Anyone in Van Halen without the last name “Van Halen” had to work twice as hard to get noticed. With Eddie Van Halen’s blazing guitar solos and Alex’s pounding drums, the band’s spotlight seemed permanently glued to the two brothers.
While David Lee Roth and later Sammy Hagar managed to share some of that attention, bassist Michael Anthony often gets criminally overlooked when discussing the band’s legacy.
From the start, Anthony faced an uphill battle. When he first joined Van Halen, much of his energy went toward keeping up with the intensity of Eddie and Alex. He wasn’t trying to outshine anyone but rather avoid falling behind as the brothers’ musical frenzy took center stage.
Although Anthony had a solid background from his days with the LA rock group Snake, he gained new insight standing next to Eddie Van Halen.
He never aimed to be the next Geddy Lee or Jaco Pastorius, but by locking into a groove and laying a firm foundation, Anthony allowed Eddie to let loose with his dazzling guitar work. For a band with only one guitarist, Anthony’s basslines ensured that Van Halen always sounded larger than life.
Anthony did have moments to step into the spotlight, though. The thunderous one-note bass intro to “Runnin’ With the Devil” is a standout, as is his ability to match Eddie’s intensity on tracks like “Loss of Control.” But what really set Anthony apart wasn’t just his bass—it was his voice.
His high-register backing vocals became a signature part of Van Halen’s sound, seamlessly blending with both Roth’s and Hagar’s lead vocals without overshadowing them.
Anthony’s vocal harmonies added layers to the band’s already massive sound, and his contributions were so vital that when his presence began to fade, so did some of Van Halen’s vocal power.
Albums like Balance and the ill-fated Van Halen III saw the group lose much of the vocal punch that had made them sound so distinct, leaving them sounding more like a cover band of their former selves, despite Eddie’s brilliance.
Even after being sidelined from recording sessions and eventually fired from the band in the early 2000s, Anthony continued to thrive. While it’s hard not to feel the sting when your old band moves on without you, Anthony has found success elsewhere.
His collaborations with Sammy Hagar, including their supergroup Chickenfoot, have kept him active and in-demand as one of rock’s most reliable sidemen.
But more than his technical skill or vocal power, what makes Michael Anthony truly admirable is his down-to-earth attitude. While Eddie pushed boundaries as the band’s creative force and Roth evolved into a rock ‘n’ roll caricature, Anthony remained grounded, staying egoless throughout his time with the group.
He’s often seen as Van Halen’s equivalent of Ringo Starr, but that comparison sells him short. Each member of Van Halen played an essential role in their success, and without Anthony’s steady basslines and soaring harmonies on that first album, it’s hard to imagine the band reaching the same dizzying heights.
As time passed, it became clear that Michael Anthony wasn’t just along for the ride—he was the glue that held everything together, often in the background but always crucial to Van Halen’s monumental success.
