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For the article on the Trinidadian author of The Year in San Fernando, see Michael Anthony (author).

Michael Anthony
Background information
Also known as	Michael Anthony Sobolewski
Born	June 20, 1954 (1954-06-20) (age 53) Chicago, Illinois
Genre(s)	Rock Hard Rock
Instrument(s)	Bass
Years active	1972 -
Associated acts	Van Halen Sammy Hagar

Michael Anthony Sobolewski (born June 20, 1954) is an American musician. He is best known as the former bassist and a founding member of the hard rock band Van Halen. Until September 27, 2007, he was also the only bassist to have performed publicly for the band and the only person credited for recording bass-guitar tracks with them. However, Eddie Van Halen has recorded a few songs on bass credited to Anthony. Because the band shares songwriting credits, Anthony is at present credited for co-writing every Van Halen song released so far (though this is almost certainly not the case presently, given his estranged relationship with the band from sometime in the mid-late 90s onwards). Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... For other uses of the word Trinidad, see Trinidad (disambiguation) Motto Together we aspire, together we achieve Anthem Forged From The Love of Liberty Capital Port of Spain Largest city San Fernando [1] Official languages English Demonym Trinidadian, Tobagonian Government Republic  -  President George Maxwell Richards  -  Prime Minister Patrick Manning Independence... For the article on the Van Halen guitarist, see Michael Anthony. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Mikebio1. ... is the 171st day of the year (172nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Nickname: Motto: Urbs in Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location in the Chicago metro area and Illinois Coordinates: , Country State Counties Cook, DuPage Settled 1770s Incorporated March 4, 1837 Government  - Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Area  - City  234. ... Official language(s) English[1] Capital Springfield Largest city Chicago Largest metro area Chicago Metropolitan Area Area  Ranked 25th  - Total 57,918 sq mi (149,998 km²)  - Width 210 miles (340 km)  - Length 390 miles (629 km)  - % water 4. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For other uses, see Rock music (disambiguation). ... “Hard Rock” redirects here. ... A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified with the purpose of making music. ... The electric bass guitar (or electric bass) is a bass stringed instrument played with the fingers by plucking, slapping, popping or using a pick. ... This article is about the band Van Halen. ... Samuel Roy Hagar (born October 13, 1947 in Monterey, California, USA), better known as Sammy Hagar (aka The Red Rocker), is an American rock guitarist, singer, and composer. ... is the 171st day of the year (172nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Deon Rexroat of Anberlin. ... “Hard Rock” redirects here. ... This article is about the band Van Halen. ...

Although Anthony has played a number of bass guitars, the one he is noted for is his custom-made Jack Daniel's bass, usually reserved for his effects-laden solos. In addition to his love of Jack Daniel's, he is a connoisseur of hot sauces (and his Tabasco bass). He also has a signature Yamaha bass guitar series (with red chili pepper inlays). Tabasco is a state in Mexico. ... Yamaha redirects here. ...

Mike has been married to his high-school sweetheart Sue since 1981, and they have two daughters: Taylor (born 1991) and Elisha (born 1985).

Biography

Early life (1954-1966)

Anthony was born in Chicago, Illinois, USA to Polish immigrant parents, and was one of five siblings (Nancy, Michael, Steve, Robert and Dennis). He later moved to California where he attended Arcadia High School, graduating in 1972. He developed his interest in music in childhood, playing the trumpet. He became interested in playing mainly rock, blues, and jazz, taking after his father Walter. Flag Seal Nickname: The Windy City Motto: Urbs In Horto (Latin: City in a Garden), I Will Location Location in Chicagoland and northern Illinois Coordinates , Government Country State Counties United States Illinois Cook, DuPage Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) Geographical characteristics Area     City 606. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Largest metro area Greater Los Angeles Area  Ranked 3rd  - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 km²)  - Width 250 miles (400 km)  - Length 770 miles (1,240 km)  - % water 4. ... Arcadia High School is a public high school located in Phoenix, Arizona. ... The trumpet is a musical instrument in the brass family. ...

Musical career begins (1967-1974)

