In my opinion you just can’t have a list of favorite bands and musical geniuses without including one of the greats, the band Van Halen. Brothers Eddie Van Halen and Alex Van Halen came from hard times and were always pushed to succeed. Their father was a talented musician so they were determined to follow in his footsteps. Eddie started on piano and drums while Alex started with guitar. They soon after switched and Alex found his passion for drums while Eddie found his calling with guitar.
This reminds me somewhat of how a lot of us find our way through music. I started out with piano, I enjoyed it, but knew there was something missing. Tried drums briefly and realized I would never be able to make all of my appendages perform different tasks at the same time. Once I picked up the guitar I could never put it down. Once Eddie and Alex created the band Van Halen with David Lee Roth as the singer and Michael Anthony on the bass, they became a hit when Gene Simmons from the band KISS discovered them and signed them for their first studio album. David Lee Roth stayed in the band through the hit album 1984. Sammy Hagar replaced David Lee Roth after he left to pursue his solo career.
More About Eddie Van Halen
Eddie has always been my favorite guitar player. He has proven that you don’t need a fancy piece of art to make it work. Not having a lot of money when he was starting to play, he built his first guitar out of parts. He took a Gibson humbucker and a Fender Strat-style knockoff body, carved out the pocket made for single coils and slapped that baby in. He then cut up a pick guard since it wouldn’t fit the with the humbucker pickup. Then covered most of everything else with the pick guard besides the toggle switch he relocated.
Eddie painted the guitar black and white, then called it Frankenstrat. Eddie said he would not have played the way he did if he had taken lessons. From the insane tapping, to the speed picking and dive bombs, everything he played was remarkable and hard to follow. Eddie Van Halen paved the road for great guitarists after his time. He opened every musician’s eyes by showing us that you don’t have to play by the rules to be great. The band Van Halen will always be in the top three for my all time favorite bands and they should be in every rock or metalhead’s library.
Check out our blog for more reviews and click here to listen to our music.