI JON ROTH's home town of Aberystwyth in mid November, the billing included JACK BRUCE, former JETHRO TULL drummer Clive Bunker, UFO's Michael Schenker and GLENN HUGHES. Famed Canadian guitarist FRANK MARINO would be a later addition.

Early 2003 had the guitarist in preperation for a new studio record centred upon Vivaldi's 'Four Seasons'. Meantime, the Finnish Lion Music label convened a long overdue tribute album to the artist 'Beyond Inspiration - A Tribute To Uli Jon Roth'. The cast of noteables paying homage would include former BALANCE OF POWER vocalist Lance King, TAKARA singer Michael James Flatters, JAMES BYRD, LIEGE LORD guitarist PAUL NELSON, Thorbjörn Englund of WINTERLONG, Joop Wolters of ARABESQUE, Rolf Munkes of EMPIRE and EUROPE's Ian Haugland.

European dates throughout February and March 2004, traversing Greece, France, Spain, Italy and Germany, saw Roth as opening act to UFO. That same year Roth donated his interpretation of Johann Sebastian Bach's 'Double Concerto for 2 Violins in D Minor' to RAGE guitarist VICTOR SMOLSKI's solo album.

Roth announced touring plans for the Autumn of 2004 pairing Schenker with another illustrious ex-SCORPIONS member in the MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP. Joining his live band would be CIRCLE II CIRCLE, BLAZE and DORO keyboard player Oliver Palotai and rhythm guitarist John Boswell. Meantime, the prototype of his world famous and unique Sky guitar, the 'Dolphin Sky', went on display at the Rock 'n' Popmuseum in Gronau, Germany. In welcome news for fans of vintage SCORPIONS, Uli revealed he had written a full, extended symphony orchestra score for the classic track 'Sails Of Charon' and featuring Liz Vandell on vocals. A video with Vandell's performance would be projected onto a screen as part of Roth's concerts.

ULI JON ROTH and the Sky orchestra would perform an open air concert at the Schloss Beck castle in Bottrop-Kirchhellen, Germany on 9th October for a DVD filming. A three hour show, with intermission, would include a complete rendition of 'Metamorphosis Of Vivaldi's IV Seasons'. On the 14th of November Roth joined DEEP PURPLE at the Cardiff International Arena, jamming the encore of 'Black Night'. The DEEP PURPLE connection was strengthened when Roth donated two solos to IAN GILLAN's 40th anniversary solo album 'Gillan's Inn', featuring on the tracks 'Day Late And A Dollar Short' and 'Loving On Borrowed Time'.

A notable event for longstanding fans came in 2005 with the band's appearance at a September 10th concert in Colmar, France where ULI JON ROTH joined his old comrades the SCORPIONS, including former drummer Rudy Lenners, onstage, making this the first official reunion since the recording of the 1978 'Tokyo Tapes' concerts. Roth joined the SCORPIONS for live renditions of 'In Trance', 'Pictured Life', 'Kojo No Tsuki', 'We'll Burn The Sky' and 'He's A Woman, She's A Man'. Roth's newly assembled live band comprised singer Olaf Senkbeil, of JACK'S HAMMER and DREAMTIDE, bassist Peter Pichl of the JUTTA WEINHOLD BAND and RUNNING WILD repute, keyboard player Oliver Palotai and drummer Chris Lowe. German gigs in November witnessed an alliance with ex-SCORPIONS bassist Francis Buchholz, guitarist John Boswell, ROUGH SILK keyboard player Ferdy Doernberg and the ACCEPT, U.D.O., RUNNING WILD and HELLOWEEN credited Stefan Schwarzmann on drums. Greek gigs in December saw Roth re-united with ex-SCORPIONS drummer Jorgen Rosenthal, the first time the pair had performed together since 1974.

A brace of re-releases through the SPV label in late 2005 added bonus material, 1985's 'Beyond the Astral Skies' including the promotional video for 'The Night The Master Comes', whilst 1996's 'Prologoue To The Symphonic Legends' included a video for 'Cry Of The Night'. It would be revealed later that year that Roth, together with MICHAEL SCHENKER and ACCEPT's WOLF HOFFMAN, was in negotations to conduct a "German G3" tour of Europe.

Making a welcome return to the USA, Roth announced the 'Sky Academy Seminar' and 'Sky Music Festival' events to take place at the Ralph Freud Theater at the University Campus of Los Angeles in May 2006. A press release revealed that each concert would cover material from all phases of Uli's career, including SCORPIONS, ELECTRIC SUN plus solo works 'Sky Of Avalon' and Transcendental Sky Guitar'. His live band comprised Olaf Senkbeil of DREAMTIDE on vocals, ex-SCORPIONS bassist Francis Buchholz, ROUGH SILK keyboard player Ferdy Doernberg and and Michael Ehre on drums. Stage guests included Warren De Martini of RATT and WHITESNAKE, ex-MEGADETH guitarist CHRIS POLAND, drummer Kofi Baker of OHM, Chris Impellitteri, JEFF SCOTT SOTO, GRAHAM BONNET and Robbie Krieger of THE DOORS. Further US dates saw support from THE LIZARDS.

The SCORPIONS again put on a celebratory event including former members for their headline show at the 'Wacken Open Air' festival on August 3rd billed 'A Night to Remember - A Journey in Time'. Not only did the band perform many archive songs featuring ULI JON ROTH, HERMAN RAREBELL and MICHAEL SCHENKER but they encored with 'In Search Of The Peace Of Mind' including all three players plus Michael's son Tyson Schenker on guitar. European and Scandinavian shows took place throughout September and October. Roth provided special guest support to THERION's December 9th orchestral show at the Palace Hall in Bucharest, Rumania.

In July 2008 Uli Jon Roth put in his first career performance in New Zealand as co-headliner of the G-TARanaki International Guitar Festival in New Plymouth, Taranaki. He shared a bill with JOE SATRIANI, GLENN HUGHES, VERNON REID, GILBY CLARKE, the ALEX SKOLNICK TRIO, GRAY BARTLETT and TIM DONAHUE. As part of the festival Uli's 'Sky Academy' tuition gave classes in three regional schools, Waitara, Inglewood and Opunake. His live band now featured Ehre with former YNGWIE MALMSTEEN vocalist MARK BOALS, Liz Vandall, Nicolas Turman on second guitar and the GAMMA RAY credited Corvin Bahn on keyboards.

'Under A Dark Sky' was released by Avalon Marquee in Japan during August. The Californian Sky Academy was held at the Brixton venue in Redondo Beach during September with the full album performance of 'Under A Dark Sky' taking place on the 19th. Newly installed on bass for these shows would be the EISBRECHER credited bassist Martin Motnik. Guests included DOKKEN frontman Don Dokken, WHITESNAKE's Doug Alsrich and RATT's Warren De Martini. Solo tour dates took the band through to the New York Sky Academy perfrormance on 11th October prior to Japanese concerts in November.

The first official Uli Jon Roth signature Sky Guitar, designed by Dean Guitars, was unveiled at the winter NAMM show in Anaheim, California on 14th January 2010, with two different models on display, a six-string and a seven-string version.