Known in the industry as the Red Rocker, Sammy Hagar came out of San Francisco after relocating there to attend the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967. He made his way through the fertile Bay Area club scene until being picked by ex-Edgar Winter Group guitarist Ronnie Montrose to front that axeman’s own group.
Simply entitled …entire summary
Sammy Hagar - vocals
Bill Church - bass
Alan Fitzgerald - keyboards
Gary Pihl - guitar
Denny Carmassi - drums
Known in the industry as the Red Rocker, Sammy Hagar came out of San Francisco after relocating there to attend the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967. He made his way through the fertile Bay Area club scene until being picked by ex-Edgar Winter Group guitarist Ronnie Montrose to front that axeman’s own group.
Simply entitled Montrose, the group’s debut 1973 LP, and its 1974 successor, remain among the best hard rock albums of that era, scoring such FM hits as "Bad Motor Scooter" and "Rock Candy.” By 1975, Montrose was moving in other musical directions and Hagar felt he had enough momentum to launch his own career. It would take a while to click with mainstream rock audiences, but eventually Hagar would establish his own presence by way of a series of solo discs on Capitol Records.
His solo success would be closely identified with working class values and a distinct love for very fast red cars. Among his biggest solo hits would be the comical, "I Can’t Drive 55,” which he issued after the Federal government lowered most speed limits to 55mph during the fuel shortage of the early 1980s.
Hagar would continue to have a steady ,though static, career until 1986, when Van Halen tapped him to replace the exiting and very flamboyant lead singer, David Lee Roth. During his tenure with Van Halen, Hagar co-wrote and sang some of that band’s biggest hits before storming out the group in the late ‘90s when he learned they were secretly recording with Roth again for a planned reunion.
This show, recorded for the King Biscuit Flower Hour, is a classic solo performance by Hagar and his band, who continue to record and tour today.
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