Shortly before his death, the late, great Ronnie Montrose contributed to the upcoming hardcover photo book, Eddie Van Halen, by Neil Zlozower.
The Van Halen News Desk has the exclusive on the guitarist’s story of meeting Eddie Van Halen:
“The first tour I did with Van Halen, the bill was Journey, Ronnie Montrose, and Van Halen was opening. I was doing my instrumental music on that tour. Van Halen was a young, loud, and brash band, and I liked them. Eddie came up to me backstage at sound check and he called me Mr. Montrose. He shyly shook my hand and said, “Mr. Montrose, I’m Edward Van Halen, and I’m a big fan. We told Ted Templeman to get the Montrose sound when we did our record.” He also told me they used to play “Dancin’ Feet” from one of the Montrose albums at their yard parties in Pasadena.
“I really enjoyed Eddie’s playing. What made Eddie special was his youthful irreverence for the rules. That’s what impressed me. He’d developed his own style. I think Eddie started out on drums first, and there’s a very percussive nature about the way he plays. He plays very metered and percussive, and he’s very fluid in that style.”
-Ronnie Montrose
Legendary rock photographer Neil Zlozower’s second Van Halen hardcover coffee table photo book, Eddie Van Halen, is back in stock at Van Halen Store. It’s the definitive visual history of early Eddie Van Halen – jam packed with classic and never before published photos! A MUST HAVE for Van Halen fans and guitarists alike. Van Halen Store is the exclusive retailer of autographed copies, signed by the author himself, at no additional charge. Order now!