Billy Sheehan

Billy Sheehan acquired the moniker "the Eddie Van Halen of the bass" before securing his breakthrough opportunity alongside David Lee Roth, the one-time frontman of Van Halen. While Eddie Van Halen garnered primary acclaim for bringing two-handed tapping to the guitar, accounts suggested Sheehan applied the identical approach on bass at roughly the same moment, fueling 1980s speculation among guitar enthusiasts over true origination.

Born in Buffalo, New York, Sheehan fronted Talas across the 1970s and early 1980s, a club act that shifted from covers to original compositions bearing strong stylistic resemblance to Van Halen. The link intensified when Van Halen booked Talas for several arena dates in 1980 even though the group still lacked major-label affiliation. Years afterward Sheehan recounted that Eddie Van Halen had floated the idea of replacing Michael Anthony in Van Halen, yet the bassist elected to remain with Talas.

A succession of independent releases followed—1980s Talas: Featuring Billy Sheehan, 1982's Sink Your Teeth into That, and 1983's Live Speed on Ice—during which national guitar magazines began spotlighting Sheehan's distinctive bass technique. Just as Talas stood on the verge of a major-label deal in 1985, David Lee Roth telephoned his former acquaintance to ask whether Sheehan would join his post-Van Halen solo project. Accepting the invitation, Sheehan joined guitarist Steve Vai and drummer Gregg Bissonette to form the lineup that recorded 1986's Eat 'Em and Smile. The album balanced instrumental virtuosity with anthemic arena-rock songs, incorporating the Talas-era Sheehan composition "Shy Boy" as both a track and concert opener.

Despite the praise and commercial headway, the partnership dissolved quickly when Roth demanded a scaled-back approach on the follow-up, 1988's Skyscraper, prompting Sheehan's departure before the ensuing tour. He soon resurfaced in Mr. Big, a hard-rock quartet featuring ex-Racer X guitarist Paul Gilbert, vocalist Eric Martin, and drummer Pat Torpey. The self-titled debut arrived in 1989, yet U.S. success materialized only with 1991's Lean into It, driven by the hit ballads "To Be with You" and "Just Take My Heart." Although Mr. Big issued further albums through the 1990s and retained arena-headliner status in Japan, its American audience eroded, leading to the band's dissolution in the early 2000s.

Sheehan subsequently pursued multiple ventures, among them the power trio Niacin with keyboardist John Novello and drummer Dennis Chambers, the Terry Bozzio collaboration Nine Short Films, and several G3 U.S. tours supporting Steve Vai. His first proper solo album, Compression, appeared in 2001. Over the years he also contributed to recordings by Glenn Hughes, Glenn Tipton, Explorer's Club, Tony MacAlpine, and Richie Kotzen, as well as assorted tribute projects.