Jimmy Kay and Alan Dixon recently speak to Former W.A.S.P. guitarist Chris Holmes and longtime friend of Eddie Van Halen
In the conversation Chris Holmes revealed the suspected inspiration and origins of Eddie Van Halen's famous tapping guitar techinque. He also spoke about the early days of Van Halen and his long time friendship with Edward Van Halen.
Watch full interview here
Chris Holmes told The Metal Voice,""Terry Kilgore was a guitarist and had a band called Reddi Kilowat in Pasedina and he was friends with Ed (back in the 70's). I took lessons from Terry probably around 1974-75. One time I was painting guitarost Harvey Mandel's hiuse (Guitarist Mandel is one of the first rock guitarists to use two-handed fretboard tapping wikipedia) in La Canada, Flintridge which had gold records on the wall and I told Terry. I never met Harvey but I met his wife. So I told Terry do you know Harvey Mandel? I told him I don't know him but I am painting his house and Terry goes could you ask if I could meet him? I was thinking he must be some special jazz guitarist. So I asked Mandel's wife If I can give Terry's number to him and Harvey called him. Terry went up and met him and learned some tricks from him, Terry learned the finger tap. And maybe a month later Eddie Van Halen was doing it. I have heard Ed say different stories. Terry and Ed were guitar rivals around town and they were friends. Terry had a certain style, I'm not saying Ed stole but some of the early style of Ed came from Terry. "
On July 6 2015 Eddie Van Halen was quoted in Guitar world saying
"A really good friend of mine named Terry Kilgore and I were the so-called gunslingers in Pasadena back in the mid Seventies. We jammed together and would trade licks and have a lot of fun" (When talking about discovering MXR pedals)
Eddie Van Halen, a guitar virtuoso who, inspired legions of guitar imitators and propelled his band Van Halen to four turbulent decades of stadium-rock stardom, died Oct. 6 2020. He was 65.
Terry Kilgore
Harvey Mandel