The band Sammy Hagar thought could have been “the American Led Zeppelin”
A lot of people don’t know this, but as well as being a damn good singer, Sammy Hagar can also play the guitar.
You can understand why people might overlook this fact every now and then, given Hagar plays alongside some of the greatest guitarists to have ever taken to the six-string. One of the most notable, of course, was Eddie Van Halen, when Hagar replaced David Lee Roth as the singer for Van Halen.
The two worked together incredibly well. Eddie Van Halen was one of the greatest shredders on the planet, as he used his tapping technique to play solos and riffs which were previously considered impossible. When Hagar and Eddie started making music together, they did so with a relaxed approach, and that led to the creation of some of the band’s best music.
“What I brought to Van Halen was just who and what I am,” said Hagar, “It was Sammy Hagar, who and what I was at that moment, but very inspired by Eddie Van Halen’s musicianship… He inspired me to write songs… Goosebump songs.”
Of course, Eddie wasn’t the only great guitar player that Sammy Hagar had the pleasure of sharing the stage with. He also played with Ronnie Montrose in the band Montrose. It was Ronnie who taught Hagar how to play the six-string in the first place, and the lead singer had a real affinity for his work.
He didn’t tend to compare the two guitarists, as he said that while Eddie Van Halen preferred to play more of a shredding guitar, Ronnie was a lot more methodical and aggressive with the way he played.
“Ronnie was on fire. That’s the way he played — like it’s burning,” said Hagar, “He wasn’t that fast. He wasn’t a shredder. He played well, and he played really fiery.”
It was a sound that worked perfectly for the band, and one that brought with it a load of exciting songs and potential. Hagar was confident that Montrose was the next big thing, as everywhere they went and everyone they played in front of seemed to be blown away by the strength of the band. Unfortunately, Ronnie had a bit of a perversion to success, and the moment the band became big, things became too much for him.
“Montrose — we were about to explode. We were gonna be the American Led Zeppelin, and he couldn’t take it,” he said, “I don’t know what it was. He was afraid of success. He’d sit there in the studio holding his face like, ‘Oh God, what are we gonna do?’ I’m like, ‘Fuck, let’s jam! Let’s make some music’.”
Hagar put this negative affinity toward the spotlight down to troubles that seem to have plagued Ronnie for a long time. They seemed to exist throughout his life, and in 2012, things became too much for him, as he decided to end his own life. The potential of Montrose as an artist and a band could never truly be realised, and his loss remains a huge loss for music as well.
“He was so tormented, man,” said Hagar, “I don’t know why; I think it must’ve been some far-out childhood thing that happened to him. I mean, come on — the guy shot himself in the head. It’s horrible.”
