Featured In
ALBUMRed Stars - SingleMoveek, Twisted Sister & Van Halen
Albums by Van Halen
ALBUMVan Halen IIIVan Halen
ALBUMBalanceVan Halen
ALBUMBalance (Vinyl Version Remastered)Van Halen
ALBUMFor Unlawful Carnal KnowledgeVan Halen
ALBUMOU812Van Halen
ALBUMOU812 (Vinyl Version Remastered)Van Halen
ALBUM5150Van Halen
ALBUM1984Van Halen
ALBUMDiver DownVan Halen
ALBUMFair WarningVan Halen
Van Halen's Popular Music Videos
Hot for Teacher
Van Halen
Panama
Van Halen
Runnin' with the Devil
Van Halen
Jamie's Cryin'
Van Halen
(Oh) Pretty Woman
Van Halen
Dance the Night Away (Live)
Van Halen
Humans Being (HD Remaster)
Van Halen
Dreams (Live at the Whisky a Go Go, West Hollywood, CA, 03/03/93) [Remastered]
Van Halen
Right Now (HD Remaster)
Van Halen
Can't Stop Lovin' You (Remastered)
Van Halen
Artist Playlists
Van Halen Essentials
Pop and metal cross paths with these hard-rocking legends.
Van Halen: Best of the Sammy Hagar Years
Don't deny your love for Van Hagar.
Van Halen: Best of David Lee Roth
Everybody loves Diamond Dave.
Van Halen: Influences
The guitar heroes who kicked these legendary hard rockers into action.
Van Halen: Deep Cuts
The band's legacy rests upon Eddie's shredding hard rock.
Inspired by Van Halen
All kinds of metalheads worship these legends.
Artist Biography
In the late ’70s, hard rock was largely the domain of leather-clad metal aficionados and gruff growlers—until Van Halen came along to crash the party. Guitarist Eddie Van Halen and his drummer brother, Alex, initially started playing music together in the mid-’60s and graduated from gigs at backyard parties to shows in Hollywood, which led to a record deal and the band’s 1978 self-titled debut. Eddie wielded virtuosic guitar technique (the use of finger-tapping on the instrumental “Eruption”) and a melodic, fluid playing style (“Runnin’ with the Devil,” the riff-heavy “Ain’t Talkin’ ’Bout Love”) that complemented the vocal razzmatazz offered by the band’s frontman: David Lee Roth. Diamond Dave’s over-the-top stage demeanor and vocal calisthenics gave the band a theatrical edge—later abetted by playful videos—that revolutionized rock well into the ’80s. The original lineup’s popularity peaked with the keyboard-iced 1984 No. 1 hit “Jump” and the rock blockbuster 1984; Roth parted ways with the group soon after for a solo career. Former Montrose frontman Sammy Hagar stepped in and immediately guided Van Halen to four No. 1 albums in a row, starting with 1986’s 5150. After his successful commercial run, Hagar ceded the vocalist position to Extreme’s Gary Cherone in the late ’90s, but Roth eventually returned to the fold—leading to Van Halen releasing the well-received A Different Kind of Truth in 2012 and embarking on several major tours. Eddie Van Halen died in 2020 after a battle with cancer.
Hometown
Pasadena, CA, United States
Genre
Hard Rock