Vocalist Sammy Hagar is born in Monterey, California.
David Lee Roth is born in Bloomington, Indiana.
Drummer Alex Van Halen is born in Niijmegen, Netherlands.
Bassist Michael Anthony of Van Halen is born in Chicago, Illinois.
Guitarist Eddie Van Halen is born in Niijmegen, Netherlands.
Eddie and Alex Van Halen move to America with their family.
Van Halen is signed to Warner Bros. after label executives catch one of their performances at Los Angeles’ Starwood Club.
Van Halen’s self-titled debut album enters the album charts, where it will remain for 169 weeks and peak at #19.
Six weeks after its release, Van Halen is certified gold (500,000 sold). Eighteen years later, it will be certified 10 times platinum (10 million sold).
“Dance the Night Away,” from Van Halen II, becomes the group’s first Top Twenty single, reaching #15.
Guitarist Eddie Van Halen marries actress Valerie Bertinelli.
Michael Jackson’s “Beat It,” which features a ripping solo from guitarist Eddie Van Halen, hits #1.
Van Halen performs at the second US Festival in California for the highest fee to date for a concert performance
“Jump,” by Van Halen, reaches #1 on the Billboard singles Top 100, where it will remain for five weeks.
1984, the sixth and final Van Halen album to feature vocalist David Lee Roth, debuts on the charts, where it will stay for a year and a half and peak at #2. Hit singles
5150, the first Van Halen album with vocalist/guitarist Sammy Hagar, tops the chart for the first of four weeks. It will sell 6 million copies and launch three hits
OU812 becomes the second consecutive Van Halen album to top the album chart.
Van Halen’s For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge enters the album chart at #1, where it will remain for three weeks.
Vocalist Sammy Hagar leaves Van Halen. His replacement is Gary Cherone, formerly of the progressive-rock group Extreme.
The Best of Van Halen, Volume 1, is released. The retrospective includes two new songs recorded with original vocalist David Lee Roth. It becomes Van Halen’s fifth #1 album.
Van Halen III - the first and last album to feature the group’s short-lived third singer, Gary Cherone - is released.
1984, by Van Halen, receives multi-platinum certification from the RIAA for 10 million copies sold.
The Best of Both Worlds, a double-CD Van Halen compilation, is released. It includes three new songs recorded with vocalist Sammy Hagar.
Van Halen announces that original vocalist David Lee Roth is rejoining the group for its 2007 world tour and that Eddie Van Halen’s son Wolfgang is bassist Michael Anthony’s replacement.
Van Halen is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the 22nd annual induction dinner. Velvet Revolver is their presenter.
