Alex Van Halen
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Alexander Arthur Van Halen (born May 8, 1953) is the brother of Edward Van Halen and is the drummer and founding member of the hard rock band Van Halen. He was born in Amsterdam, Netherlands to Jan and Eugenia van Halen. The family moved from the Netherlands to Pasadena, California in 1962.
Both Van Halen brothers were trained as classical pianists in their childhood. Although Alex is known as a professional drummer, he began his Rock and Roll aspirations as a guitarist and his brother Ed was the percussionist. According to Van Halen lore, while Eddie was delivering newspapers to pay for his drum kit, Alex would practice playing on them. It was when Eddie heard Alex's mastery of the Surfaris drum solo in the song Wipe Out that Eddie decided to switch and begin learning to play the electric guitar.
Alex graduated from Pasadena High School in 1971. Afterward, he attended Pasadena City College for a brief period of time taking classes in music theory, scoring and arranging. Occasionally, he would pass by Michael Anthony in the hall—the bassist who would eventually become the third pillar of the future band Van Halen.
Some of Al's early bands, all of which included Eddie, were: The Broken Combs (who performed lunchtime concerts at Hamilton Elementary School and featured Alex on saxophone), The Trojan Rubber Company, Genesis, and The Space Brothers. Among his musical influences are Buddy Rich, Keith Moon, John Bonham and Ginger Baker.
In 1972, Mammoth was formed and featured Alex on drums, Edward on lead vocals and guitar and Mark Stone on bass. By 1974, Mammoth had a new line-up. Stone had been replaced by Michael Anthony and David Lee Roth had taken over as the lead vocalist. Because of conflicts with another band by the same name, Mammoth changed their name to Van Halen and a legend was born. The quartet paid their dues on the Southern California club circuit: Gazzari's (the first club to give them a break), the Starwood, the Whisky a GoGo, or Walter Mitty's Rock & Roll Emporium. Within a few years, Van Halen was a club scene favorite. In addition to his musical duties, Al was busy handling managerial duties, booking gigs, etc. for the band. In 1978, the Rock and Roll epic album Van Halen Van Halen was released to much fanfare and the rest is history.
Alex's powerful and dynamic drumming style and voice are as unique and instantly recognizable as Edward's guitar sound. Alex has been the recipient of innumerable accolades and awards and is recognized by his peers and fans as one of the eminent percussionists in Rock and Roll. The term "brown sound," which is universally linked with Edward's tone was actually coined by Alex and refers to the warmth of his own snare drum sound. A self described "musician" who eschews his Rock and Roll persona, Alex works dilligently to create a very balanced accompaniment for each song. However, never underestimate Alex at a live show; he is always the entertainer and aims to please the audience whether it is with his aggressive drum solos or stage pyrotechnics.
Finally, the only non–Van Halen example of Alex's musicianship can be found on the soundtrack to the movie "Twister". The instrumental Respect the Wind features Alex on keyboards (with Edward on guitar) and demonstrates this musician's remarkable versatility.de:Alex Van Halen
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