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From the moment their hugely influential 1978 debut landed, Van Halen set a high bar for the rock 'n' roll lifestyle, creating an entirely new style of post-'60s hard rock becoming the quintessential Californian band of the 1980s.
About the author
Paul Brannigan debuted on the Sunday Times bestseller list with his first book, 2011's This Is A Call: The Life and Times of Dave Grohl. Co-author, alongside Ian Winwood, of the two volume Metallica biography Birth School Metallica Death (2013) / Into The Black (2014), Brannigan is a former editor of Kerrang! and Planet Rock, and a contributor to MOJO and Classic Rock. He lives in London.
Summary
To mark the first anniversary of Eddie Van Halen's early death comes this new, full-length biography.
'The game changing guitar legend gets the biography he deserves ... Diligently researched, perceptive and well-written.' 8/10, Classic Rock
'An affectionate and unflinching portrait of metal guitar's Mount Everest.' Mojo
Arriving in California as a young boy in the early 1960s, Edward Van Halen and his brother Alex were ripe for the coming musical revolution. The sons of a Dutch, saxophone-playing father, the brothers discovered the Beatles, Cream and others.
From the moment their hugely influential 1978 debut landed, Van Halen set a high bar for the rock 'n' roll lifestyle, creating an entirely new style of post-'60s hard rock and becoming the quintessential Californian band of the 1980s. But there was also an undercurrent of tragedy to their story, as Eddie's struggles played out in public, from his difficult relationship with the band's original singer, Dave Lee Roth, to substance abuse, divorce and his long-running battle with cancer.
Foreword
To mark the one-year anniversary of Eddie Van Halen's early death comes his first full-length biography - a searching, affectionate and in-depth look at the life and legends of this true musical virtuoso.
