Which Heavy Metal guitarist was the bridge between Ronnie Montrose and Eddie Van Halen? - Now Spinning Magazine

Which rock guitarist was the bridge between the first ‘Montrose album in 1973 with Ronnie Montrose and Eddie Van Halen and the Van Halen debut in 1978 ? In this exciting Podcast I am joined again by Musicologist and Rock Writer Martin Popoff where we look at the influence of the first Montrose album and and the four years in between before the first Van Halen album arrived and changed everything in 1978. Being based in the UK I have focused on guitarists from the USA as I was already a huge Ritchie Blackmore for example and Montrose was the first real Heavy Metal album from the USA. I put forward the idea that Rick Derringer was one of the most important guitarists during this period outside of the UK rock scene. But was he the bridge between the two? Will Martin agree? What other guitarists and albums will get a mention? Watch the podcast to find out! Phil Aston | Now Spinning Magazine