Hear Eddie Van Halen Cover Jimi Hendrix’s "If 6 Was 9"
Taken from keyboardist David Garfield’s new EP, 'Guitar Heroes OTB, Vol. 1,' the cover opens with a dynamite EVH solo.
Back in 1996, David Garfield – a keyboardist whose lengthy list of credits includes work with Smokey Robinson, George Benson, and Steve Lukather – found himself working with a new friend of his, Eddie Van Halen.
The two were collaborating on Garfield's Tribute to Jeff Porcaro, the late Toto drummer, but also found the time to record – with singer and guitarist Michael Landau, bassist Will Lee and drummer Simon Phillips – a ferocious cover of the Jimi Hendrix classic, "If 6 Was 9."
Now, after 24 years, the cover is finally seeing the light of day as the latest single from Garfield’s new EP, Guitar Heroes OTB, Vol. 1. You can check it out above.
Garfield told Guitar World that he had met Van Halen by chance “at a local cigar store and we got to talking.” When he mentioned Tribute to Jeff Porcaro to Eddie, and asked if he'd like to participate, his response was "a resounding ‘yes!’ "
"I went up to his house to work on the tracks with him, and he was so cool," Garfield continued. "We bonded as keyboard players, too. After that session, we played a live gig together at the Baked Potato, along with Steve Lukather and Michael Landau.
"We continued to stay in touch, and often he would call me out of the blue, asking for help with keyboard related stuff. I even found a guy to travel with him on tour and play additional parts offstage, as well as be his keyboard tech.
“I'm sure sorry we lost him way too soon; I was hoping to collaborate with him again. Rest in peace, my brother Ed."
Get The Pick Newsletter
All the latest guitar news, interviews, lessons, reviews, deals and more, direct to your inbox!
Jackson is an Associate Editor at GuitarWorld.com and GuitarPlayer.com. He’s been writing and editing stories about new gear, technique and guitar-driven music both old and new since 2014, and has also written extensively on the same topics for Guitar Player. Elsewhere, his album reviews and essays have appeared in Louder and Unrecorded. Though open to music of all kinds, his greatest love has always been indie, and everything that falls under its massive umbrella. To that end, you can find him on Twitter crowing about whatever great new guitar band you need to drop everything to hear right now.
“We left that in because it captures what people want to hear from us. It felt so good to be playing together.” Warren Haynes talks recording with Derek Trucks for the first time in over 20 years on Gregg Allman's lost gem
"That riff was the first thing we sat down and played and we were like, 'Oh, that's interesting. Let's build a song around that.' ” How I Prevail and All Time Low rescued their monster hit “Hate This Song” from the dustbin