German guitar legend Uli Jon Roth will return to North America for a special tour commemorating his 40th anniversary of joining the SCORPIONS.

Uli plans on celebrating this anniversary with a one-of-a-kind show that features an entire set of SCORPIONS material as well as selections from his extensive solo catalog. Every concert on the tour will be recorded for a live album documenting this amazing milestone in Uli's career.

The tour is currently scheduled to kick off January 25 in Los Angeles, California and run through March 3.

Says Uli: "Celebrating my 40th anniversary of joining the band, we will play a full set of SCORPIONS songs alongside my more recent material. We will feature several songs from each of the albums that I played on, including some, which have not been played live before. I'm really looking forward to it. Hope to see you there!"

Because of his ground-breaking, highly innovative and distinctive trademark guitar work, Uli is widely regarded as being one of the greatest guitarists of all time.

As one of the main founding members of the SCORPIONS, Uli wrote much of the material for the band's first five albums, which include the hugely successful live album "Tokyo Tapes". These early SCORPIONS years with Uli, Klaus Meine and Rudolf Schenker as the nucleus were absolutely essential in shaping what is now considered the classic SCORPIONS sound.

Uli is regarded as a significant influence by many notable guitar players, including, but not limited to, Slash, Eddie Van Halen, Joe Satriani, Kirk Hammett, Steve Vai and Yngwie Malmsteen. Having collaborated and shared the stage with the likes of the SMASHING PUMPKINS, DEEP PURPLE, Brian May, Jack Bruce, UFO, and many others, Uli continues to inspire and pave the way for musicians and fans alike.

After his departure from the SCORPIONS, Uli Jon Roth embarked on a successful career as a solo artist, producing highly influential albums with his band ELECTRIC SUN, as well as performing classical concertos with orchestras.

Uli also invented his own instrument the legendary six-octave Sky Guitar, which is currently on the market as a limited-edition signature model.

In addition to his 40th-anniversary shows, Uli will also be offering his world renowned Sky Academy seminars while he is on the road in North America. These introductory seminars are not just aimed at guitarists, but fans and even non-musicians may well find plenty to gain from Uli's unique way of talking about some of the deeper mysteries of music. For some people Sky Academy has even been a life-changing experience, because Uli's teaching can open up completely new ways of experiencing music.

The aim of Sky Academy is to provide knowledge and inspiration to those who take guitar playing seriously and to help them reach a new plateau. The seminars are designed to open musicians' eyes to new possibilities and to trigger an awakening of the student's full potential and talent. Special emphasis is given to inspirational concepts rather than just technical means. Sky Academy is designed to teach particularly those things which are not normally touched upon in music teaching, but which provide a true gateway to mastery.

Tickets for the introductory seminars are available through the individual venues and can also be purchased at this location.

Uli Jon Roth live:

Two-day "Sky Academy" seminar

Jan. 21 - Santa Monica, CA @ Santa Monica Playhouse
Jan. 22 - Santa Monica, CA @ Santa Monica Playhouse

Tour dates

Jan. 25 - Los Angeles, CA @ Whiskey (w/ Warren DeMartini)
Jan. 26 - Santa, CA @ Malone's
Jan. 27 - San Diego, CA @ Brick by Brick*
Jan. 31 - Milwaukee, WI @ Shank Hall
Feb. 01 - Detroit, MI @ Token Lounge
Feb. 06 - New York, NY @ Stage 48*
Feb. 07 - White Marsh, MD @ House of Rock
Feb. 08 - Montreal, QC @ Le National
Feb. 09 - Toronto, ON @ The Rock Pile*
Feb. 10 - Toronto, ON @ The Rock Pile
Feb. 12 - Ottawa, ON @ The Brass Monkey
Feb. 13 - Sellersville, PA @ Sellersville Theater
Feb. 16 - Savage, MN @ Neisen's Sports Bar & Grill
Feb. 17 - Chicago, IL @ Reggie's Rock Club*
Feb. 23 - Corona, CA @ Marquee 15
Feb. 26 - Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
Feb. 27 - Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theater

* Denotes shows with Sky Academy seminars