Michael Anthony (musician)
| Michael Anthony | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | Michael Anthony Sobolewski |
| Born |
June 20, 1954 Chicago, Illinois, United States |
| Genres | Hard rock, heavy metal |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Bass guitar, vocals |
| Years active | 1967–present |
| Labels | Warner Bros., Redline Entertainment |
| Associated acts |
Van Halen Chickenfoot Sammy Hagar Los Tres Gusanos The Other Half Mad Anthony Xpress |
| Notable instruments | |
|
Schecter Michael Anthony Signature Model Yamaha BB3000MA Custom Jack Daniel's bass Gibson EB-1 Violin Bass |
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Michael Anthony Sobolewski (born June 20, 1954), known professionally as Michael Anthony, is an American musician who is currently the bass player in the rock supergroup Chickenfoot. Anthony is best known as the former bass player for the hard rock band Van Halen.
Anthony is known for his stage antics, his effects-laden live solos, his number of custom-made bass guitars, including a Jack Daniel's model shaped like a whiskey bottle, and his background vocals in Van Halen. He also has a signature Yamaha bass-guitar series. In total, Anthony is known to have in excess of 150 bass guitars. In addition to his musical career with Van Halen and other acts, Anthony markets a line of hot sauces and related products named Mad Anthony.
While Anthony was a promising catcher in baseball, he also competed on the Dana Junior High School track team (long jump) and played in the marching band there from 1967–1969. He took an interest in guitar as a teenager, but picked up the bass instead since most of his other friends already played guitar or drums. Anthony's friend Mike Hershey gave him a Fender Mustang electric guitar that Anthony converted by removing the two highest strings and playing it as a bass guitar. Eventually, his father bought him a Victoria copy of a Fender Precision Bass and a Gibson amplifier. Anthony mostly modeled his bass playing after Jack Bruce of Cream, but also admired Led Zeppelin's John Paul Jones and Harvey Brooks of Electric Flag. His first band was called Poverty's Children. Other bands he played in included Black Opal, Balls, and Snake. Although Anthony is naturally left-handed, he plays right-handed.
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