He was born in 1955 in Amsterdam, and only moved to the United States a few years later, in 1962, with his parents and with virtually no knowledge of the language. His father was also a musician. He infected not only Eddie with his passion, but also his brother Alex, who is two years his senior. Both were later founders of the Van Halen group. Eddie chose his guitar and Alex took the drums. From 2006, his son also played in the band. Wolfgang. Yes, his name is a tribute to Mozart.
Thanks to his father, who was a musician, Edward learned to play the piano from an early age. Although his guitar virtuosity will be the most remembered, the greatest hit of the Van Halen group, “Jump”, with such a characteristic introduction … he wrote on the keyboards.
It is none other than Eddie Van Halen who played a guitar solo in the hit of the king of pop, “Beat it”. This is a song from one of the most important and multi-platinum Michael Jackson albums. It was close, and this cooperation would not take place. Van Halen received an offer to record the part from the record producer, Quincy Jones, and initially took it as a joke. In the end, they managed to convince him that it was a serious proposition. Moreover, he did not take a dollar for the recording of this guitar solo.
The dispute over who actually invented this guitar playing technique has been going on for years and will not end soon with an unequivocal verdict. But one thing is certain – it was Eddie Van Halen who popularized this way of playing the guitar and it was he who brought up next generations of guitarists playing this way. What does he look like? It is better not to describe, but to see and listen to it, especially on an example like one of his most famous pieces, ie “Eruption”.
The reference in the name of his most famous guitar to the figure of Frankenstein is of course not accidental. Because his instrument was made of many different parts, all to combine the best features of the iconic guitars, i.e. the FenderStratocaster, and the Gibson construction, such as the ES-335. Over the years, it has undergone further changes and modifications. This is how an extremely distinctive instrument was created that almost every guitarist will recognize at first glance. Years later, Van Halen also created new lines of instruments, amplifiers and guitar effects signed with his name.
Eddie Van Halen has authored several patents. One of them is a special support, which facilitated playing the guitar using the tapping technique. The application, which he filed with the US patent office, is available to everyone.
In 1997, the British band Apollo 440, which plays electronic music, released the single “Ain’t Talkin ” bout Dub”. Van Halen fans will immediately recognize the passage that opens this song. Yes, it’s the guitar riff from “Ain’t Talkin ” bout Love” that saw the light of day in 1978.
He had been battling a throat cancer for years, which was a mystery for some time. However, he did not hide his previous problems – with alcohol and drugs. He himself admitted that he used cigarettes and alcohol as a teenager and these drugs accompanied him for most of his adult life.
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