Axel Manrico Heilhecker (born November 28, 1954 in Bergisch Gladbach) is a German guitarist, composer, producer, and singer.
Career
His first recordings were released in 1969 by WDR Big Band director Harald Banter. In 1972, through the mediation of Joachim-Ernst Berendt, he took lessons from jazz trumpeter and ethno-musician Don Cherry.
From 1976 to 1981, he was a founding member of the Cologne-based Food Band, alongside Wolf Maahn, Helmut Zerlett, Dick W. Frangenberg, Matthias Keul, Werner Kopal, Jan Dix, and Paco Saval. Two albums were recorded in London and released by Essex. From 1982 to 1986, he played with “Wolf Maahn und die Deserteure.” He then remained a member of the Wolf Maahn Band until 1993, playing guitar and writing songs on all their albums. He also performed as a session musician and played in various all-star bands within the German rock scene (Klaus Lage, Marius Müller-Westernhagen, Herbert Grönemeyer, Rainhard Fendrich, Jane Palmer).
During this period, he was repeatedly ranked at the top of the music polls by the trade journal Musikmagazin and other music magazines in the guitarist category alongside Michael Schenker, Peter Weihe, and Uli Jon Roth.
In 1986, he performed free of charge at the Anti-WAAhnsinns-Festival against the planned Wackersdorf reprocessing plant.
In 1990, he played recordings and toured for the Unknown Cases.
From 1991 to 1993, he released two albums with EMI under his own name and toured as support for the last Deep Purple tour, among others.
