Genres: Hard Rock

After forming several bands in high school, the Van Halen brothers met David Lee Roth, the lead singer of another local band. He was charismatic, fun, and an excellent vocalist and showman. Fronting for another local band was bass player Michael Anthony, who was invited to join Van Halen after opening up for them. In 1974, Van Halen officially formed. They gigged the volatile L.A. rock and roll club circuit, playing rock and roll standards, disco, and eventually began working in some of their own songs. And, when the rest of their classmates were leaving for college, the band of Van Halen were working on original material and gigging in clubs around L.A., Pasadena and other major California cities. Eddie Van Halen's unique guitar technique caught the eye of rock and roll giant Gene Simmons, who financed a demo recording session and made a strong recommendation to Ted Templeton to go check the band out live. And he did just that. Van Halen were playing a club one night when Ted Templeton and Mo Austin came in to check them out. They were signed immediately and put in a recording studio. Within a couple of weeks, they had enought material for their first album and then some. The year-long tour that followed barely put a dent in the energy level Van Halen was working at. At the end of the tour, they immediately went back into the studio to produce Van Halen II, which was also followed by an immense world tour. The original lineup of Van Halen stayed together until 1985, putting out such ground-breaking records as Diver Down and 1984. To many fans' dismay, Van Halen and David Lee Roth had a breakdown in communication and Roth left for a solo career. He was immediately replaced by Sammy Hagar, vocal superstar for the defunct Montrose. Hagar managed to hang in there longer than Roth, and Van Hagar enjoyed many chart-topping albums, such as 5150, named for Eddie Van Halen's Peavey amplifier, and OU812. Once again, however, communication was lost between party animal Sammy Hagar, and recently rehabbed Eddie Van Halen, and Hagar was let go. David Lee Roth was brought back on for a couple of singles on 1998's greatest hits compilation, and, for a moment, the world thought that there was going to be a reunion tour. But, in a publicity stunt that backfired, Roth was told that he was only hired to do the two songs that had appeared on the comp album, and there would be no reunion. Van Halen fans didn't react well to this, and seemed to hold it against Eddie Van Halen as they moved on to lead singer #3, Gary Cherone of the early 90's sensation, Extreme. While Cherone's vocals were excellent on the new album, entitled appropriately Van Halen III, the mix was terrible, and fans had mixed reactions as well. Recently, Eddie Van Halen had a part of his tongue removed in a surgery to remove a cancerous growth, so it is questionable whether there will be another album by the phenomenal band.