Legendary Bands - Van Halen Posters

If Van Halen stays on top with new vocalist Gary Cherone (formerly of Extreme), they'll be the first rockers in history to change singers three times and maintain mega-band status. This is highly likely given the band's continued knack for writing hit singles and mounting world-wide sold-out tours.

Brothers Alex and Edward Van Halen moved to the U.S. from the Netherlands in '67; there, father was a semi-pro woodwind player. Both were schooled on classical piano, but got the rock bug in America. At first, Alex played guitar and Eddie drums, but they hit a stride upon trading instruments. They formed Mammoth and were joined by outgoing singer David Lee Roth and bassist Michael Anthony. Soon, they changed their name to Van Halen because, as Roth claimed, "it sounded heavy like a German tank."

By '76 they were a popular Southern California bar band. Kiss's Gene Simmons backed a demo tape and with the help of his recommendation, they were signed to Warners. Their debut took off immediately thanks to a huge sound, Roth's outrageous personality and vocal style and the brothers' considerable virtuosity. It's no exaggeration to cite Eddie as the most imitated guitarist of his generation. Eddie also became a tabloid fixture upon marrying TV star Valerie Bertinelli in '81. The hits kept coming: Their sixth LP, 1984, hit No. 2 in the Billboard charts with four hit singles, yet it was the last with Roth, who began a solo career. The band successfully carried on with vocalist Sammy Hagar, releasing five straight multi-platinum records.

In '96, Hagar was ousted from the band and feuding became public. Roth reunited for an MTV awards show, but the band booted him quickly claiming irreconcilable differences. The news of Cherone joining as vocalist was announced within days, but have yet to produce any released music.