Van Halen was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1973. Credited with restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene, Van Halen was known for their energetic live performances and for the virtuosity of its guitarist, Eddie Van Halen. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.
Dio was an American heavy metal band formed in 1982 and led by vocalist Ronnie James Dio. Dio left Black Sabbath with intentions to form a new band with fellow former Black Sabbath drummer Vinny Appice. The name Dio was chosen because it made sense from a commercial standpoint, as the name was already well known at that time.
Van Halen is the debut studio album by American rock band Van Halen, released on February 10, 1978, by Warner Bros. It is widely regarded as one of the greatest debut albums in rock and was a major commercial success. The album peaked at number 19 on the US Billboard 200 and has sold more than 10 million copies in the United States, receiving a Diamond certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and making it one of the best-selling albums in the country.
Van Halen II is the second studio album by American rock band Van Halen. Released on March 23, 1979, it peaked at number six on the Billboard 200 and spawned the singles "Dance the Night Away" and "Beautiful Girls". As of 2004, it has sold almost six million copies in the United States. Critical reaction to the album has been positive as well, with The Rolling Stone Album Guide praising the "feel-good, party atmosphere" of the songs.
Women and Children First is the third studio album by American rock band Van Halen, released on March 26, 1980, on Warner Bros. Records. Produced by Ted Templeman and engineered by Donn Landee, it was the first Van Halen album not to feature any cover songs, and is described by critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine as "[the] record where the group started to get heavier, both sonically and, to a lesser extent, thematically."
Diver Down is the fifth studio album by American rock band Van Halen, released on April 19, 1982. It spent 65 weeks on the album chart in the United States and had, by 1998, sold four million copies in the United States.
For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge is the ninth studio album by American rock band Van Halen. It was released on June 17, 1991, on Warner Bros. Records and is the third to feature vocalist Sammy Hagar. It debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart and maintained the position for three consecutive weeks. The album marked a record in the band's history, seeing seven of its eleven tracks released as singles.
1984 is the sixth studio album by American rock band Van Halen, released on January 9, 1984. It was the last Van Halen studio album until A Different Kind of Truth (2012) to feature lead singer David Lee Roth, who left the band in 1985 following creative differences. This is the final full-length album to feature all four original members, although they reunited briefly in 2000 to start work on what would much later become 2012's A Different Kind of Truth. Roth returned in 2007, but Eddie's son Wolfgang replaced Anthony in 2006. 1984 and Van Halen's debut are Van Halen's bestselling albums, each having sold more than 10 million copies.
Vincent Samson Appice is an American rock and metal drummer best known for his work with the bands Dio, Black Sabbath, and Heaven & Hell. Of Italian descent, he is the younger brother of drummer Carmine Appice.
"Eruption" is a guitar solo performed by Eddie Van Halen and the second track from Van Halen's self-titled 1978 debut album. It is widely considered to be the greatest guitar solo of all time, having popularized tapping. It segues into a cover of the Kinks' "You Really Got Me", and the two songs are usually played together by radio stations and in concert. The song was later included as the B-side to the group's second single, "Runnin' with the Devil".
Thomas "Craig" Goldy is an American musician, best known as the guitarist of the rock bands Dio and Giuffria.
Angry Machines is the seventh studio album by American heavy metal band Dio. It was released first in Japan on September 23, 1996, by Mercury Records with 11 tracks and in the U.S. on October 15, 1996, on Mayhem Records but with only 10 tracks. It was the last studio album to feature original drummer Vinny Appice. The album was not commercially successful and vastly underperformed compared to earlier Dio albums.
"Everybody Wants Some!!" is a song by the American hard rock band Van Halen it is the second track off their 1980 album Women and Children First. It is one of the band's most popular songs, starting as a concert highlight throughout the band's early career.
"Jamie's Cryin'" is a song written by the band Van Halen that was first released on the band's 1978 debut album. It was subsequently released as the third single from the album but did not chart. It has also been released on a Van Halen compilation album and was sampled for Tone Loc's 1988 song "Wild Thing".
The For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge Tour was a concert tour by American rock band Van Halen in support of their studio album For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge. It was one of the band's longer tours, divided into 99 dates. It featured shows in Hawaii and Mexico, places Van Halen rarely played in their history.
Edward Lodewijk Van Halen was an American musician. He was the guitarist, keyboardist, backing vocalist, and primary songwriter of the rock band Van Halen, which he founded with his brother Alex in 1972.
The San Gabriel Valley encompasses a large part in the Northeast region of the Greater Los Angeles area. This region played a major role in the music of Los Angeles, and California. The San Gabriel Valley remains home to several influential performing groups, such as, Van Halen and the Pasadena Symphony Orchestra.
Stormer was an American Hard Rock band that was popular in the 1970s and 80s whose members were Tim Gaines, Donny Simmons, Tom Hardy, Steve Hall, Stephen Shawn, Jeremy Masana, Jimmy Bates and Randy Jones.
Donny Simmons is an American guitarist. He is mostly known for being the guitarist of both bands Stormer and Yankee Rose, bands that were popular in Los Angeles, sharing the stage with Ratt, Quiet Riot, Mötley Crüe, Metallica and Van Halen. Simmons has also been cited as a major influence to Tracy G, the guitarist from Dio. Recently, he has been interviewed for Greg Renoff's popular book, Van Halen Rising.
