A couple of weeks ago, Heart guitarist Nancy Wilson premiered "4 Edward," an acoustic instrumental she wrote as a tribute to the late Eddie Van Halen.
The closing track on her debut solo album, You and Me, Wilson was inspired to write the piece by an interaction she had with the guitar great when Heart was on tour with Van Halen.
A few days back, Wilson sat down with one of her signature HD-35 Martin acoustics to give an intimate, porch-side performance of "4 Edward," which you can check out above.
You can also give the studio-recorded version of the piece a spin below.
"4 Edward" was inspired by a time when – after he complimented her on her acoustic guitar skills – Wilson asked Eddie why never played an acoustic on stage, to which Eddie replied that he didn't even own an acoustic guitar.
Wilson soon fixed that, gifting Eddie an acoustic that he promptly used to write a song – which he played for her over the phone – that "stole Wilson's heart." Wilson wrote “4 Edward” as a way of returning the favor.
You and Me features guest spots from the likes of Sammy Hagar, Duff McKagan, Taylor Hawkins, and Liv Warfield, and is set for a May 7 release via Carry On Music. You can check out its track list and cover art below.
Nancy Wilson – You and Me:
1. You and Me
2. The Rising
3. I’ll Find You
4. Daughter
5. Party at the Angel Ballroom (with Duff McKagan & Taylor Hawkins)
6. The Boxer (with Sammy Hagar)
7. Walk Away
8. The Inbetween
9. Dreams (with Liv Warfield)
10. The Dragon
11. We Meet Again
12. 4 Edward
