Eddie Van Halen, the famous songwriter and lead guitarist of the American rock band Van Halen, died on October 6, 2020, after his long battle with cancer. He had co-founded Van Helen in 1972 with his brother, drummer Alex Van Halen, bassist Mark Stone, and singer David Lee Roth.
He was born in the Netherlands in 1955, into a musical family. His father was a professional saxophone and clarinet player who ensured Van Halen and his older brother, Alex, started piano lessons from a young age. In 1972, while still in high school, the Halen brothers formed the band Mammoth.
One of the most influential guitarists of the modern age, Van Halen was known for his mastery of the two-handed tapping technique and for bringing the virtuosic rock guitar solo back into the popular music mainstream in the late 70s and 80s. His talent was not simply in his musical virtuosity, but in his innovation: creating a brand-new sound for rock music, and also in the design of the guitar itself.
Van Halen was always modifying his guitars. He created his ‘Frankenstein guitar’ in 1974, when he fused the neck and humbucker pickup from a Gibson guitar on to a Fender Stratocaster body. He added the stripes that became his signature. He kept designing new instruments throughout his career, collaborating with makers such as Music Man, Charvel, and Fender.
But Van Halen continued to seek new means of musical expression, and on Van Halen II (1979), he adapted his virtuosic approach to the acoustic guitar.
‘Spanish Fly’ is a great example of his drive to innovate and adapt as a musician.
The brown sound
Van Halen’s sound was loud and distorted but also clear and focused. Often referred to as the ‘brown’ sound for its feeling of organic warmth, this sound has gone on to inspire generations of guitarists.
From 1978 to 1998, the band released 11 studio albums. But the searing lead break on Michael Jackson’s ‘Beat It’ (1983) brought Van Halen to global attention.
Achievements
The song ‘Jump’ was Van Halen’s first and only number-one pop hit, earning a Grammy nomination as well. Van Halen won the 1992 Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance with Vocals for the album For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. More than 75 million albums of Van Halen have been sold so far.
In 2012, Eddie Van Halen was voted No. 1 in the reader’s poll of the Guitar World magazine for ‘The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time’.
Eddie Van Halen’s instrumental solo ‘Eruption’ in 1978 is also one of his popular chartbusters.
Personal life
Van Halen struggled with drug abuse and a heavy drinking habit. This was the reason behind his divorce from TV actress Valerie Bertinelli after 16 years of marriage in 2007. His son, Wolfgang Van Halen, from his first wife Valerie, is a musician and the bassist for Van Halen. At 29 years old, he is currently the youngest member of Van Halen.
In 2008, Eddie proposed to his girlfriend, actress Janie Liszewski, and married her in 2009. His ex-wife Valerie Bertinelli also attended the wedding.
Courtesy: India Today, Oct 7, 2020; Scroll.in, Oct 7, 2020