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The band that inspired Eddie Van Halen the most as a kid
Eddie Van Halen was one of the most influential guitarists of all time, and for many, the most important player since Jimi Hendrix. He sparked a true revolution in guitar technique and playing, inspiring a massive movement from the late ’70s through the ’80s. His impact is enduring, and he remains one of the greatest guitar heroes of all time.
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But, of course, he wasn’t born that way. As a young musician, he was inspired by other bands and musicians. He once revealed the band that inspired him most as a kid.
The band that inspired Eddie Van Halen the most as a kid
No, it wasn’t Hendrix, The Beatles or Led Zeppelin that inspired Eddie the most when he was a kid. It was actually the Dave Clark Five, famous British group that was active from 1958 to 1970. The group is famous for hits like “Glad All Over”, “Because”, “Glad All Over”, “Bits and Pieces” and “Catch Us If You Can”.
Eddie talked about them in an interview with Rolling Stone in 1995. “Alex and I went to the local theater to see A Hard Day’s Night, and the girls were screaming. Alex loved that. For me it was ‘Glad All Over.’ (Dave Clark Five song) To this day I listen to some of those old recordings, and they have a magic to them. They were badass. Every kid goes through the phase of building model cars and stuff.”
“I would take boxes and paper and make something like a snare drum, and I’d play along with the Dave Clark Five stuff. Around fourth grade my passion was drumming. I loved to beat on things. When I turned 12 or so, I got myself a paper route because my parents couldn’t afford to buy us anything, and I bought a drum kit,” Eddie Van Halen said.
The British band led by the drummer Dave Clark was crucial to inspire the Van Halen brothers to leave the classic piano lessons and learn to play the drums and guitar. The Hard Rock band could have never existed if it wasn’t for the Dave Clark Five.
They wanted to become rock stars after listening to “Glad All Over”
He recalled in an interview with Billboard (Transcribed by Rock and Roll Garage) in 2015 that it was right after listening to ‘Glad All Over’ that he and his brother decided to become Rock musicians.
“I really can’t think of one particular album that would inspire people. But I can tell you what inspired Alex, my brother and I because we were being trained to be classical pianists. Then we heard the Dave Clark Five. We heard ‘Glad All Over’ and immediately we said: ‘Okay, enough with the piano’ and then there was a fight over who got to play drums.
Eddie Van Halen first started playing the drums and his brother on guitar. But after a while they realized Eddie was a better guitar player and Alex a better drummer.
The Dave Clark Five was the second group of the British Invasion to appear on the Ed Sullivan Show in the USA after two weeks The Beatles were in the show. Although the original band ended in 1970, from 1970 to 1973 Dave Clark continued as Dave Clark & Friends. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2008 by Tom Hanks.