While Anthony was a promising catcher in baseball, he also competed on the Dana Junior High School track team (long jump) and played in the marching band there from 1967-1969. He 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. His first bass was actually a Fender Mustang electric guitar given to him by his friend Mike Hershey. Anthony relieved the guitar of its top two strings and used it as a bass, until his father bought him a Victoria P-bass and a Gibson amp at a local flea market. He grew up and modeled his bass playing after Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones mostly, but also admired Jack Bruce of Cream, and Harvey Brooks of Electric Flag. His main interest in life was music once he left high school. His first band was called Poverty's Children. Other bands he played in included Black Opal, Balls and Snake. Although Michael Anthony is naturally left-handed, he plays right-handed. This article is about the sport. ... For the bands 1969 self-titled debut album, see Led Zeppelin (album). ... John Paul Jones (born John Baldwin on January 3, 1946 in Sidcup, Kent) is an English multi-instrumentalist musician, and was known for being the bassist, the keyboardist and the mandolinist for rock band Led Zeppelin from its inception until the bands breakup following the death of John Bonham... John Symon Asher Jack Bruce (born May 14, 1943) is a Scottish-born musician, composer and singer. ... Cream were a 1960s British rock band, which consisted of guitarist Eric Clapton, bassist Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker. ... Harvey Brooks (born 1944, New York City) is an American bassist. ... The Electric Flag, formed in 1967, was a blues rock soul group led by guitarist Mike Bloomfield, keyboardist Barry Goldberg, and bassist Harvey Brooks. ...

Snake was the last band Mike played in before joining Van Halen. Snake was a three-piece group featuring Michael on lead vocals and bass, Tony Codgen on guitar and Steve Hapner on drums. They played covers of ZZ Top, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Foghat, along with some original songs. They played a lot of the same types of gigs as did the Van Halen brothers' band Mammoth. Snake even opened for Mammoth at a show at Pasadena High School one night. Mammoth's PA failed that night, so Mike lent them Snake's PA. This article is about the band Van Halen. ... ZZ Top is an American blues rock band formed in 1969 in Houston, Texas. ... Lynyrd Skynyrd (pronounced lĕh-nérd skin-nérd) (or IPA pronunciation: ) is an iconic U.S. Southern rock band. ... Foghat are an English rock band that had its peak success in the mid- to late-1970s. ... An amplifier is a device which changes a small movement into a larger movement. ...

While attending Pasadena City College, Mike pursued a degree in music. Alex Van Halen took classes there too and they would often see each other on campus. During this time, Mark Stone was kicked out of Mammoth and the Van Halens decided to audition Mike to be their new bassist. They jammed in a garage in Pasadena and Mike was blown away, even though he'd seen the brothers play before. After the session, when they asked him to join them, he said he had to think about it and called Tony Codgen (Snake's Guitar Player) who is quoted to have said "Heck Yeah what are you asking me for?". This conversation was revealed on the Van Halen: The Early Years DVD. This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

Van Halen - golden years (1974-1996)

Main article: Van Halen

In 1974, Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen along with David Lee Roth and Michael Anthony became known as Van Halen, dropping the name Mammoth because they discovered that another local band was using that moniker. They were signed to Warner Brothers in 1977 and released their self titled debut album on February 8, 1978. Though his and Alex's roles in the band never received the amount of attention as other members, Mike's fleet-fingered basslines and high vocal harmonies have been a distinctive part of Van Halen's sound. The band released a total of ten studio albums from 1978-1995, along with a live album and a compilation CD in 1996 which featured two previously unreleased songs. Despite the Van Halen brothers falling out with both their vocalists frequently (David Lee Roth in 1985, 1996, 2000 and 2001 and Sammy Hagar in both 1996 and 2004), Anthony managed to stay on good terms with all of the musicians. This article is about the band Van Halen. ... Edward Van Halen (born Edward Lodewijk van Halen on January 26, 1955[1] in Amsterdam, Netherlands), is a guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter and producer most famous for being the lead guitarist and a co-founder of the hard rock band, Van Halen. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... David Lee Roth (sometimes referred to as Diamond Dave) (born 10 October 1953, Bloomington, Indiana) is a American rock vocalist, songwriter, actor, author, and former radio personality, best known for his work with the band Van Halen. ... Warner Bros. ... is the 39th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ...

Diminishing role within Van Halen and side projects(1996-2003)

As early as 1996, there were rumours that Anthony had been fired from Van Halen. Despite claims to the contrary and his continued role in the band, these perpetuated until his final departure.

It has been revealed that for 1998's Van Halen III album, Anthony was only allowed to perform on three songs, with Eddie Van Halen recording on the others. His involvement in songwriting was credited in full, as before (the band always credited the full lineups for songwriting) though is reportedly less full than that. Anthony remained in the band for the 1998 tour, and was credited for messages from the band thereafter. He was apparently still in the band to a degree, since he and David Lee Roth were both around for the band's three reunion attempts with Roth 2000 - 2001. Anthony's name was also credited to a few band newsletters in this time and he appeared on interviews. Sometime after this, however, Anthony disappeared from public view until the 2004 reunion.

In their few interviews, Eddie and Alex suggested they were jamming and writing/recording new material in this time, but appeared to be working without Anthony much of the time.

With Van Halen going nowhere, Anthony began infrequent appearances with Sammy Hagar during his solo tours. He usually played as part of The Waboritas, Hagar's band. During 2002's David Lee Roth/Sammy Hagar tour, both Michael Anthony and ex-Van Halen vocalist Gary Cherone guested at concerts - sometimes together. Anthony never performed during Roth's segment however. The Waboritas is the name of Sammy Hagars backup band. ... Gary Cherone (b. ...

