Music Diary – 10th October

Welcome to my Music Diary – today for the 10th October!

Mr. David Lee Roth was born on the 10th October 1955. The American singer was and is again the lead vocalist of the hard rock band Van Halen. Roth is also known as a successful solo artist and as a radio personality with his show „The David Lee Roth Show„, a short-lived morning radio program in 2006, which was aired in seven markets on CBS-owned-and-operated stations in the USA.

In 1972 David Lee Roth met the Van Halen brothers Eddie and Alex who had a band called Genesis. Bass player Michael Anthony completed the line up and shortly after that they changed the group name into Mammoth. In 1974 Roth suggested to change the name again – into Van Halen. Under the new moniker the quartet performed in several clubs in Pasadena and Hollywood and they became famous in California, especially in and around Los Angeles.

In 1977 Gene Simmons of Kiss produced a demo tape but Van Halen didn’t succeeded. Shortly after that Mo Ostin and Ted Templeman of Warner Bros. Records attended a Van Halen show at the Starwood in Hollywood and they were deeply impressed by the performance and offered the band a recording contract. In September/October 1977 Van Halen recorded their self titled debut at Sunset Sound Recorders studio, which was released in February 1978 and reached Nor. 19 on the Billboard charts. It features classics like „Runnin‘ with the Devil“ and the outstanding guitar solo „Eruption„, which showcased Eddie’s use of a brandnew technique at that time – the so-called „finger-tapping“. In 1979 the follower „Van Halen II“ with the hit single „Dance the Night Away“ hit the stores. With the albums „Women and Children First“ (1980), „Fair Warning“ (1981) and „Diver Down“ (1982) the fanbase grew bigger and bigger. The LP „1984“ marks Van Halen’s big breakthrough. The single „Jump“ went No. 1 and also the other three outtakes „Panama„, „I’ll Wait“ and „Hot for Teacher“ charted. Due to personal tensions David Lee Roth decided to leave the band on the 1st April 1985 and started his successful solo career featuring his big hits „California Girls“ and „Just like Paradise“ (from the album „Skyscraper„) and „Just a Gigolo“ right after leaving Van Halen.

In 2006 David Lee re-joined Van Halen and recorded the comeback album „A Different Kind of Truth„, which was released finally in 2012.

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Music Diary – 3rd October

Welcomt to my Music Diary – today for the 3rd October!

Stevie Ray Vaughan (3rd October 1954 – 27th August 1990)

In 1954 Mr. Stephen „Stevie“ Ray Vaughan was born in Dallas, Texas (USA). Also nicknamed as SRV, Vaughan was an American Blues musician. The singer and songwriter is still considered as one of the most influentical guitar players. Or as Allmusic describes him as „a rocking powerhouse of a guitarist who gave blues a burst of momentum in the ’80s, with influence still felt long after his tragic death.“

And Chris Gill of Guitar World commented on Stevie’s unique style: „Stevie Ray Vaughan’s guitar tone was as dry as a San Antonio summer and as sparkling clean as a Dallas debutante, the product of the natural sound of amps with ample clean headroom. However, Vaughan occasionally used pedals to augment his sound, mainly to boost the signal, although he occasionally employed a rotating speaker cabinet and wah pedals for added textural flair.“

Stevie started guitar playing at the age of seven. In 1971 he was dropped out from school and one year later he moved from Dallas to Austin and started his career as a musician. At this time he played with people like Marc Benno (The Nightcrawlers) and Denny Freeman (Cobras). In 1977 SRV founded his own band called „Triple Threat Revue“ – shortly after that drummer Chris Layton and bassist Tommy Shannon joined the group and it was renamed in Double Trouble. Five years later at the famous Montreux Jazz Festival (1982) Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble became much more famous. The album debut „Texas Flood“ was released one year later and charted at No. 38 in the US charts. Before the album „In Step“ was recorded, Stevie Ray Vaughan went into rehab in 1986.

On the 27th August 1990 Stevie Ray Vaughan was killed in a helicopter crash. He died at the age of only 35. SRV earned six Grammy Awards and ten Austin Music Awards and he was inducted posthumously into the Blues Hall of Fame in 2000 and the Musicians Hall of Fame in 2014. The music magazin Rolling Stone ranked him as the twelfth greatest guitarist of all time.

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