Eddie Van Halen

Edward Lodewijk Van Halen, generally known as Eddie Van Halen, (born January 26, 1955 in Nijmegen, Netherlands,) is a virtuoso guitarist, classically-trained pianist, and founding member of the hard rock band Van Halen. His family moved to Pasadena, California in 1962.

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Later Van Halen albums such as Fair Warning and Diver Down displayed Eddie's prowess on keyboards, which were featured most prominently on the landmark album 1984, arguably the defining rock and roll release of the 1980s.

Related Topics:
Fair Warning - Diver Down - 1984 - 1980s

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Edward Van Halen also played a role in getting R&B videos played on MTV. He was called in by Quincy Jones to play guitar on the song Beat It, from Michael Jackson's famous 1982 album, "Thriller". The combination of Jackson's pop sensibilities, Quincy Jones' production and Van Halen's guitar work melded several genres of music, and helped each to find new fans. Concurrently, Van Halen's song Jump was played in discos, inner-city R&B clubs, and on rock radio.

Related Topics:
R&B - MTV - Quincy Jones - Michael Jackson - Pop

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Van Halen did soundtrack work for movies such as Back To The Future, Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure, Twister (film) and Wild Life, and has recorded with Brian May, Jeff Porcaro, and Thomas Dolby. He built his trademark red and white striped "Frankenstrat" guitar, (it was originally black and white,) by hand, using an imperfect body and neck picked up (used) at a discount.

Related Topics:
Back To The Future - Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure - Twister (film) - Wild Life - Brian May - Jeff Porcaro - Thomas Dolby

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