
Udo Dirkschneider
lead vocals
b. 1952 in Wuppertal
Udo Dirkschneider (born 6 April 1952) is a German singer who first rose to fame with the heavy metal band Accept. After leaving the band in 1987, he formed the band U.D.O., in which he has also enjoyed commercial success.
Early life
Former Accept and current U.D.O. lead singer Udo Dirkschneider has a long career spanning almost five decades that helped to shape German heavy metal. His unique and raspy voice approach and his taste for huge choruses is a big part of Accept's appeal and made him one of the most recognizable characters in heavy metal history. In November 2011, Dirkschneider's son Sven supported U.D.O. on a date in Germany and became a permanent member of his father's band in February 2015. On the same year, the band was temporary renamed as "Dirkschneider" and embarked in a long tour called "Back To The Roots" where the band only performed Accept songs. In 2021, Udo along with his former Accept bandmates, guitarist Stefan Kaufmann and bassist Peter Baltes released new music under the name of "Dirkschneider and the Old Gang" that also features former U.D.O guitarist Matthias Dieth, drummer Svein Dirkschneider and singer Manuela Bibert, with the video of the song "Where The Angels Fly" surpassing a million of views on YouTube. On 22 April 2022, Udo released an album of cover versions, entitled 'My Way', to mark his 70th birthday. Live in Bulgaria 2020: Pandemic Survival Show 18 September 2020, Plovdiv, Bulgaria, Roman theatre of Philippopolis.
Every band they have passed through, with what they played and when — and whether they were there at the start.
Songs Udo Dirkschneider is credited on, oldest first — music, words, or both.
- Fast as a SharkAccept · Restless and Wild (1982)Music & words
- Princess of the DawnAccept · Restless and Wild (1982)Words
- Restless and WildAccept · Restless and Wild (1982)Music & words
- Balls to the WallAccept · Balls to the Wall (1983)Music & words
- Metal HeartAccept · Metal Heart (1985)Writer
- Midnight MoverAccept · Metal Heart (1985)Writer
Where they came from, where they are, and who they are to other people.
- Born
- 1952-04-06 · Wuppertal
- Children
- 1 — Sven Dirkschneider
- Also works as
- singer, composer, rock singer, musician
- Plays
- voice
Where to hear from them lately. These are live searches, not a list somebody froze — so they stay current.
- Wikipedia →the full article
- Interviews on YouTube →newest first
- Recent news & comments →Google News
- Blabbermouth →metal press
Portrait: Wikimedia Commons