Van Halen is an American hard rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1972. From 1974 until 1985 the band was composed of virtuoso guitarist Eddie Van Halen, vocalist David Lee Roth, drummer Alex Van Halen and bassist Michael Anthony. This line-up was changed when David Lee Roth was replaced as vocalist by Sammy Hagar. Critics and fans alike consider its 1978 debut album,
Van Halen one of the most "original and revolutionary albums to change rock and roll." The band went on to further success, and by the early 1980s they were one of the most successful rock acts of the time.
1984, released in the same year as the name of the album, was their most successful. With the lead single, "Jump", becoming an international hit, and their only single to reach number one on the Hot 100, and the following singles, "Panama" and "I'll Wait", both hitting number 13 on the US charts. The album went on to sell over 12 million copies in the US alone. In 1985, the band replaced current lead singer David Lee Roth with ex-Montrose lead vocalist, Sammy Hagar. Under Sammy Hagar, the group released four US number one albums, before Hagar left the band in 1996. Gary Cherone was soon hired as lead singer, and
Van Halen III was released in 1998, before Cherone was fired due to the commercial failure of the album. Between 2003 and 2005, Van Halen reunited with Hagar for a worldwide tour. In 2006, David Lee Roth returned as lead vocalist for their highest ever grossing tour, and one of the highest grossing tours of that year. In 2012, the band released the commercially and critically successful,
A Different Kind of Truth, with Roth as lead vocalist. According to the Recording Industry Association of America, Van Halen is the 19th best-selling band/artist in United States history, selling 56 million albums in the U.S. and 75 million albums worldwide. They were also revealed at number 4 on the Billboard's top money makers list in 2013. Van Halen is one of only five rock bands that have had two studio albums sell more than 10 million copies in the U.S. Additionally, Van Halen charted the most #1 hits in the history of
Billboard's Mainstream Rock.
Van Halen achieved worldwide fame for their many popular songs and larger-than-life stage performances; unfortunately, they also became known for the drama surrounding the departures of former members. Controversy surrounded the band following the exits of three former frontmen David Lee Roth, Sammy Hagar and Gary Cherone; this controversy often included numerous conflicting press statements between the former singers and the band. On March 12, 2007, Van Halen were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The band won a grammy award for 'Best Hard Rock Performance' in 1992 for their studio album
For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge, released the previous year. They have also been nominated for grammy awards on four other occasions, have won numerous MTV Video music Awards and won an American Music Award, being nominated for several others. VH1 ranked them 7th on their list of the top 100 hard rock artists of all time. Their debut album was placed at 415 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of 'The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time', and
1984 at number 81 on their list of the '100 Best Albums of the Eighties'.
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