A lot of people know Sammy Hagar as the vocalist who
replaced David Lee Roth in Van Halen. But Hagar’s
musical career began long before that, in the late 1960s,
when he sang with several California bands, building
a reputation on the hard rock scene. In the mid-1970s,
he spent a few years as a singer and guitarist in the
band Montrose.
Hagar also enjoyed a solo career both before and after
his Van Halen years. In fact, his self-titled effort
went gold and marked his debut on the charts.
When Roth and Van Halen went their separate ways in
the mid-‘80s, the rest of the band began an exhaustive
search for a new vocalist, finally settling on Hagar.
With him as frontman, Van Halen released four multi-platinum
albums and numerous number-one hits. But by 1996, creative
differences ensued, and the band eventually broke up.
Van Halen regrouped to search once more for a new vocalist,
and Hagar went back to his solo career. He co-headlined
with Roth on the “Heavyweights of Rock”
tour in 2002, but Hagar was welcomed back into the Van
Halen fold after contacting Alex Van Halen in late 2003.
Early the next year, Van Halen with Sammy Hagar was
once again in business, and a summer tour and “best
of” album were in the works. The album, “Best
of Both Worlds,” contained three new tracks, all
with Hagar as the frontman.
The tour, however, was problematic, and the situation
onstage and backstage at the final show in Tucson, Arizona,
was a tense one. The idea of a future new album was
scrapped, and from then on, Sammy Hagar concert tickets
would be available only for the singer’s shows
as a solo artist.
Hagar toured the Midwest and Atlantic coats in 2005,
playing with The Waboritas on the coast and with cover
band Los Tres Gusanos in the Midwest. Hagar also hit
Michigan and the southwestern U.S., finishing up the
tour at his Tahoe Wabo Cantina.
Still, Hagar hasn’t completely escaped Van Halen.
Not only did he tour alongside bassist Michael Anthony
with Los Tres Gusanos, but he also plans to meet up
with Anthony in 2006. Hagar released a solo album, “Livin’
It Up,” in March, and he will tour with the Waboritas
to support it, bringing along Anthony and the Van Halen
tribute band The Other Half.
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