Sammy Hagar

Sammy Hagar, born October 13, 1947 in Salinas, California and known as the Red Rocker, is an American rock singer, guitarist, and songwriter with a career spanning more than five decades. He first rose to prominence as the lead vocalist of hard rock band Montrose from 1973 to 1975, before launching a prolific solo career with his 1976 debut Nine on a Ten Scale. Over the following decade he built a devoted following through relentless touring and a string of albums, earning his biggest solo hit in 1984 with I Can't Drive 55 from the platinum album VOA. In 1985 he was recruited by Eddie Van Halen to replace David Lee Roth as the band's lead singer - a move that initially divided fans but proved massively successful. The Van Halen album 5150 (1986) became the band's first number one album, and Hagar's run with the group through 1996 produced four consecutive number one records including OU812, For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge, and Balance. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Van Halen in 2007. After departing Van Halen he returned to his solo career and formed Sammy Hagar and the Waboritas, later co-founding the supergroup Chickenfoot with Joe Satriani, Chad Smith, and Michael Anthony in 2008. His band Sammy Hagar and the Circle released the acclaimed album Space Between in 2019, debuting at number four on the Billboard 200. Beyond music Hagar is a successful entrepreneur who sold his Cabo Wabo Tequila brand for $80 million in 2007 and has founded multiple restaurant and spirits ventures.