Adrian Vandenberg
Encyclopedia
Adrian van den Berg (born 31 January 1954, The Hague
in the Netherlands
) is a Dutch
rock
guitarist
, best known for his tenure as one of the guitarists in Whitesnake
during their successful late 1980s period.
. He then started his own band, simply named Vandenberg
, who released three albums in the 1980s, Vandenberg
, Heading for a Storm
and Alibi
. They are arguably best known for the ballad "Burning Heart", a song that features complementing guitar layers and harmonies, and "Friday Night", from the Heading for a Storm
album. They toured extensively, including a support slot to the Michael Schenker Group
in the UK in late 1982. A "Best of" compilation has recently been released.
in the early 1980s, having impressed David Coverdale
with not only his guitar wizardry, but also with his songwriting talent and his ability as a band leader. He initially declined, due to the success of his own band Vandenberg and their Top 40 hit, Burning Heart. By 1986, however, with pressure from the record company to become more and more commercial and their success hitting a plateau, he relented and finally disbanded Vandenberg and agreed to join Coverdale in Whitesnake
. Initially he was hired as a session musician, helping to complete their eponymous album Whitesnake
(known as 1987 in Europe) after a mass-firing of the original band members by Coverdale. He contributed the solo to their #1 hit "Here I Go Again
", but guitarist John Sykes
played all of the other rhythm and lead guitar on the album.
After an extremely successful world tour and extensive airplay for their 3 videos on MTV, van den Berg co-wrote all of the music to the follow-up album Slip of the Tongue
. However, in preparing to enter the studio for the recording sessions, he injured his wrist performing isometric piano warm up exercises and was unfortunately unable to contribute lead guitar work to the album Slip of the Tongue
. Steve Vai
was imported by founder David Coverdale to record both lead and rhythm guitars on the album instead of van den Berg's. Van den Berg healed in time to stay with the band on tour supporting the album in a now-trademark dual guitarist role with Steve Vai
. After Whitesnake was disbanded in 1991, he returned as part of other Whitesnake incarnations such as the 1994 Whitesnake's Greatest Hits
reunion/tour. He once again co-wrote the songs for the 1997 album Restless Heart
with Coverdale. This time, he played all of the guitars on this stripped-down, bluesy album, turning away from his well-known rock/metal neo-classical chops and towards his original main influence, Jimi Hendrix
. He also collaborated with Coverdale on the Whitesnake unplugged acoustic album, Starkers in Tokyo
.
After Whitesnake, he played in the band Manic Eden
, which also featured former Little Caesar
singer Ron Young, and Adrian's former Whitesnake bandmates bassist Rudy Sarzo
and drummer Tommy Aldridge
. The band split up when Adrian took part in Whitesnake's 1994 Greatest Hits reunion/tour.
He has since returned to painting and is an accomplished airbrush artist, having created the cover art for both the Heading for a Storm and Alibi albums.
When Whitesnake play in van den Berg's home country, the Netherlands, he makes a "surprise guest appearance"; he did so at the June 2008 Arrow Rock Festival
in Nijmegen, where he joined the current line-up for a performance of "Here I Go Again". He also played with them on the Sweden Rock Festival
in 2011 along with Bernie Marsden
.
Coverdale suggested that he and van den Berg should probably do an acoustic Whitesnake tour in the far future
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
in the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
) is a Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
, best known for his tenure as one of the guitarists in Whitesnake
Whitesnake
Whitesnake are an English rock band, founded in 1978 by David Coverdale after his departure from his previous band, Deep Purple. The band's early material has been compared by critics to Deep Purple, but by the mid 1980s they had moved to a more commercial hard rock style...
during their successful late 1980s period.
Early years
Van den Berg was originally the lead guitarist for the Dutch band Teaser, a band that released a self-titled album in 1978. This band should not be confused with the American band Teaser, which featured American guitarist Jake E. LeeJake E. Lee
Jakey Lou Williams , commonly known as Jake E. Lee, is an American guitarist best known for playing with Ozzy Osbourne in the mid-1980s and later in his own band Badlands.- Musical education :...
. He then started his own band, simply named Vandenberg
Vandenberg (band)
Vandenberg was a Dutch hard rock band named after guitarist Ad "Adje" van den Berg -Career:In 1981, Van den Berg worked with vocalist Jos Veldhuizen, bassist Griff "Studly" McGrath, and drummer Bico De Gooijer in a band called Teaser...
, who released three albums in the 1980s, Vandenberg
Vandenberg (album)
Vandenberg is the debut album by the Dutch Hard Rock band Vandenberg, released in 1982 on Atco Records and reaching #1 on the American Billboard charts the album spawned one single: the power ballad "Burning Heart"....
