Van Halen Biography
Van Halen
rock groupIn the early 1970s, in Pasadena, California, guitarist Eddie Van Halen and his brother Alex Van Halen, a drummer, formed the group Mammoth with vocalist David Lee Roth and bass player Michael Anthony. They changed their name to Van Halen, releasing their self-titled debut album in 1978. Other records include Diver Down (1982), 1984 (1984), which contained the number-one single “Jump,” 5150 (1986), their first number-one album, and Balance (1995). Roth was fired in 1986 and replaced by Sammy Hagar, who was in turn replaced by Gary Cherone in 1996.
Eddie Van Halen
(Edward Van Halen)guitarist
Born: 1/26/1955
Birthplace: Nijmegen, Netherlands
Eddie Van Halen moved to Pasadena in 1967. After Van Halen's debut album release in 1978, he was named as Best New Guitarist of The Year by Guitar Player magazine. He is married to actress Valerie Bertinelli.
Alex Van Halen
drummerBorn: 5/8/1953
Birthplace: Nijmegen, Netherlands
David Lee Roth
singerBorn: 10/10/1955
Birthplace: Bloomington, Indiana
One of the original members of Van Halen, Roth left the band in 1986 to pursue a solo career. He recorded two songs with Van Halen in 1996 but rumors of a permanent return were soon proven false.
Michael Anthony
bass playerBorn: 6/20/1955
Birthplace: Chicago
Sammy Hagar
singerBorn: 10/13/1947
Birthplace: Monterey, California
Hagar joined Van Halen as lead vocalist in 1986, replacing Roth. He had previously been lead vocalist for Montrose. He left Van Halen in 1996.
Gary Cherone
singerBorn: 7/26/1961
Birthplace: Malden, Massachusetts
Former lead singer of Extreme (1985–96), Cherone joined Van Halen in 1996 as lead vocalist.
Dick Van Dyke | U-V | Melvin Van Peebles |