Eddie Van Halen

Color image of Eddie Van Halen in shirt and jacket, with long hair. Image dates from 1993 by Alan Light, used under CC by 2.0 license from wikimedia.
Photo of Eddie Van Halen (1993) by Alan Light / CC BY (used under Creative Commons license) (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)

Eddie Van Halen was born in Amsterdam in 1955; his family left the Netherlands in 1962 and settled in Pasadena. Eddie grew up here, attended Pasadena High School and Pasadena City College, and launched his music career here with his brother, Alex. He is widely recognized as a virtuoso guitar player, one of the very best. A musician, singer and songwriter, his band Van Halen was iconic in rock and pop music in the 1980s and 90s. Van Halen was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2012. Eddie passed away yesterday from cancer, at the age of 65.

 

Van Halen on hoopla [streaming music]

Check out our collection of 19 Van Halen albums and recordings on hoopla with your Pasadena Public Library card, available streaming and on demand.

To use hoopla, first create an account with an email address and password, then select “Pasadena Public Library” and enter your library card number. Streaming music checks out for 7 days. Pasadena Public Library card holders can check out up to 6 items (any format) per calendar month.

The following items are available via curbside pickup service from Pasadena Public Library.

Black and white photograph of young Eddie Van Halen down on one knee, playing guitar, long hair, leather pants--book coverEddie Van Halen Photographs by Neil Zlozower; Foreward by Slash

Eddie Van Halen is one of the most revolutionary and influential players ever to pick up a guitar. His music, his technique, his passion, and amazing invention continue to energize fans and guitarists around the world. This book focuses on the innovative early years of the band Van Halen, when Eddie burst onto the scene and changed the face of electric guitar playing and melodic hard rock. More than 200 images of Eddie in action both classic and never before seen are complemented by text and testimony from some of the world s great guitarists, music writers, and many others.

Black and white photo of the band Van Halen: members with beer can, liquor bottle and instruments and instruments-book coverRunnin’ With the Devil: A Backstage Pass to the Wild Times, Loud Rock, and the Down and Dirty Truth Behind the Making of Van Halen by Noel E. Monk with Joe Layden

The rock-and-roll veteran best known for his work with the Sex Pistols and Van Halen shares behind-the-scenes, previously untold stories about David Lee Roth, Eddie Van Halen and the legendary band that strongly influenced 1980s rock music.

Color photo of Eddie Van Halen, shirtless and shredding on red and white guitar against a blue-green background--book coverGuitar Virtuosi : Includes 9 Classic Solo Guitar Instrumentals by Eddie Van Halen [Guitar TAB score]

Guitarist Eddie Van Halen is considered one of the finest players in the world, known for his great sound, blistering solos and top-notch technique. This book features nine of Eddie Van Halen’s classic guitar solo instrumentals. Presented in authentic guitar TAB, this book shows you how to play each guitar solo as Eddie Van Halen recorded them.

Photo of Michael Jackson half reclining in white sutie, holding a baby tiger with spotlight in the background--CD cover“Beat It” from Thriller by Michael Jackson [CD]

Eddie Van Halen was a guest performer on Jackson’s 1982 global hit album, which remains the best-selling album of all time. Eddie’s guitar solo on the track “Beat It” was a highlight, and along with the accompanying video, helped make  “Beat It” one of the most recognizable, successful and celebrated songs in pop music.