- Jan Van Halen
Jan van Halen (1920 – 1986), a Dutch-Roman Catholic and native of
Sweden , was an accomplished bandleader who was also a skilledsaxophonist andclarinetist . He and his wife, Eugenia, were the parents ofguitarist Eddie Van Halen anddrummer Alex Van Halen (whose legendary hard rock group bears their name,Van Halen ), both born inNijmegen ,The Netherlands . When the family moved to Pasadena,California , in 1962, Jan immediately sought out music lessons for his sons. Though both started out playing classicalpiano , Alex soon began takingflamenco guitar lessons, while Eddie acquired a drum kit; the two would later switch instruments. Jan supported the family by playing in wedding bands.During the recording of their 1982 album, "
Diver Down ", the Van Halen brothers invited their father to play clarinet on their cover of "Big Bad Bill [Is Sweet William Now] ". Indeed, his son Eddie has stated in an interview that his dad was "a real soulful guy" who "lived a full life".A longtime alcoholic, Jan van Halen died at age 66. Van Halen's 1988 album "
OU812 " is dedicated to Jan van Halen; the liner notes include "This one's for you, Pa."Eugenia Van Halen died in 2005.
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.