“What a Long Great Trip It’s Been..” shared Roth on social media alongside an image of the pair backstage during his first reunion tour with the band in 2007.
Roth first met Eddie and Alex Van Halen in the early 1970s while the three were students at Pasadena City College; the singer used to rent his PA system to the brothers while both performed on the local party circuit.
Roth would go on to join the pair in their band, Mammoth, in 1973, before suggesting the lineup – which included bassist Mark Stone – change their name to Van Halen; Michael Anthony eventually replaced Stone and the group toured the Southern California circuit for years before being signed to Warner Brothers Records in 1977.
Van Halen issued their self-titled debut in 1978 and five more albums with Roth before the singer exited for a solo career in 1985; he was replaced by Sammy Hagar until his departure in 1996, the same year Roth recorded two new songs with the band (“Me Wise Magic” and “Can’t Get This Stuff No More”) for a Greatest Hits project.
Following Van Halen’s 1998 album, “III”, and tour with Extreme singer Gary Cherone, Roth regrouped with the band again in 2000 for some writing and recording sessions but didn’t fully reunite with them until a 2007 tour that saw Eddie’s son, Wolfgang, on bass.
The lineup released “A Different Kind Of Truth” in 2012 and toured in support of it before a final trek in 2015.
Van Halen were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2007.
What a Long Great Trip It’s Been.. pic.twitter.com/M5pmkVi7hW
— David Lee Roth (@DavidLeeRoth) October 7, 2020
See also:
Eddie Van Halen dead at 65
Original Van Halen bassist Mark Stone dies
Sammy Hagar performs Van Halen classic in new Lockdown Sessions video
1980 Van Halen classic gets all-star quarantine jam treatment
Search Van Halen at hennemusic
