Eddie Van Halen almost asked Glenn Hughes to front Van Halen
Glenn Hughes, the former vocalist and bassist of Deep Purple, has confirmed that the late guitarist Eddie Van Halen almost asked him to sing for Van Halen in the 1980s.
In 1985, while Hughes contributed vocals for the Black Sabbath album Seventh Star, David Lee Roth left Van Halen to embark on a solo journey, creating a desperate void in one of the era’s most renowned heavy rock groups.
As a close friend of Eddie Van Halen and without any contractual obligations, Hughes became a front-runner to fill the void. In a new interview with The Classic Rock Podcast, Hughes remembered just how close he was to this seismic role.
“Well, Eddie was newly sober at that time…and we spoke about it,” Hughes remembered. “I had no idea. Eddie had been a friend of mine from the beginning.”
“Look… Would it have worked? I’m not sure. Unless I was completely sober — and I’ve been sober now for 24 years. Yeah, it would have been interesting, wouldn’t it? You never know,” he added.
Hughes first mentioned his ties to Van Halen in a 1996 interview with Classic Rock. He admitted that if he “would’ve been clean and sober,” then he “would’ve gotten the gig.” Alas, Eddie brought in the ostensibly sober Sammy Hagar for the position.
Although Hughes was pipped to an undoubtedly exciting job, his tenure with Deep Purple ensured that he’s remembered in the history books for years to come. In 2016, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the proto-metal band.
Watch Hughes’ induction speech as an ambassador for the 2016 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees below.
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