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.

Formation of Van Halen

In the burgeoning Los Angeles rock scene of mid-1970s, Van Halen's band was called Rat Salade, after a song by Black Sabbath. David Lee Roth suggested calling the band Van Halen, after having been hired by the band as a vocalist to circumvent paying for the use of his P.A. system. KISS bassist Gene Simmons produced a demo tape, but Simmons' KISS commitments -- as well as that band's growing internal problems -- led Simmons to regretfully sever his professional ties with Van Halen when Warner Brothers became interested in the band. Ironically, in the mid-1980's, Edward Van Halen was tiring of David Lee Roth's antics and asked Gene Simmons about the possibility of him joining KISS, who were having guitarist problems.

Related Topics:
Los Angeles - 1970s - Black Sabbath - David Lee Roth - KISS - Gene Simmons - Warner Brothers

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