Editing Michael Anthony (musician) (section)

==Music career==
=== (1967&ndash;1974) Early musical endeavors ===
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Anthony took an interest in guitar as a teenager, but picked up the bass instead since most of his other friends already played guitar or drums. Anthony's friend Mike Hershey gave him a [[Fender Mustang]] electric guitar that Anthony converted by removing the two highest strings and playing it as a bass guitar. Eventually, his father bought him a Victoria copy of a [[Fender Precision Bass]] and a [[Gibson Guitar Corporation|Gibson]] amplifier. Anthony mostly modelled his bass playing after [[Jack Bruce]] of [[Cream (band)|Cream]], but also admired [[Led Zeppelin]]'s [[John Paul Jones (musician)|John Paul Jones]] and [[Harvey Brooks (bassist)|Harvey Brooks]] of [[Electric Flag]]. His first band was called Poverty's Children. Other bands he played in included Black Opal, Balls, and Snake. Although Anthony is naturally left-handed, he plays right-handed.

Snake, a three-piece group featuring Anthony on lead vocals and bass guitar, was the last band in which Anthony played before joining [[Van Halen]]. Snake played covers of [[ZZ Top]], [[Lynyrd Skynyrd]], and [[Foghat]], along with some original songs. They played several of the same types of gigs as did the Van Halen brothers' band Mammoth. Snake once opened for Mammoth during a show at [[Pasadena High School (Pasadena, California)|Pasadena High School]]. Mammoth's [[Public address|PA]] failed that night, so Anthony lent them Snake's PA.

While attending [[Pasadena City College]], majoring in music,<ref name="olho.nu"/> Anthony met [[Eddie Van Halen]], who also took classes there. During this time, bass player Mark Stone parted ways with Mammoth and the Van Halens auditioned Anthony as a replacement. Anthony was impressed by their skill during subsequent jam sessions even though he had heard the brothers play before. After the session, the Van Halen brothers asked Anthony to join their band. One story claims that he first consulted Snake guitarist Tony Caggiano, who advised Anthony to join up with the guitar prodigy and his brother. However, according to Anthony's web site, he immediately accepted. This has become the accepted version of events.

Anthony had planned to attend college in Santa Barbara after he graduated from Pasadena City College, but instead he dropped out of PCC just before he earned enough credits for a degree so that he could devote all his time to Van Halen.<ref name="olho.nu"/>

=== (1974&ndash;2006) Van Halen ===
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In 1974, [[Eddie Van Halen]], [[Alex Van Halen]], [[David Lee Roth]] and Anthony became known as Van Halen, dropping the name Mammoth when they discovered another local band using that moniker. After successfully navigating the Los Angeles and West Hollywood club scene and a 29 track demo produced by [[Kiss (band)|Kiss]]'s [[Gene Simmons]], Van Halen was signed to [[Warner Bros.]] in 1977 and released their self-titled debut album on February 10, 1978. Anthony was a 20% member (manager Noel Monk being the 5th) of all debts and profits, including merchandise, until midway through the 1984 tour, when tensions rose to the point that Roth and the Van Halen brothers insisted that he sign away all future songwriting credit and royalties, retroactive with the current ''1984'' LP. Noel Monk later wrote of the event, "If I were Mike, I would have told them to 'fuck off' and not played that night, to show them my worth. Instead Mike didn't say a word and signed away millions of dollars, as the three stood over him, lying on the floor."<ref>Noel Monk 2017 memoir</ref>

The band released a total of eleven studio albums from 1978 through 1998, a live album in 1993, as well as two greatest hits compilations during Anthony's tenure with the band.

Anthony produced a 1988 demo for his brother (Robert Lee Sobolewski) Bobby Leigh's band Asylum Suite, which was formed in 1984 and featured singer Michael Thomas Fiore.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://soundcloud.com/michaelfiore-2/youre-the-one-late-80s |title=You're The One - Late 80's by Michael Fiore |publisher=SoundCloud}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Gary James|url=http://www.famousinterview.ca/interviews/asylum_suite.htm |title=Asylum Suite Interview |publisher=famousinterview.ca |access-date=June 11, 2012}}</ref>

=== (1996&ndash;2003) Diminishing role with Van Halen and side projects ===
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As early as 1996, rumors periodically surfaced that Anthony had been fired from Van Halen, despite claims to the contrary. Anthony continued working with the band although the rumors persisted until his actual departure following the 2004 reunion tour with Hagar.

Anthony's involvement in recording the 1998 album ''[[Van Halen III]]'' was dramatically less than previous albums. Anthony played bass on three songs, with Eddie playing the bass parts for the six other songs that featured bass. Anthony is credited as a songwriter for the album along with the rest of the band. Anthony performed with the band for the 1998 tour, and was credited on messages from the band thereafter. He participated in the band's three reunion efforts with David Lee Roth in 1996, 2000 and 2001 (with the latter resulting in early versions of ''[[A Different Kind of Truth]]'' tracks<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/van-halen-2000-roth-album/|title=Did Van Halen Almost Finish a David Lee Roth Reunion LP in 2000?|website=Ultimate Classic Rock|date=July 21, 2021 }}</ref>). Anthony's name was also credited in a few band newsletters and appeared in band interviews during this time. Sometime after this, Anthony disappeared from public view until the 2004 reunion.

Anthony began periodic appearances with [[Sammy Hagar]] during his solo tours. He usually played as part of both [[the Waboritas]] and Los Tres Gusanos, two of Hagar's bands. During 2002's [[Sammy Hagar#Sammy Hagar & the Waboritas (1996–2005)|Roth/Hagar tour]] (otherwise known as the "Sans Halen" or "Sam and Dave" tour), both Anthony and ex-Van Halen vocalist [[Gary Cherone]] made guest appearances at concerts, sometimes together.

