Biography of Van Halen

Van Halen was one of the most popular American hard rock/heavy metal bands to emerge in the '70s, primarily distinguished by the fleet fingers of guitarist Eddie Van Halen. Actually, Eddie and his brother Alex, who played the drums, were born in the Netherlands, though they moved to California as children, as did bassist Michael Anthony and singer David Lee Roth. They formed the group in Pasadena in 1974 and worked their way up the Southern California club circuit, signing with Warner Brothers in 1977. Their debut album, Van Halen, released in 1978, went gold in three months, platinum in eight. Every album since has sold at least a million copies.The group hit a popular peak in 1984 with 1984, which sold four million copies in its first year of release, and its #1 single, "Jump," after which Roth left the band for a solo career. He was replaced by Sammy Hagar, and the success has continued, with four successive chart-topping albums to date. ~ William Ruhlmann