Wolf Hoffmann facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Wolf Hoffmann
Hoffmann in 2022
Background information
Born	(1959-12-10) 10 December 1959 (age 65)
Origin	Mainz, West Germany
Died	Error: Need valid death date (first date): year, month, day
Genres	Heavy metal, speed metal, hard rock, neoclassical metal
Occupation(s)	Guitarist

Wolf Hoffmann (born December 10, 1959) is a German musician. He is best known as the guitarist for the heavy metal band Accept. He joined the band in 1976 and is now the only original member left.

His guitar playing in Accept helped create the "speed metal" style. He also helped start "neoclassical metal", which mixes rock music with classical music.

Hoffmann has played in every Accept lineup since 1976. The band took a break between 1997 and 2008, except for a few live shows in 2005. Hoffmann and another original member reformed the band in 2009. They released a new album in 2010, which was very popular. Since then, they have released four more albums. In 2018, the other original member left, making Hoffmann the last one.

Wolf Hoffmann has also released two solo albums. These albums, Classical (1997) and Headbangers Symphony (2016), feature rock versions of famous classical music pieces.

Early Life and Music

Wolf Hoffmann was born on December 10, 1959, in Mainz, West Germany. When he was six, his family moved to Wuppertal. His father was a chemistry professor, and his mother stayed at home. His parents hoped he would go to university and become a professor too.

However, Wolf became very interested in playing the guitar. He got his first acoustic guitar from his parents. He promised them he would take lessons. He only took lessons for a year because he didn't enjoy the acoustic guitar much. His passion for music really grew when he got his first electric guitar.

In middle school, Wolf played guitar with his friends every day. They formed small bands that usually didn't last long. These practices were mostly for fun and hanging out. Wolf went to a good high school and was very good at ancient Greek and Latin. Even though his parents and teachers wanted him to go to college, he decided to focus on his music career with Accept.

Music Career

Joining Accept

In late 1975, Wolf Hoffmann heard at a local music store that a band called Accept needed a new guitarist. The band practiced in Solingen, which was only a 15-minute drive from his home. Wolf joined Accept a few weeks before his 17th birthday.

Accept was different from the casual bands he had played in before. The band members were serious about practicing. They also played live shows in their local area.

Accept's Albums and Success

After bassist Peter Baltes joined Accept about six months after Wolf, they started writing new songs together. They worked together for over 40 years, creating most of Accept's music. Since the album Restless and Wild, Wolf Hoffmann has played most of the guitar parts on Accept's studio albums.

Wolf Hoffmann has released 16 studio albums with Accept. Their first album, Accept, came out in 1979. In the 1980s, they released seven more albums, including Balls to the Wall and Metal Heart.

The band broke up in 1989 but returned in 1992 with the album Objection Overruled. Wolf made two more albums with Accept before they stopped playing together again in 1997. Accept made a big comeback with Wolf in 2009. Since then, they have released albums like Blood of the Nations and Too Mean to Die.

In July 2022, Wolf Hoffmann shared that he had started writing new music for the next Accept album. It might be released in 2023.

Solo Music

In 1997, Wolf Hoffmann released his first solo album, Classical. On this album, he played rock versions of famous classical music songs. His second solo album, Headbangers Symphony, came out in July 2016.

For Classical, Wolf mainly used just his guitar. But for Headbangers Symphony, he added an orchestra. Both albums share the same idea: they take well-known classical songs and turn them into rock or metal versions.

Wolf Hoffmann had a long-time dream of performing with a symphony orchestra live on stage. This dream came true in 2017 at the Wacken Open Air Festival. He played songs from Headbangers Symphony with the Czech Symphony Orchestra for the first time in front of an audience. This concert was streamed live online and later released as a live album and DVD called Accept – Symphonic Terror Live at Wacken 2017. In April 2019, Accept started the "Symphonic Terror" tour. This tour also included songs from Wolf Hoffmann's first solo album, Classical.

In July 2022, Wolf mentioned that he has some ideas for a third neoclassical solo album. However, he said it would not be released very soon.

Working with Other Musicians

Wolf Hoffmann has also worked with other musicians. He played on Skid Row singer Sebastian Bach's solo album, Bring 'Em Bach Alive!. He also contributed to a Japanese tribute album for Randy Rhoads in 2000. On that album, he played with Sebastian Bach on the song "I Don't Know" and with Joe Lynn Turner on "Diary of a Madman". Wolf also played on the album Peace Breaker by the band Skew Siskin.

Guitars and Gear

At the 2013 NAMM Show, Wolf Hoffmann showed off a new guitar made just for him by the company Framus. This guitar comes in two styles. One is white and called "Flying Fortress". The other is chrome and looks like a World War II bomber, also called "Flying Fortress".

Wolf told Metal Shock Finland's chief editor, Mohsen Fayyazi:

"Growing up in Germany everybody had a Framus guitar at one point or another and I could have never anticipated that one day I would be friends with Hans Peter Wilfer, the man behind the re-birth of his father's legendary brand. I had no idea what an amazing company they really are until I went to their factory and saw first hand the unbelievable craftsmanship and quality they deliver. I am happy and proud to introduce my first signature guitar, a real Heavy Metal Axe made in Germany!"

In the 1980s, when Accept was very popular, Wolf often used Gibson Flying V and Fender Stratocaster guitars. He still uses these guitars sometimes today. He has also played guitars from other companies, like Jackson guitars, especially a custom Jackson King V. He still uses this guitar now. He has also played Fernandes guitars from time to time.

Personal Life

Wolf Hoffmann has always loved photography as a hobby. Eventually, it became his second job. He took the cover photo for Accept's 1993 album, Objection Overruled. When Accept took a break starting in 1997, Wolf worked as a professional photographer. He continued photography for a few years after Accept got back together in the 2010s. He later stopped professional photography because he didn't have enough time.

Wolf Hoffmann lives in both Nashville, Tennessee, and Florida. He also has a home in Berlin. Wolf was married to Gaby Hoffmann (whose maiden name was Hauke). She used to be Accept's manager. She also helped write songs for Accept using the name Deaffy.

Wolf is now in a relationship with Ava-Rebekah Rahman. She is a violinist who joined the band on their "Symphonic Terror" tour in Europe in 2019.

Discography

Hoffmann (center) performing with Accept in 2022

Solo Albums

• Classical (1997)
• Headbangers Symphony (2016)

Accept Albums

• Accept (1979)
• I'm a Rebel (1980)
• Breaker (1981)
• Restless and Wild (1982)
• Balls to the Wall (1983)
• Metal Heart (1985)
• Russian Roulette (1986)
• Eat the Heat (1989)
• Objection Overruled (1993)
• Death Row (1994)
• Predator (1996)
• Blood of the Nations (2010)
• Stalingrad (2012)
• Blind Rage (2014)
• The Rise of Chaos (2017)
• Too Mean to Die (2021)
• Humanoid (2024)

See also

In Spanish: Wolf Hoffmann para niños