Who is the man who just can’t seem to drive 55 and might break the miles-per-hour speed limit by touring on his Bad Motor Scooter? From his days as the lead singer of legendary rock group Montrose to his days as a solo artist and fronting several other bands over the years, Sammy Hagar has lived up to his nickname: The Red Rocker. He’s rocked hard and long, whether it be with Van Halen, then the Wabos and now fronting the oddly-named but hard rocking Chickenfoot. He is an icon in the rock world, an inductee in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, who has pleased fans throughout his long musical career.
Hagar’s Early Years
For Hagar, rock and roll didn’t seem like the way he would go when he was young – rather, he was known as a boxer when he was raised in Fontana, California. “I was boxing all the time when I was about 14,” Hagar said. “I was getting ready to go professional until I took a good look at the guys in the gym one day and decided there had to be a better way."
That way led to the band Skinny, which changed into the Sammy Hagar Band and a solid reputation for its front man. Later, rocker Ronny Montrose was looking for a lead singer and Hagar “weaseled” his way into a successful audition. Following that were two albums with Montrose, titled Montrose and Paper Money, in the early 1970s. Then, Montrose quit and Hagar went solo, recording a string of albums including Nine on a 10 Scale and Sammy Hagar (The Red Album). His last solo effort before joining Van Halen for 1986’s 5150 album was the VOA record.
The Van Halen Era, Chickenfoot and Beyond
The 5150 album was the first No. 1 record for either Hagar or Van Halen and opened the door for more rocking for the new quartet, which saw Hagar replace David Lee Roth, who went on to a lukewarm solo career. After 5150, the Hagar-led version of Van Halen went on to record OU812, For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge, a live album and Balance. Finally, Van Halen went on to record the single Humans Being in 1996, which was on the Twister movie soundtrack.
From there, reports differed on the split between Hagar and Van Halen. Hagar reported he was fired, while the Van Halen camp insisted he had quit. Either way, Hagar rocked on the following year with the Marching to Mars solo album. Following that came several albums with the Sammy and the Wabos group, which Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony occasionally played with.
Also on the Hagar career playlist was the unlikely Sans Halen tour, which was Hagar paired with David Lee Roth, with each artist taking turns on stage. Not surprisingly, that tour was short lived, with Hagar voicing discontent with Roth’s over-the-top antics. In 2004 it was time for Hagar to return to Van Halen. When touring with the group ended, Hagar was once again done with Van Halen.
In recent times, Hagar has played with the often-referred-to-as supergroup Chickenfoot, which in addition to Hagar and Anthony features guitarist Joe Satriani and Chad Smith, drummer for the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
What’s next for the Red Rocker? More Chickenfoot play, as well as with the Wabos band, seems likely. One thing is certain… Hagar is bound to entertain his fans for years to come.
Eric Schmiedl - Eric Schmiedl is an award-winning reporter and editor who has worked in journalism since 1989. He has a degree in English language and ...
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