, Heading for a Storm
Heading For a Storm
The album Heading For A Storm by the Dutch hard rock band Vandenberg was released in 1983 on Atco Records. The painting on the album cover is made by Adrian Vandenberg.- Track listing :# "Friday Night" - 3:37# "Welcome to the Club" - 3:30...
and Alibi
Alibi (Vandenberg album)
Alibi is the third studio album by Dutch hard rock band Vandenberg. It was released in 1985 on Atco Records.- Track listing :# "All the Way" – 3:50# "Pedal to the Metal" – 4:31# "Once in a Lifetime" – 3:54# "Voodoo" – 3:21...
. They are arguably best known for the ballad "Burning Heart", a song that features complementing guitar layers and harmonies, and "Friday Night", from the Heading for a Storm
Heading For a Storm
The album Heading For A Storm by the Dutch hard rock band Vandenberg was released in 1983 on Atco Records. The painting on the album cover is made by Adrian Vandenberg.- Track listing :# "Friday Night" - 3:37# "Welcome to the Club" - 3:30...
album. They toured extensively, including a support slot to the Michael Schenker Group
Michael Schenker Group
The Michael Schenker Group is a guitar-oriented hard rock band formed in 1979 by former Scorpions and UFO guitarist, Michael Schenker. In 1986, Schenker and vocalist Robin McAuley formed the McAuley Schenker Group, which lasted until 1992. After that, the Michael Schenker Group was reformed.The...
in the UK in late 1982. A "Best of" compilation has recently been released.
Whitesnake
Van den Berg was originally approached to join WhitesnakeWhitesnake
Whitesnake are an English rock band, founded in 1978 by David Coverdale after his departure from his previous band, Deep Purple. The band's early material has been compared by critics to Deep Purple, but by the mid 1980s they had moved to a more commercial hard rock style...
in the early 1980s, having impressed David Coverdale
David Coverdale
David 'Jack' Coverdale is an English rock singer, most famous for his work with the his own hard rock band Whitesnake which achieved massive commercial success.-Early life:...
with not only his guitar wizardry, but also with his songwriting talent and his ability as a band leader. He initially declined, due to the success of his own band Vandenberg and their Top 40 hit, Burning Heart. By 1986, however, with pressure from the record company to become more and more commercial and their success hitting a plateau, he relented and finally disbanded Vandenberg and agreed to join Coverdale in Whitesnake
Whitesnake
Whitesnake are an English rock band, founded in 1978 by David Coverdale after his departure from his previous band, Deep Purple. The band's early material has been compared by critics to Deep Purple, but by the mid 1980s they had moved to a more commercial hard rock style...
. Initially he was hired as a session musician, helping to complete their eponymous album Whitesnake
Whitesnake (album)
Tracks 12-15 taken from Live: In the Shadow of the Blues-20th Anniversary Edition DVD:-Singles:*"Here I Go Again" *"Is This Love"*"Still of the Night"*"Crying in the Rain" *"Give Me All Your Love"-Personnel:...
(known as 1987 in Europe) after a mass-firing of the original band members by Coverdale. He contributed the solo to their #1 hit "Here I Go Again
Here I Go Again
"Here I Go Again" is a #1 hit song recorded by Whitesnake. Originally released on their 1982 album, Saints & Sinners, the song was re-recorded for their eponymous 1987 album Whitesnake. The song was re-recorded yet another time that year in a new "radio-mix" version...
", but guitarist John Sykes
John Sykes
John James Sykes , is an English rock guitarist, who has played with Streetfighter, Tygers of Pan Tang, John Sloman's Badlands, Thin Lizzy, Whitesnake, and Blue Murder, in addition to having a notable solo career....
played all of the other rhythm and lead guitar on the album.
After an extremely successful world tour and extensive airplay for their 3 videos on MTV, van den Berg co-wrote all of the music to the follow-up album Slip of the Tongue
Slip of the Tongue
-20th Anniversary Edition DVD:-Singles:*"Fool for Your Loving"*"Now You're Gone"*"The Deeper the Love"-Personnel:*David Coverdale – vocals*Steve Vai – All Guitars*Adrian Vandenberg - Guitars *Rudy Sarzo – bass...
. However, in preparing to enter the studio for the recording sessions, he injured his wrist performing isometric piano warm up exercises and was unfortunately unable to contribute lead guitar work to the album Slip of the Tongue
Slip of the Tongue
-20th Anniversary Edition DVD:-Singles:*"Fool for Your Loving"*"Now You're Gone"*"The Deeper the Love"-Personnel:*David Coverdale – vocals*Steve Vai – All Guitars*Adrian Vandenberg - Guitars *Rudy Sarzo – bass...
