One of the most respected and influential rock guitarists of all time nearly wasn’t a guitarist. After moving from the Netherlands to the USA Eddie and his brother Alex were destined to become concert pianists and sent for classical piano lessons. Eddie never learned to read music but would instead watch classical concerts then improvise them after. He won first place in the annual piano competition held at Long Beach City College for four years in a row, but both brothers had more interest in rock. Alex bought a guitar and Eddie bought some drums. Eddie gave the drums to Alex after hearing him play them better than him and bought an electric guitar instead. Taking Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page as examples the young Eddie practised relentlessly. In 1972 he and Alex formed their first band, in 1974 after learning that the name Genesis was taken, they became Van Halen. When speaking at the National Museum of American History in 2015 Eddie said: “We came here with approximately $50 and a piano, and we didn’t speak the language. Now look where we are. If that’s not the American dream, what is?”