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Artist
Sammy Hagar
12+ albums
hard rockrockclassic rockheavy metalmetal
about
Samuel Roy Hagar (born October 13, 1947), also known as the Red Rocker, is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. He rose to prominence in the early 1970s as the lead vocalist of Montrose before launching a solo career, achieving a hit in 1984 with "I Can't Drive 55". Hagar later gained further commercial success as the lead vocalist of Van Halen from 1985 to 1996, and again from 2003 to 2005. In 2007, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Van Halen. His musical style primarily consists of hard rock and heavy metal. Hagar was born in Salinas, California, to Robert Alton "Bobby" Hagar and Alberta "Gladys" Hagar, and grew up in Fontana, California. He is of Irish and Italian descent. Hagar’s family moved frequently due to his father’s alcoholism, and he worked various jobs in his youth, including picking fruit, delivering newspapers, and mowing lawns. He taught himself to play guitar as a teenager and formed his first band, the Fabulous Castilles, at age 14. Hagar attended concerts by the Rolling Stones and surf guitarist Dick Dale, which influenced his early musical development. After high school, he joined several local bands, including the Johnny Fortune Band, Big Bang, Skinny, Dustcloud, Cotton, Jimmy, the Justice Brothers, and Manhole, and eventually relocated to San Francisco. In 1973, Hagar was recruited by guitarist Ronnie Montrose to join the newly formed hard rock band Montrose. He appeared on the ba
