Eddie Van Halen’s Birthday – January 26, 1955
 Posted
1/26/2013 12:00:00 AM
Eddie Van Halen’s Birthday – January 26, 1955
Conversation starters
- Happy Birthday to Eddie Van Halen! In honor of him, give us your favorite Van Halen song!
- Eddie Van Halen celebrates his 58th birthday today! Eddie was voted the best guitarist of all time by Guitar World last year! Do you agree?
- Happy Birthday to Eddie Van Halen! Eddie called one of his guitars ‘Frankenstrat.’ Do you have a special name for your guitar?
Fast Facts
- Born as Edward Lodewijk Van Halen on January 26, 1955 in the Netherlands
- His middle name, Lodewijk, was derived from famous composer Ludwig van Beethoven
- Eddie and his family moved to the United States in 1962, settling down in Pasadena, CA
- Eddie and his brother Alex were trained in classical piano from an early age, though Eddie has admitted he never could read music
- The Van Halen brothers first started out on opposite instruments, with Eddie playing drums and Alex playing guitar; when it became clear Alex had a natural talent for drums, they switched
- Eddie and Alex’s first band, The Broken Combs, was started when they were in elementary school
- The brothers started a band called Genesis, and then changed Mammoth, before changing it again to Van Halen, under David Lee Roth’s suggestion
- The group was discovered by Gene Simmons, who financed their first recording session in 1977
- Van Halen released their debut, self-titled album in 1978; they would go on to become one of the biggest rock band ever and have released 12 studio albums overall
- Eddie’s “Eruption” solo was actually a mistake…that happened to be inadvertently recorded by a sound engineer in the studio
- He has his own line of guitars and a studio in his backyard called 5150 Studios; it is named after the California Welfare & Institutions’ code "5150", the police radio code for insane
- Every album from 1984 onward was recorded at least in part at Eddie’s 5150 Studios
- He has collaborated with other artist such as Queen’s Brian May and Roger Waters
- Eddie contributed to Michael Jackson’s 1983 hit “Beat It” with an uncredited guitar solo
- Eddie wrote “Dreams” which is featured in “Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers: The Movie”
- Eddie’s son, Wolfgang, replaced Michael Anthony as the band’s bassist in 2006 at the age of 16.The band actually installed a study room on its tour bus so he had sufficient space to work with a tutor
- A 2012 Guitar World magazine declared Eddie Van Halen the “Greatest Guitarist of All-Time”
Personal Info
- He is part Indonesian on his mother’s side
- Eddie and Alex’s musical talent probably came from his father who was a renowned professional clarinet/saxophone player in his own right
- Eddie married actress Valerie Bertinelli in 1981 and they had son Wolfgang Van Halen in 1991; they separated in 2002 and divorced in 2007
- Eddie married girlfriend Janie Liszewski in 2009
- Eddie has suffered from alcohol addiction, and sought treatment for it in the 90s
- In 2012, Eddie suffered a severe bout of diverticulitis; an inflaming of the intestines. It caused Van Halen to cancel the majority of their reunion tour with David Lee Roth
Discography
- Van Halen – (1978) – 10X Platinum
- Van Halen II – (1979) – 5X Platinum
- Women and Children First – (1980) – 3X Platinum
- Fair Warning – (1981) – 2X Platinum
- Diver Down – (1982) – 4X Platinum
- 1984 – (1984) – 10X Platinum
- 5150 – (1986) – 6x Platinum
- OU812 – (1988) – 3X Platinum
- For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge – (1991) – 3X Platinum
- Balance – (1995) – 3X Platinum
- Van Halen III (1998) – Gold
- Different Kind of Truth (2012)
Billboard Hot 100 (Songs in the 15):
- 2/1984 “Jump” – Peak #1
- 5/1986 “Why Can’t This Be Love” – Peak #3
- 9/1988 “When It’s Love” – Peak #5
- 8/1984 “Panama” – Peak #13
- 12/1988 “Finish What Ya Started” – Peak #13
- 7/1979 “Dance The Night Away” – Peak #15
Billboard Top 200 Chart History (Albums in the Top 5):
- 5150 – Peak #1
- For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge – Peak #1
- Best Of, Volume 1 – Peak #1
- OU812 – Peak #1
- Balance – Peak #1
- 1984 – Peak #2
- A Different Kind of Truth – Peak #2
- The Best of Both Worlds” – Peak #3
- Van Halen III – Peak #4
- Live Without A Net – Peak #5
Videos
Links
Sources
Ultimate Classic Rock posts the top 10 Eddie Van Halen guitar solos
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