Editing Alex Van Halen (section)

== Career ==
Alex and Eddie Van Halen had several early bands before the formation of Van Halen. In addition to The Broken Combs, there were The Space Brothers, The Trojan Rubber Company, and Mammoth.<ref name="drummerworld" />

In 1972, the brothers formed Mammoth with Mark Stone on bass and Eddie on lead vocals. The band rented David Lee Roth's [[Public address system|PA system]] for their shows. Soon after, Eddie became tired of singing lead, and asked Roth to join the band. Later, in 1974, since the name Mammoth was already taken by another band, the name was changed to Van Halen, and Stone was replaced by Michael Anthony.<ref>{{cite web|last=McCully|first=Jerry|title=The Early Years of Van Halen: A Paper Route, a High School Essay, and a Couple of Lucky Breaks|url=http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/Features/The%20Early%20Years%20of%20Van%20Halen_/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110324104906/http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/Features/The%20Early%20Years%20of%20Van%20Halen_/|archive-date=March 24, 2011}}</ref> Roth has claimed that it was his idea to rename the band Van Halen, and that he actually named it after Alex. In addition to his musical duties at this time, Alex handled managerial duties, such as booking gigs, and the like for the band. Their 1978 self-titled debut album ''[[Van Halen (album)|Van Halen]]'' was released to much fanfare, influencing many musicians in [[hard rock]]. Van Halen had released eleven more studio albums since then, and officially disbanded a month after Eddie's death on October 6, 2020.<ref name="RS2020"/>

Although the term "brown sound" is generally associated with Eddie's guitar, it was actually coined by Alex to refer to the sound of his [[snare drum]].<ref name="classicvh">{{cite web |url=http://www.classicvanhalen.com/bios_avh.shtml |title=Alex Van Halen |website=ClassicVanHalen.com |access-date=March 22, 2008}}</ref>

Alex never recorded any music without his brother being involved, with Michael Anthony saying that "the only person that he plays with is Ed."<ref>[https://www.vhnd.com/2006/03/17/michael-anthony-breaks-his-silence/ Michael Anthony Breaks His Silence]</ref> The only recording Alex has made outside of the band is playing keyboards on the Eddie Van Halen instrumental "[[Respect the Wind]]", done for the ''[[Twister (1996 film)|Twister]]'' soundtrack and earning the Van Halen brothers a [[Grammy Award]] nomination for [[Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance|Best Rock Instrumental Performance]].<ref name=97grammys>{{cite web |url=http://www.rockonthenet.com/archive/1997/grammys.htm |title=Grammy Nominations from Rock on the Net|website=Rockonthenet.com|access-date=August 10, 2018}}</ref>

In June 2024, Alex auctioned off all of his drum gear he had in storage for decades. This led people to believe that he will no longer be involved in music without his brother Edward on stage with him.<ref>{{cite web | last=Novak | first=Lauren | title=Alex Van Halen Selling All His Gear & Quitting Music For One Heartbreaking Reason | website=Remind Magazine| date=June 10, 2024 | url=https://www.remindmagazine.com/article/15171/alex-van-halen-selling-gear-auction/ | access-date=June 26, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=M | first=Jason | title=Historic Auction of Alex Van Halen Memorabilia | website=Modern Drummer Magazine | date=May 30, 2024 | url=https://www.moderndrummer.com/2024/05/historic-auction-of-alex-van-halen-memorabilia/ | access-date=June 26, 2024}}</ref>

Alex released a book called ''Brothers'' on October 22, 2024 and commenced a 3 date promotional tour. <ref>{{cite web |title=Alex Van Halen's Autobiography 'Brothers' Due In October |url=https://blabbermouth.net/news/alex-van-halens-autobiography-brothers-due-in-october |website=Blabbermouth.net |access-date=April 2, 2024 |language=en |date=February 18, 2024}}</ref>