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Together, with Arcadia resident Michael Anthony, they formed the group Van Halen and began playing local venues from outdoor parties to the Civic Auditorium. The two Van Halen children, Eddie and Alex, attended Hamilton Elementary School where they performed for the first time in a student band called the Broken Combs - and held down a paper route for the Pasadena Star-News.īy the early 1970s, the Van Halen boys attended Pasadena City College where, in a scoring and arranging class, they met future Van Halen front man David Lee Roth, who had once attended John Muir High School. The Van Halen family emigrated from the Netherlands to Pasadena in 1962 and settled in a house on Las Lunas Street. The group played backyard parties in the area for hard rock-loving teens in the early 1970s before climbing to international fame. It was at Pasadena City College that the beginnings of the band that would be known as Van Halen can be traced.
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6, 2020, at age 65, attended school in Pasadena with his drums-playing older brother, Alex. Thank you to everyone!”Įddie Van Halen, who died from throat cancer Oct. And the community support and initiative to make this happen is inspiring. “It’s not just the history of Eddie as a guitar legend, but also the challenges he faced growing up mixed race in Pasadena, which always spoke to me. “This event brings together history and community to celebrate a world-renowned artist,” said Williams. Pasadena Councilman Andy Wilson sporting a Van Halen logo shirt. Wilson sported a Van Halen logo shirt in honor of the occasion and Gordo spoke of the musician’s connection with Pasadena. Pasadena Mayor Victor Gordo helped unveil the plaque along with Councilmembers Tyrone Hampton, Andy Wilson, Gene Masuda and Felicia Williams. Apparently, a local newspaper didn’t honor a request Derderian’s request to not promote the event ahead of the scheduled unveiling. Some unexpected pre-publicity left authorities to quell the throngs of Van Halen fans who wanted to see the unveiling at what was to be a quiet, private event. Randa Schmalfeld - who helped organize Pasadena4VanHalen, a campaign to raise funds for the plaque, alongside Julie Kimber - was also on hand for the event. City spokeswoman Lisa Derderian said Eddie Van Halen’s relatives weren’t able to attend, but they endorsed its installation. outside the hall where the band played at least 14 times before achieving worldwide stardom.
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One year after the legendary guitarist’s death, the city of Pasadena unveiled a plaque Monday in honor of Eddie Van Halen at the Civic Auditorium, where the then-fledgling musician and his band performed more than a dozen shows before becoming global icons.Ī small group of people, most of which were city employees and media, attended the private event at 10 a.m.