I am a guitarist.

Exceedingly few people ever innovate to the point that the instrument itself is changed permanently.

This Dutch kid from California did so. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sI7XiJgt0vY">https://www.youtube.com/watch...

As with players like Charlie Christian, Django Reinhardt, James Burton, Wes Montgomery, and Jimi Hendrix before him, NOBODY COULD MAKE A GUITAR SOUND LIKE THIS BEFORE EDDIE VAN HALEN.

And after - *everybody* tried. ">https://youtu.be/6M4_Ommfv...

I think one of my favorite videos is of the brothers van Halen interviewed in their native Dutch language. So interesting that these cosmopolitan guys became quintessentially Californian - and legendarily American. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vg9WFskPV4Y">https://www.youtube.com/watch...

Man, since so many people are vibing on the van Halen family history, you gotta hear the brothers& #39; epic recording with their father, clarinetist Jan van Halen. And the story behind it is even sweeter. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkxqcWhym9U">https://www.youtube.com/watch...

When Van Halen hit it big in 1979, the first thing they did was buy their dad a boat - and allowed him to retire.

In 1982, they included him on the record Diver Down - and gave their musical inspiration platinum record status. #PAMFAM https://twitter.com/ericgarland/status/1313575776869113859">https://twitter.com/ericgarla...

THIS WAS 1978. ASK ANY GUITARIST OF THE ERA:

NOBODY. SOUNDED. LIKE. THIS. BEFORE. And it still sounds just as fresh *42 years later.* https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="🤘" title="Heavy-Metal-Handzeichen" aria-label="Emoji: Heavy-Metal-Handzeichen"> https://twitter.com/bubbaprog/status/1313575456977948672">https://twitter.com/bubbaprog...