Former Deep Purple singer-bassist Glenn Hughes has confirmed that Eddie Van Halen nearly asked him to front Van Halen in the 1980s.
Around the same Hughes was recording vocals for the Black Sabbath album Seventh Star, David Lee Roth exited Van Halen in 1985 to pursue a solo career, leaving a gaping hole in one of the most popular rock acts of the era. Hughes — a good friend of Eddie Van Halen and a free agent — appeared as a prime candidate.
Hughes reflected on his hypothetical Van Halen membership in a new interview with The Classic Rock Podcast.
“Well, Eddie was newly sober at that time… And we spoke about it,” Hughes said of the possibility of joining Van Halen [as transcribed by Blabbermouth]. “I had no idea. Eddie had been a friend of mine from the beginning.”
He added, “Look… Would it have worked? I’m not sure. Unless I was completely sober — and I’ve been sober now for 24 years. Yeah, it would have been interesting, wouldn’t it? You never know.”
Hughes initially revealed his Van Halen candidacy in a 1996 interview, in which he insisted that if he “would’ve been clean and sober” then he “would’ve gotten the gig.” Van Halen instead tapped Sammy Hagar as their lead singer, and the rest is history.
While he missed out on the Van Halen gig, Hughes did get inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Deep Purple in 2016. He is currently slated to team up with guitar shredder Yngwie Malmsteen for a summer US tour. Dates kick off August 16th in Vineland, New Jersey, and you can pick up tickets here.
You can check out the full podcast interview with Glenn Hughes below.