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Artist
Montrose
12+ albums
hard rockclassic rockrockheavy metal70s
about
Montrose was an American hard rock band formed in 1973, named after guitarist and founder Ronnie Montrose. The original line-up consisted of lead vocalist Sammy Hagar, bassist Bill Church, and drummer Denny Carmassi. The band achieved moderate commercial success before disbanding in early 1977. Their debut album, "Montrose" (1973), produced by Ted Templeman, became a sleeper hit over time, eventually selling over one million copies and attaining platinum status in 1986. Before forming Montrose, Ronnie Montrose had worked as a session musician, contributing to Van Morrison's "Tupelo Honey" album and other projects, and was a member of the Edgar Winter Group, performing on the hit single "Frankenstein" from "They Only Come Out at Night" (1972). The original Montrose line-up was formed after Montrose left the Edgar Winter Group, with Hagar and Carmassi recruited from local San Francisco cover bands and Church joining through prior session work connections. The band made its public debut on April 21, 1973, in a live broadcast on KSAN FM featuring songs from their forthcoming album and unreleased tracks. The debut album "Montrose" peaked at number 133 on the U.S. Billboard chart and was later recognized as influential in hard rock and heavy metal, including on bands such as Iron Maiden. Bassist Bill Church was replaced by Alan Fitzgerald for the second album, "Paper Money" (1974), which reached number 65 on the Billboard 200. During this period, creative differences arose, and H
