Wolf Hoffmann was born on December 10, 1959 in Mainz (Germany). His father worked for Bayer and his mother was a housewife.
Parents wanted Wolf to graduate from the university and get a decent job, but Hoffmann did not heed the requests of dad and mom. He became a guitarist in one of the most popular rock bands in the world.
The early years of Wolf Hoffmann
Hoffmann's father held a prestigious position in a large pharmaceutical concern. He instilled in his son an interest in learning. Wolf received a good education.
Everything went to the fact that he would become a marriage lawyer or an engineer, but something went wrong. Wolf himself did not understand at what stage in his life rock and roll began to prevail over other aspects.
He himself was surprised that he took up music, although he did not live in an orphanage or with foster parents. But somehow it so happened that the music lured him. Most likely, this happened after he saw the performance of The Beatles. Although this is not accurate.
But the fact that the Liverpool four became a catalyst for learning to music, Wolf himself confirms. After he saw guys with guitars, he decided to pick up an instrument himself and learn how to play it.
Wolf had many friends and one of them knew how to play the guitar. Hoffmann immediately went to him and asked him to tell what was what. He showed some chords and fights.
The future star of the metal scene immediately mastered all the simple techniques. But he wanted more. Wolf understood that without vocational training he would “stagnate in one place” for a long time.
He asked his parents to send him to a music school in the electric guitar class. Dad was categorically against it, because he dreamed that his son would become an engineer and go on to glorify the name Hoffmann.
Wolf could not convince him that he needed to learn how to play the electric guitar at all costs. But the parents took pity on their unlucky son and sent him to a music school (on an acoustic guitar).
If you play music, then only on the right instrument.
Career with Accept
Hoffmann studied classical works for acoustic guitar for a year. Gradually set aside pocket money to buy his instrument. They were enough to buy a $20 plywood electric guitar.
There was no longer enough money for combo amplifiers, so Hoffmann connected the guitar to old tube radios. They did not withstand such operation for a long time and quickly failed.
When Wolf mastered the electric guitar on his own, he decided to join the band. So you could test your technique and learn how to work in a team.
The Accept group became his first and last team. He devoted most of his life to the creation of famous metal hits.
The feature of Wolf Hoffmann's game was improvisation. No matter how many members of the Accept group tried to teach him music theory, Wolf played when there was inspiration.
And that was his superpower. Looking ahead, I must say that Hoffmann is in the top 30 famous guitarists and the top 60 best solo guitarists in the world.
In addition to experimenting with music, Hoffmann tried to improve the sound. To do this, he regularly connected new equipment to his guitar, added effects.
At the moment, there are more than two dozen guitars in his assortment. True, for concerts he uses only Gibson Flying V.
He likes how brutal this instrument looks. At the studio, he changed several guitars. Some instruments only use a specific tune to play.
Wolf Hoffmann joined Accept in 1975. Until that moment, the composition of the future rock monsters was constantly changing, but then the guys were able to find a common language with each other.
As part of this team, Hoffmann recorded all the gold records and became a co-author of the group's success.
Solo career and hobby of Wolf Hoffmann
After a turbulent youth, Accept took a break. Hoffmann decided to take up photography. A talented person is talented in everything.
His photographs are highly regarded by critics. Wolf regularly makes exhibitions, which are a very popular event in his native Germany and the USA.
Wolf Hoffman has two solo albums to his credit. The first album Classical was released in 1997. As the name implies, the disc contains classical melodies reworked for guitar.
A year of study at a music school makes itself felt. Hoffmann has always put classical music on a par with rock music.
He regularly delighted the audience at concerts with the melodies of Bach and Mozart. The accumulated material resulted in a rather interesting record.
Critics praised Hoffmann's work. Unlike other rock musicians who "laugh at the classics, Wolf managed to play well-known melodies on the guitar organically."
Hoffman's second solo album Headbangers Symphony was released in 2016. Most of the compositions, as in Classical, were guitar adaptations of classical music. But the album also contained cover versions of Wolf's favorite musicians.
In 2010, the "gold line-up" of the group Accept gathered for the revival of the group. The team recorded four records after the reunion and is not going to stop there.
The interest in real music has reappeared in the world. Therefore, the guys became again in demand and spent most of their lives on tour.
Hoffmann is married to the manager of the band Accept. The couple live in Nashville (USA). Wolf has a daughter, Hauke, from his first marriage.
