In selling over 75 million albums worldwide, Van Halen is reportedly the 19th best-selling musical artist of all-time within the United States. Two of the band's albums (Van Halen I and 1984) have sold over 10 million copies alone in the States. Commercial success aside, many view guitarist Eddie Van Halen as the most influential guitar player of all-time.
While Van Halen is generally thought of as being from the greater Los Angeles area, Eddie Van Halen is documented to have sought medical treatment at Long Island's Stony Brook University towards the end of his life. Van Halen was also a mainstay in the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s and 2010s at Long Island concert venues (e.g. Nassau Coliseum, Jones Beach), and footage of the band onstage and backstage at the Nassau Coliseum from 1978 was recently unearthed and uploaded to YouTube; this appears to be some of that footage, as also preserved here.
One of the most popular songs helmed by Van Halen, "Hot For Teacher," had some inspiration from Long Island. As did Eddie Van Halen's iconic guitar intro "Eruption." Per legendary drummer Carmine Appice -- who used to live in Oceanside and Long Beach -- in a 2021 interview: "'Hot For Teacher' really came from the idea we did with 'Parchman Farm'; that was like the template. And 'Eruption' was the beginning of our song 'Let Me Swim' extended — same kind of thing.'" A Paltrocast interview with Appice in which he talked about living on Long Island can be viewed here.
Some of the Nassau County Libraries resources on-hand with relation to Van Halen can be found here. This includes the book DLR Book: How David Lee Roth Changed The World -- as focused upon Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth, who performed at Lido Beach's Malibu in 1994 -- which was penned by yours truly.
Researched by Darren Paltrowitz on April 28, 2025. Updated on May 8, 2025, July 3, 2025, October 9, 2025 and November 7, 2025.
Lou Reed, frontman of The Velvet Underground, grew up in Freeport. At the time of his passing, he is believed to have been a resident of East Hampton within the Hamptons. Mo Tucker, is documented as having grown up in Levittown. Doug Yule is believed to have been born in Mineola and grown up in Great Neck. Sterling Morrison is believed to have been born in East Meadow at Meadowbrook Hospital and grown up in nearby Levittown.
Early into the career of The Velvet Underground, they performed at The Night Beat Freakout Happening, as held at The Action House on December 4, 1966 in Island Park, New York. Besides Velvet Underground & Nico, the billing for the event included Exploding Plastic Inevitable, Andy Warhol, Timothy Leary, The Fugs, The Godz, The Ronettes, The Vagrants (believed to feature future Mountain guitarist Leslie West), The Shangra La's, and The Left Banke. Believed to have attended in addition were Rudy Stern, Richard Aldercroff and their Infinity Machines, Scott Ross, Anita Venturi ("The Topless Girl From the Crystal Room Doing Her Entire Act" per advertising) and "The Nightbeat Birds & Exotic Long Hair Freako-S Running Amok And Crazy." Frank Zappa's The Mothers Of Invention appeared on the flyer, but it cannot be performed if this group performed as part of that event. A flyer promoting that event can be seen here.
Some of the Nassau County Libraries resources on-hand with relation to Reed and The Velvet Underground can be found here. And as clipped from the Freeport Historical Society's Facebook Group:
Researched by Darren Paltrowitz, April 16, 2025. Updated on November 7, 2025, November 13, 2025 and November 14, 2025.