Eddie Van Halen Dies: Guitar Legend Who Influenced A Hard-Rock Generation Was 65
Van Halen was a founding member of the band that bore his name, along with his older brother Alex Van Halen. After moving from Holland to Southern California in the early 1960s, the Dutch brothers teamed with singer David Lee Roth and bassist Michael Anthony to create one of rock ‘n’ roll’s greatest groups. By 1977, the quartet was signed to Warner Bros Records, and their 1978 eponymous debut album became a breakout smash.
The album featured a cover of the Kinks classic “You Really Got Me” that dented the top 40, but its intro has been fodder for hard-rock guitarists ever since. “Eruption” featured the two-handed “tapping” technique that Van Halen perfected and popularized. The track remains a must-learn for rock ax players. The album also features such raw rock classics as “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love,” “Runnin’ with the Devil,” “Atomic Punk” and “Feel Your Love Tonight.
Despite their FM success, Van Halen struggled to break through to mainstream top 40 radio. “Dance the Night Away” and “Oh, Pretty Woman” reached the Billboard top 20, but the lead single from the group’s six album would change all that.featured “Jump,” a band composition that would spend five weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 and introduce Van Halen to the pop masses. Fueled by Eddie Van Halen’s signature synth riff, the song propelledThriller.
The ensuing tour sold out around the world and included a headlining slot on “Heavy Metal Sunday” at the 1983 US Festival, which drew some 400,000 fans. Those concerts had fans’ eyeballs zooming from Eddie Van Halen’s guitar wizardry to the charismatic Roth’s rock-god preening. But long-simmering tensions were begin to surface within the band. In February 1985, at the pinnacle of Van Halen’s global popularity, Roth released an offbeat solo EP of American standards and had an MTV and radio hit with the Beach Boys’ “California Heat.” The disc showcased the singer’s decidedly non-hard-rock side and fed the creative rift between the singer and guitarist Van Halen. Roth left the group that summer for what would become a spotty solo career.
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