Eddy Van Halen

Eddward Lodewijk VanHalen was born in Nijmegen, Netherlands on January 26,1955. He and his family moved to Pasedena, California when Edward was just a small child. He was introduced to the guitar and a young age, and learned Classical guitar, but was always interested in Rock and Roll. Edward and his brother played in bands after school renting equipment from David Lee Roth. Since the band had no singer, they invited Roth to join their band called Mammoth. Upon meeting a bass player while gigging with the band Snake, the band asked Michael Anthony to join.

In 1976, the band discovered that there was another band out there with the same name, so, after throwing some new names around, they decided to use Edward and Alex's last name, Van Halen.

The band began to enjoy success after Gene Simmons of KISS heard the band playing at a small club. He offered to produce their demos for them. Soon after that, they were discovered by Warner Brothers producer Ted Templeman. When he heard them, he convinced the label executives to sign them.

Starting with their first self-titled album, Edward became a roll model for many guitarists, and the band began to set the standard for the Rock and Roll of the era. He was named Best New Guitarist by Guitar Player Magazine in 1978. Edward's guitar playing coupled with David Lee Roth's flamboyant vocals, gave the band's albums vast appeal, and separated them from the rock groups of the sixties that were still dominating the radio.

Edward himself was becoming an icon for guitarists of all kinds, no matter what their taste in music. He demonstrated an array of techniques from simple riffs to extended solos with intricate fret work. As for the rest of his band, they were enjoying continued success, and released several albums. 1984, the album, cemented their place as the unquestioned leaders of the metal bands of their time.

Lead singer David Lee Roth left the band in 1984, and went on to pursue his solo career. The band discussed several replacements, and decided to call Sammy Hagar. He accepted their invitation, and became the band's new lead singer.

The band released 5150 with Hagar in 1986. There were 3 hit singles on the album, and it became the band's first time topping the billboard charts. Hagar seemed to revitalize the band, and they went on to release several albums together, including OU812, and For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge, and Balance.

A year after the release of Balance in 1985, the Edward began to rekindle the relationship with Roth, and talk about a possible greatest hits package. This lead Hagar to leave. (He says he was fired, Edward maintains that he left.) Roth was brought back into the band to sing on 2 new songs for the CD. He then met up with the band in New York for a non-performance at the MTV Video Awards in 1996,(they were presenting the award for Best Male Video to Beck) which fueled rumors of a new album and a tour. Because of this, Roth wrote a letter saying that he was not responsible for the rumors, and that the album would not mean that the original band was back together and Edward fired Roth from the band. He then hired singer Gary Cherone (from the band Extreme). Their first album together was entitled VanHalen III.

In October of 1996, Edward, Alex and Michael are presented with an Outstanding Contribution to Music award at the 1996 Foundations Forum at the Palladium in Hollywood, CA. They are also presented with Platinum awards for surpassing the 10 million sales mark for Van Halen. Later that day, the band is honored with a plaque commemorating the event. The plaque is in the sidewalk right outside of the front door at Whisky A GoGo in West Hollywood.

In 1997, Edward received an award at the Orville H. Gibson Awards for Best Rock Guitarist. He then returned to the studio to record a new album with the band, followed by a tour after it's release.

In 1999, Cherone left the band to pursue other musical interests.