Eddie Van Halen 1955-Present

Early Life Born in the Netherlands Grew up in California. Named after Beethoven (middle name was Lodewijk) Father played clarinet, saxophone, and piano.

Early Life Started playing piano at age 6 (learned by watching and listening, not reading). Then picked up the drums, then the electric guitar. Main early influences were Eric Clapton (Cream) and Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin)

Van Halen Band names before they settled on Van Halen: Genesis (not the one everyone knows) Mammoth Rat Salad Eddie was on Guitar, Alex (his brother) was on drums, Mark Stone was on bass (later replaced by Michael Anthony), and David Lee Roth was on vocals. They are discovered by Gene Simmons (of KISS) in 1977 and make some record demos and finally get picked up by Warner Bros (after several rejections).

Success and Tension In 1978 they release their first single: “You Really Got Me,” a cover of a Kinks song. The album 1984 is released in 1984 and rockets the band to international success. As more success builds, so does the tension between Roth and the other band members. On tour in 1984, the band plays a show on separate platforms instead of on the same stage, symbolizing the rift between them .

Revolving Singers Eventually, David Lee Roth leaves Van Halen. Sammy Hagar replaces Roth and Van Halen still releases a few successful albums and is nominated for 2 Grammys. Eddie cleans up (he had a drinking problem) and butts heads with Hagar (big partier). Hagar is replaced by Roth (again) Roth is again replaced by Gary Cherone. The Band reunites three more time and gets ready for a world tour, which gets postponed twice. The band gets a reputation of being melodramatic and somewhat difficult to work with.

Style and Influence Known for hard rock Famous for: Two-hand tapping Use of harmonics Vibrato Tremolo picking He never learned to read music

Style and Influence Played a Frankenstrat – he built it himself from pieces of a Fender and Gibson and continued to add to it as his playing progressed. Invented an adaptor for the guitar that allowed it to be more horizontal like a piano.

Video - Jump https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwYN7mTi6HM