Michael Weikath facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Michael Weikath
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Weikath performing in 2016
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Michael Ingo Joachim Weikath |
| Also known as | Weiki |
| Born | 7 August 1962 Hamburg, West Germany |
| Genres |
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| Occupations | Guitarist |
| Years active | 1978–present |
Michael Ingo Joachim "Weiki" Weikath was born on August 7, 1962. He is a German musician. He is famous for being a founding member and one of the guitarists of the pioneering power metal band Helloween.
Contents
Michael Weikath's Early Life and Music
Michael Weikath was born in Hamburg, Germany. He loved music from a very young age. When he was just four or five, he would imagine melodies in his head. He became very serious about music around 1971.
As a child, he spent a lot of time listening to music on his parents' stereo. The first album he ever owned was 1962–1966 by The Beatles.
Learning Guitar and First Bands
In 1974, Michael started playing the guitar. He soon began practicing with his friends. In 1978, he formed his first band, which was called Powerfool. Before starting Helloween, he worked for a company that sold records by mail. In 1982, he completed community service instead of military service.
Musical Influences
Many bands and guitarists inspired Michael Weikath. His main influences include The Beatles, Deep Purple, Scorpions, UFO, Van Halen, Led Zeppelin, the Sex Pistols, and Wishbone Ash.
The guitarists who influenced him when he first started playing were Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Ritchie Blackmore, Uli Jon Roth, and Eddie Van Halen.
Forming Helloween
Michael Weikath is one of the original members who started the band Helloween. He formed the band with Kai Hansen (who sang and played guitar), Markus Grosskopf (bass guitar), and Ingo Schwichtenberg (drums).
He was one of only two original members still in the band for a long time, along with Markus Grosskopf. However, Kai Hansen and Michael Kiske rejoined Helloween in 2016.
Helloween's Early Days
Michael Weikath helped create the first Helloween lineup in 1982. By 1984, the band signed a deal with Noise Records. They recorded two songs for a compilation album called Death Metal. Michael Weikath was responsible for the song "Oernst of Life" on that album.
Weikath's Beliefs and Home
In an interview from 1998, Michael Weikath was asked about the spiritual themes in some Helloween songs. He said that most of the band members were Christian. Michael Weikath himself is Catholic. Today, he lives in Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, which is in the Canary Islands, Spain.
Michael Weikath's Discography
Here are some of the albums Michael Weikath has released with Helloween:
- Helloween (1985)
- Walls of Jericho (1985)
- Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part I (1987)
- Keeper of the Seven Keys: Part II (1988)
- Pink Bubbles Go Ape (1991)
- Chameleon (1993)
- Master of the Rings (1994)
- The Time of the Oath (1996)
- Better Than Raw (1998)
- Metal Jukebox (1999)
- The Dark Ride (2000)
- Rabbit Don't Come Easy (2003)
- Keeper of the Seven Keys: The Legacy (2005)
- Gambling with the Devil (2007)
- Unarmed – Best of 25th Anniversary (2009)
- 7 Sinners (2010)
- Straight Out of Hell (2013)
- My God-Given Right (2015)
- Helloween (2021)
Michael Weikath's Equipment
Michael Weikath uses various guitars and amplifiers to create his sound. Here is some of his equipment:
- Div and 1973 Marshall amplifier (50-watt)
- Div and 1982 Marshall amplifier (100-watt)
- Div ENGL amplifiers
- DigiTech GSP1101 Guitar Multi Effects Processor
- Vox AC30 Orange Overdrive amplifier
- 1990 Gibson Les Paul black
- 1990 Gibson Les Paul white
- 1990 Gibson Flying V white
- 2012 Gibson Flying V custom
- 2015 Gibson Les Paul Standard trans blue
- 2016 Gibson Flying V T soaring rock tones
- 2018 Epiphone Limited Edition Flying V Custom
- Gibson Explorer custom black/white
- 1976 Gibson L6-S
- 1974/75/79 Fender Stratocasters
- Gibson Les Paul Goldtop
For live shows, Michael Weikath uses a DigiTech GSP1101 preamp. He also uses a Marshall JVM410H amplifier. Fellow Helloween guitarist Sascha Gerstner uses similar equipment.
See also
In Spanish: Michael Weikath para niños
