Van Halen

Though Alex had been the guitarist in the family, when they formed Van Halen, it quickly became clear who would play: "[Ed] made that instrument sing." Alex's new memoir is Brothers.

A killer Eddie Van Halen solo has an air of rawness and immediacy, but what made the late pyrotechnic guitarist iconic was his ability to balance spontaneity with carefully-honed precision.

The namesake of rock band Van Halen dazzled a generation of guitar fans with his flashy solos and trademark finger tapping.

Steve Ripley, guitarist, inventor and leader of the country rock group The Tractors, died Thursday evening at his Pawnee County home after a year-long…