In 2002, Anthony, Hagar, [[Neal Schon]], [[Deen Castronovo]], and [[Joe Satriani]] formed the supergroup [[Planet Us]] and Anthony began making more frequent performances at Hagar concerts. Planet Us recorded two songs, including "Psycho Vertigo", which was intended for the original ''Spider-Man'' soundtrack but ultimately did not make the album. That and the other Planet Us song written for the band, "Peephole", were later released on the 2008 Hagar solo album ''[[Cosmic Universal Fashion]]''.

=== (2003&ndash;2005) Van Halen reunion ===
Initially when Eddie and Alex asked Hagar to rejoin at the end of 2003 for a 2004 tour, the plan was to not invite Anthony back.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}} Hagar, however, refused to perform if Anthony did not rejoin, and Anthony agreed to play but on a reduced royalties contract. The contract drawn up was for the duration of the tour only.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://blabbermouth.herokuapp.com/news/michael-anthony-eddie-van-halen-didn-t-want-me-to-be-part-of-2004-tour/|title=MICHAEL ANTHONY: EDDIE VAN HALEN Didn't Want Me To Be Part Of 2004 Tour|date=June 9, 2006|website=BLABBERMOUTH.NET}}</ref>

In 2004, Van Halen released the compilation album ''[[The Best of Both Worlds (Van Halen album)|The Best of Both Worlds]]'' which included three new songs. Anthony did not participate in the writing of nor did he play bass on the new songs and was not credited on the album for the new material, although he did sing backup vocals on all of them.<ref>{{citation |url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r698029|pure_url=yes}} |title=The Best of Both Worlds |access-date=December 10, 2007}}</ref>

Anthony now states in media interviews that he has not spoken to the Van Halen brothers since the 2004 tour, except to Alex at the funeral of Van Halen drum tech Greg Emerson. He has also speculated that since the brothers were not pleased with Hagar's commercial ventures such as the [[Cabo Wabo]] product line, their similar displeasure with Anthony's hot sauce brand may have caused the rift that ultimately separated Hagar and Anthony from the band.<ref name="yuan">{{citation |title=Hot for tequila: Cabo Wabo killed. |date=April 2, 2007 |magazine=[[New York (magazine)|New York]] |last=Yuan |first=Jada |volume=40 |issue=11 |pages=15(1)}}</ref>

=== (2006&ndash;present) Departure from Van Halen and formation of Chickenfoot ===
[[File:Chickenfoot Live.jpg|thumb|Anthony (left) with Chickenfoot in 2009]]
Anthony spent the summer of 2006 touring as a member of the Other Half during a segment of the Sammy Hagar and the Waboritas tour. The Other Half featured Anthony and Hagar performing classic Van Halen songs from both the Roth and Hagar periods.

On September 8, 2006, [[Eddie Van Halen]] announced that his son [[Wolfgang Van Halen|Wolfgang]] was replacing Anthony as Van Halen's bass player. On February 2, 2007, Van Halen announced that they were reuniting for a tour with original vocalist David Lee Roth. Their tour began on September 27, 2007.  Anthony commented that he heard about his replacement "on the Internet" and added, "I'm a little miffed that they're calling it a Van Halen reunion. If I was dead and they needed someone to play, that's one thing, but to me this is not a reunion."<ref>{{citation |title=Van Halen Tour Nearly Sold Out |date=September 20, 2007 |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |issue=1035 |pages=18(0) |issn=0035-791X}}</ref> At the tour press conference David Lee Roth stated, "This is not a reunion, this is a revision."

Anthony joined Hagar on live national television on February 25, 2007, during a pre-race performance for the California [[NASCAR]] race on Fox television. Anthony jumped onstage and joined Hagar during a performance of "[[I Can't Drive 55]]."<ref>{{cite news|title=SAMMY HAGAR Joined By MICHAEL ANTHONY For NASCAR Performance|url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/sammy-hagar-joined-by-michael-anthony-for-nascar-performance-video-available/ |work=Blabbermouth.net |date=February 26, 2007}}</ref>

Anthony and Hagar were the only members, former or current, to appear at Van Halen's induction into the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]] on March 12, 2007. Eddie Van Halen was in [[Drug rehabilitation|rehab]] at the time, and Alex Van Halen and David Lee Roth declined to appear.<ref>{{citation |title=Rock Hall riffs with newest members |date=March 13, 2007 |newspaper=[[USA Today]] |last=Gardner |first=Elysa |issn=0734-7456}}</ref>

Anthony is a founding member, bassist and backing vocalist for the band [[Chickenfoot]] with [[Sammy Hagar]], Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer [[Chad Smith]] and guitarist [[Joe Satriani]]. The band released their first studio album in Europe on June 5, 2009, followed by the North American release on June 9. Chickenfoot released their sophomore effort, ''[[Chickenfoot III]]'', on September 27, 2011.

Anthony is a member of [[Sammy Hagar and the Circle]], a [[supergroup (music)|supergroup]] that formed in 2014 and features Hagar as well as guitarist [[Vic Johnson (musician)|Vic Johnson]] and drummer [[Jason Bonham]].<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/premieres/watch-sammy-hagar-and-the-circle-tear-through-when-its-love-20150403 |title=Watch Sammy Hagar and the Circle Tear Through 'When It's Love'|first=Andy|last=Greene|date=April 3, 2015|magazine=Rolling Stone|access-date=April 7, 2015}}</ref>