 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 Arronson 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. 2006 saw
the release of Livin' It Up!, 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 eleventh solo album and first for
Roadrunner imprint Loud and Proud Records.
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