They formed a side project called Planet Us and Anthony's appearing at Sammy Hagar concerts became increasingly frequent. Planet US was denied a slot on the Spider-Man soundtrack (described as "too freakin' heavy"), but they did perform the unreleased song Vertigo on RockLine. The lineup, besides Mike, was Sammy Hagar, Neal Schon, Deen Castronovo, and Joe Satriani. Planet Us were a band that featured Sammy Hagar on lead vocals, Neal Schon on guitar, Michael Anthony on bass, and Deen Castronovo on drums. ... Samuel Roy Hagar (born October 13, 1947 in Monterey, California, USA), better known as Sammy Hagar (aka The Red Rocker), is an American rock guitarist, singer, and composer. ... Neal Schon (b. ... Deen Castronovo is a drummer who has played in various bands, including Cacophony, Bad English, Journey, The Enemy, Wild Dogs, Dr. Mastermind, Hardline, Planet Us, Soul Sirkus, and former Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butlers G/Z/R, as well as in backing bands for Ozzy Osbourne, Steve Vai, and... Joseph Satch Satriani (born on July 15, 1956, in Westbury, New York, U.S.) is an American guitarist and former guitar instructor. ...

Van Halen reunion and departure (2004-2006)

For the band's reunion in 2004, Anthony was not allowed to write/record the three new songs for The Best of Both Worlds. This time however (unlike Van Halen III), he was [correctly] not credited for songwriting involvement. The album's credits don't mention his non-involvement in the actual performance however. For the English saying, see best of both worlds. ...

Initially when Eddie and Alex asked Hagar to rejoin at the end of 2003 for a 2004 tour, the plan was not to invite Anthony back. 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, with his role within the band resting in the hands of the Van Halen brothers thereafter. Throughout this time, and during the Van Halen III period, the public was unaware of Anthony's tenuous status within the band and was led to believe that he was still a full-time member.

Departure from Van Halen and recent life (2006 - present)

Mike spent the Summer of 2006 touring as a member of "The Other Half" along with Sammy Hagar during a segment of each Sammy Hagar concert. They performed songs from both the Hagar and Roth eras of Van Halen, though they focussed on the Hagar era. At the June 4, 2006 show in Phoenix, Arizona, for example, Mike sang Roth's vocal parts on Running with the Devil and Hagar sang Mike's backup harmonies. Samuel Roy Hagar (born October 13, 1947 in Monterey, California, USA), better known as Sammy Hagar (aka The Red Rocker), is an American rock guitarist, singer, and composer. ... is the 155th day of the year (156th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

On September 8, 2006, Eddie Van Halen announced that his son Wolfgang was Van Halen's new bass player. With the band still not having replaced Hagar (who left after the 2004 tour), many did not take this initial announcement seriously. Van Halen had repeatedly promised and cancelled albums/tours throughout 1999-2003 and all but disappeared in early 2005. However, on February 2, 2007, it was announced that Van Halen was reuniting for a tour with original vocalist Roth, and Wolfgang would indeed be playing. The tour will begin on September 27, 2007. For the moment however, Anthony remains the band's only bassist to have toured and the only one to have recorded other than Eddie. is the 251st day of the year (252nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Edward Van Halen (born Edward Lodewijk van Halen on January 26, 1955[1] in Amsterdam, Netherlands), is a guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter and producer most famous for being the lead guitarist and a co-founder of the hard rock band, Van Halen. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... is the 33rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... is the 270th day of the year (271st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ...

Anthony spooked his former bandmate and good friend Sammy Hagar on live national TV on February 25, 2007. During a pre-race performance for the California race on FOX television, the bassist jumped onstage and joined the Red Rocker during a performance of "I Can't Drive 55". The Red Rocker could only respond "Michael Anthony's in the house." He also joined Sammy Hagar to perform "Why Can't This Be Love" at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Ceremony on March 12, 2007.

Anthony has recently been credited and lauded for the "high road" manner in which he has handled his fate with Van Halen in various interviews and Internet postings. His refusal to badmouth any of his former bandmates, and indeed wishing them well, has only enhanced his reputation as a true "class act".

Anthony is currently developing a side project called "Chickenfoot" with Sammy Hagar and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith.^[1] Samuel Roy Hagar (born October 13, 1947 in Monterey, California, USA), better known as Sammy Hagar (aka The Red Rocker), is an American rock guitarist, singer, and composer. ... Red Hot Chili Peppers is an American alternative rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1983. ... For other persons named Chad Smith, see Chad Smith (disambiguation). ...

References

External links

• Official Michael Anthony Website