. Steve Vai
Steve Vai
Steven Siro "Steve" Vai is a three time Grammy Award-winning American guitarist, songwriter and producer who has sold over 15 million albums. Steve Vai is widely known as a flamboyant guitar virtuoso....
was imported by founder David Coverdale to record both lead and rhythm guitars on the album instead of van den Berg's. Van den Berg healed in time to stay with the band on tour supporting the album in a now-trademark dual guitarist role with Steve Vai
Steve Vai
Steven Siro "Steve" Vai is a three time Grammy Award-winning American guitarist, songwriter and producer who has sold over 15 million albums. Steve Vai is widely known as a flamboyant guitar virtuoso....
. After Whitesnake was disbanded in 1991, he returned as part of other Whitesnake incarnations such as the 1994 Whitesnake's Greatest Hits
Whitesnake's Greatest Hits
Whitesnake's Greatest Hits is a compilation of Whitesnake's biggest hits from the 1980s. It features hit singles from their albums Slide It In, Whitesnake and Slip of the Tongue. The album also contains three tracks previously unavailable in the USA.The compilation charted at number 161 on The...
reunion/tour. He once again co-wrote the songs for the 1997 album Restless Heart
Restless Heart (Whitesnake album)
Restless Heart is the ninth studio album recorded by Whitesnake. This was their first new studio album since 1989's Slip of the Tongue. The CD remains unreleased in the U.S...
with Coverdale. This time, he played all of the guitars on this stripped-down, bluesy album, turning away from his well-known rock/metal neo-classical chops and towards his original main influence, Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
. He also collaborated with Coverdale on the Whitesnake unplugged acoustic album, Starkers in Tokyo
Starkers In Tokyo
Starkers in Tokyo is a live acoustic album by Whitesnake released only in Japan on September 9, 1997. It is performed in the style of the Unplugged series and simply features David Coverdale on vocals and Adrian Vandenberg on acoustic guitar. The performance was recorded at the EMI studios in...
.
Current status
As of 2011, Adrian Vandenberg has written and recorded a song called "A Number One" for Holland's national soccer team FC Twente from his hometown of Enschede. Adrian has also announcced a new album to be released in 2011.After Whitesnake, he played in the band Manic Eden
Manic Eden
Manic Eden were a short-lived hard rock band featuring former Whitesnake members Adrian Vandenberg, Rudy Sarzo and Tommy Aldridge. At first, the band featured singer James Christian of House of Lords, but he was already fired shortly after the founding of Manic Eden and replaced by former Little...
, which also featured former Little Caesar
Little Caesar (band)
-History:The band was founded late in the 1980s by Ron Young, who had previously worked as a nightclub bouncer. The group independently released an EP which led to their signing with DGC Records, a subsidiary of Geffen Records, in 1989. John Kalodner did A&R work for the group, and Bob Rock...
singer Ron Young, and Adrian's former Whitesnake bandmates bassist Rudy Sarzo
Rudy Sarzo
Rudy Sarzo is a Cuban American hard rock/heavy metal bassist. Sarzo has played with many well known heavy metal acts including Quiet Riot, Ozzy Osbourne, Whitesnake, Manic Eden, Dio and Blue Öyster Cult.-Early life:...
and drummer Tommy Aldridge
Tommy Aldridge
Tommy Aldridge is a veteran heavy metal and hard rock drummer. Aldridge is noted for his work with numerous bands and vocalists, most notable being Black Oak Arkansas, Pat Travers Band, Ozzy Osbourne, Gary Moore, Whitesnake, Ted Nugent and Thin Lizzy.Self taught, Aldridge was inspired by Cream,...
. The band split up when Adrian took part in Whitesnake's 1994 Greatest Hits reunion/tour.
He has since returned to painting and is an accomplished airbrush artist, having created the cover art for both the Heading for a Storm and Alibi albums.
When Whitesnake play in van den Berg's home country, the Netherlands, he makes a "surprise guest appearance"; he did so at the June 2008 Arrow Rock Festival
Arrow Rock Festival
Arrow Rock Festival is a rock festival that takes place on a yearly basis since 2003 in the Netherlands. This festival presents mostly classic rock bands. The original location for the festival was Lichtenvoorde; until 2007 when the venue changed to Biddinghuizen. 2008 saw another location change,...
in Nijmegen, where he joined the current line-up for a performance of "Here I Go Again". He also played with them on the Sweden Rock Festival
Sweden Rock Festival
Sweden Rock Festival is an annual rock/metal festival held in Sweden since 6 June 1992. While having a clear rock/metal focus, the festival is noted for its diversity across these genres, having featured southern rock bands such as Molly Hatchet to death metal legends like Obituary.The first...
in 2011 along with Bernie Marsden
Bernie Marsden
-External links:*...
.
Coverdale suggested that he and van den Berg should probably do an acoustic Whitesnake tour in the far future