(h/t Wikipedia Commons for the Eddie Van Halen photo. Eddie was at the New Haven, CT Coliseum)
Good evening, Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) sports fans.
366 days ago (to be fully accurate), Eddie Van Halen, one of the most amazing musicians to ever grace this earth, lost his battle with with lung cancer. The final cause of death appears to be a stroke.
As a guitarist, Eddie influenced generation after generation. His impact was absolutely immeasurable. Here’s a few clips with Eddie at his best:
Lots of high praise for Eddie from fellow guitar god, Joe Satriani:
“Eddie put the smile back in rock guitar at a time when it was all getting a bit broody,” his fellow guitar ace Joe Satriani told Billboard magazine in 2015. “He also scared the hell out of a million guitarists because he was so damn good.”
Those are kind words from one of the more amazing shredders on the planet.
Van Halen was rocking the world – like ten times over:
Formed in 1972, Van Halen went on to sell more than 56 million albums in the United States alone. Ten of the band’s studio albums (some of which were cut with Sammy Hagar as lead singer during a long split with Mr. Roth) went multiplatinum. One sold more than six million copies (“5150” in 1986, featuring Mr. Hagar); another sold five million (“Van Halen II” in 1979); and two passed the 10 million mark to achieve “diamond” status (the band’s debut, “Van Halen,” in 1978, and “1984,” issued the year in the title).
Eleven of the band’s studio albums reached the Top Five, and four snagged the top spot on Billboard’s Top 200. Van Halen amassed eight Billboard Top 20 singles, including its cover of Roy Orbison’s “(Oh) Pretty Woman,” which reached No. 12 in 1982, and “Jump,” which seized the No. 1 spot in 1984 and held it for five weeks. In 2007, the band — including both Mr. Roth and Mr. Hagar — was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
That is a hell of a career – and I could talk for days about all the musicians Eddie influenced.
Rest in Peace, Eddie. We miss you!
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