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After spending several years as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the mid-'70s hard rock band Montrose, Sammy Hagar began a solo
career that produced several hits and made him an album rock favorite. Hagar became a true star once he joined Van Halen in 1985, but he
was a popular hard rocker ever since his first album with Montrose.
After giving up a boxing career, Hagar began singing in the late '60s, performing with various California bands including Skinny, the Fabulous
Catillas, Justice Brothers, and Dust Cloud. During this time, he built up a solid reputation in the Calif ...read more
After spending several years as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the mid-'70s hard rock band Montrose, Sammy Hagar began a solo
career that produced several hits and made him an album rock favorite. Hagar became a true star once he joined Van Halen in 1985, but he
was a popular hard rocker ever since his first album with Montrose.
After giving up a boxing career, Hagar began singing in the late '60s, performing with various California bands including Skinny, the Fabulous
Catillas, Justice Brothers, and Dust Cloud. During this time, he built up a solid reputation in the California hard rock scene. Former Edgar
Winter guitarist Ronnie Montrose asked Hagar to join his band, Montrose, in 1973. Hagar recorded two albums with Montrose before going
solo in 1976, taking the group's bassist, Bill Church. Montrose's drummer Denny Carmassi later joined Hagar's band, along with keyboardist
Geoff Workman.
Hagar's self-titled "red album" was his first chart entry; it eventually went gold. In 1979, he created a new supporting band featuring
Workman, Church, guitarist Gary Pihl, and drummer Chuck Ruff. This lineup played on Hagar's most popular solo album, 1981's platinum
Standing Hampton, plus 1982's gold Three Lock Box with only one member missing -- drummer Ruff was replaced by David
Lauser. After Three Lock Box and its number 13 hit single "Your Love Is Driving Me Crazy," Hagar played several shows with guitarist
Neal Schon, bassist Kenny Aaronson, and drummer Mike Shrieve; the group recorded a live album under the name Hagar Schon Aaronson
Shrieve (HSAS), as well as a studio version of Procol Harum's "A Whiter Shade of Pale." His 1984 album VOA contained the hit single "I
Can't Drive 55," which peaked at number 26.
In 1985, Hagar replaced David Lee Roth in Van Halen; his first album with the group was 1986's 5150. Hagar released his last solo
album in 1987; the record was coined I Never Said Goodbye in an MTV contest. Hagar stayed with Van Halen through the remainder of
the '80s and half of the '90s. During that time, the band had four other multi-platinum albums -- OU812 (1988), For Unlawful Carnal
Knowledge (1991), Live: Right Here, Right Now (1993), Balance (1995) -- before tensions began to surface between Hagar and
the rest of the band.
In the summer of 1996, Hagar either quit Van Halen or was fired; the band had Roth return to sing two tracks on Best of Van Halen, Vol.
1 before hiring former Extreme vocalist Gary Cherone as Hagar's replacement. The entire incident became a media sensation, ensuring
that Hagar's 1997 solo album Marching to Mars -- his first in ten years -- would be greeted with much media-generated fanfare. It sold
surprisingly well, peaking in the Top 20 and re-establishing Hagar as a viable solo act. With a backing band called the Waboritas in tow
(consisting of guitarist Vic Johnson, keyboardist Jesse Harms, bassist Mona, and drummer David Lauser), Hagar followed the success with
Red Voodoo two years later; it too sold very respectably on the strength of the single "Mas Tequila," just missing the Top 20.
Hagar's resurgence continued with 2000's Ten 13. Not 4 Sale arrived in 2003, followed by his first live album in 20 years, Live:
Hallelujah. Livin' It Up! was released in 2006, while VOA was reissued the following year in deluxe format, courtesy of the newly
launched American Beat Records. In 2008 Hagar released Cosmic Universal Fashion, his 11th solo album and first for Roadrunner
imprint Loud & Proud Records. That same year, he debuted a new band, Chickenfoot, after jamming with Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony,
guitarist Joe Satriani, and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith. The supergroup released its self-titled debut album in 2009. « hide |
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