Rock N’ Roll has seen the history of Van Halen and the never-ending lineup changes, except for the two brothers, of course, Eddie and Alex Van Halen.
Here’s our look at the History Of Van Halen Line Up Changes:
Alex Van Halen / Eddie Van Halen / Mark Stone / David Lee Roth In 1974
Before they called themselves the Van Halen, they were Mammoth — but when David Lee Roth joined the lineup they changed their name to Van Halen but bassist Mike Stone didn’t last long.
Alex Van Halen / Eddie Van Halen / David Lee Roth / Michael Anthony In 1974-85
When Mike Stone left the group shortly after Roth joined them, Michael Anthony stepped in and took the bass. With Michael Anthony, Van Halen released their 1978 self-titled debut, Van Halen and several albums between ’78-’84.
Alex Van Halen / Eddie Van Halen / Michael Anthony / Sammy Hagar In 1985-96
When Roth decided to leave the group in 1985, Van Halen was put into a difficult task. Replacing Roth was something they never anticipated, but Sammy Hagar saved the day when Eddie offered him the position.
Alex Van Halen / Eddie Van Halen / Michael Anthony / Mitch Malloy In 1996
After 11 years with Van Halen, Roth decided that he was done with Van Halen, then goes Mitch Malloy who idolizes Hagar, and followed in his footsteps — from a solo artist to becoming the lead singer for VH replacing Hagar, but he didn’t last, of course.
Alex Van Halen / Eddie Van Halen / Michael Anthony / David Lee Roth In 1996
When Hagar left the group, or maybe was fired — he opened a door for a brief reunion for VH with Roth. But, that didn’t last long as they only managed to release a pair of new songs on 1996’s ‘Best of Volume I with Roth.
Alex Van Halen / Eddie Van Halen / Michael Anthony / Gary Cherone In 1997-99
Gary Cherone, Extreme’s former vocalist took the mic stand from Roth. With Cherone, they released ‘Without You,’ the lead single from his only album with the band, 1998’s ‘Van Halen III.
Alex Van Halen / Eddie Van Halen / Michael Anthony / Sammy Hagar In 2004
Given the issues, and conflicts between Sammy and VH – they managed to cope up and deal with there problems; hence Sammy returned in 2004 for a pair of new songs and a tour.
Alex Van Halen / Eddie Van Halen / Wolfgang Van Halen / David Lee Roth In 2007-Present
Finally, after a three-year hiatus from the public eye — Van Halen returned to the studio with Roth and released their 12th studio LP, ‘A Different Kind of Truth,’ in February 2012 with a special replacement for Michael Anthony; Eddie’s son Wolfgang.