Sammy Hagar rose to prominence in the early 1970s with the hard rock band Montrose and subsequently launched a successful solo career, scoring a hit in 1984 with "I Can't Drive 55".
52 Facts About Sammy Hagar
2.
Sammy Hagar enjoyed commercial success when he replaced David Lee Roth as the second lead vocalist of Van Halen in 1985, but left in 1996.
3.
Sammy Hagar returned to the band from 2003 to 2005.
4.
In 2007, Sammy Hagar was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Van Halen.
5.
Also a businessman, Hagar founded the Cabo Wabo tequila brand and restaurant chain, as well as Sammy's Beach Bar rum.
6.
Sam Roy Sammy Hagar was born to Bobby and Gladys Sammy Hagar in Salinas, California, and was named after his maternal grandfather, Sam Roy Baio.
7.
Sammy Hagar's family worked in the lettuce fields and he lived with his parents and three siblings in a labor camp until moving south to Fontana, California.
8.
Bobby Sammy Hagar was an alcoholic boxer who held a record for being knocked down 20 times in a single fight.
9.
The Sammy Hagar family moved frequently, as Bobby had a habit of spending the rent money on alcohol; Sammy Hagar recalls living in nine different homes in Fontana while growing up.
10.
When Sammy Hagar was ten years old, his mother Gladys took the children and left Bobby for good.
11.
Sammy Hagar excelled academically and discovered music while in high school, teaching himself to play guitar on a $40 instrument purchased from a Sears catalog.
12.
Sammy Hagar fronted his first band, the Fabulous Castilles, when he was 14 years old.
13.
At age 17, Sammy Hagar went to San Bernardino and snuck in to see the 1964 US debut of the Rolling Stones at the Swing Auditorium.
14.
Sammy Hagar moved to nearby Riverside and played in a handful of local bands, while landing a job running the music department at a local store.
15.
Sammy Hagar first joined the Johnny Fortune Band as lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist and subsequently played in a string of other pre-Montrose bands including Big Bang, Skinny, Dustcloud, Cotton, Jimmy, the Justice Brothers, and Manhole.
16.
At some point after landing in San Francisco, two members of his band were arrested on drug charges, and Sammy Hagar found himself broke and without a band.
17.
Sammy Hagar subsequently spent several months driving a dump truck for his father-in-law in New York as a means of supporting himself until he could put a new band together.
18.
In 1970, Sammy Hagar returned to Fontana with his wife and new baby, pursuing a career in music full time.
19.
Sammy Hagar appeared on the band's debut and sophomore albums, which included the first song Sammy Hagar ever wrote, "Bad Motor Scooter".
20.
However, Sammy Hagar felt that Carter did not play to his strengths as "a heavy-metal guy" and instead tried to generate Top 40 hits with little success.
21.
Sammy Hagar penned songs that became hits for other bands, notably the top 10 rocker for Rick Springfield, "I've Done Everything for You".
22.
Bette Midler recorded two Sammy Hagar songs, "Keep on Rockin" and "Red".
23.
Sammy Hagar left Capitol for the newly formed Geffen Records and made some personnel changes, including enlisting long-time friend and former Justice Brothers bandmate David Lauser as his drummer.
24.
Sammy Hagar continued to enjoy commercial success in the 1980s, with perhaps his best-known song, "I Can't Drive 55", from his 1984 album VOA, reaching No 26 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart and garnering heavy AOR airplay.
25.
In 1987, Sammy Hagar had his first No 1 hit on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks with "Give to Live" from I Never Said Goodbye, released after he had joined Van Halen.
26.
Sammy Hagar disagreed with a decision to record two new tracks for a greatest hits album after the band had agreed to take time off following their 1995 world tour.
27.
Sammy Hagar wanted instead to record a new studio album, but only after Eddie, Alex, and Sammy Hagar's pregnant wife had all dealt with their respective medical issues.
28.
Sammy Hagar claimed to have flown to Los Angeles with his wife only to discover that she could not fly back to Hawaii.
29.
Similarly, neither band has ever made any official releases, although a number of unofficial bootleg live recordings have been widely circulated on CD and download, though these tend to be credited to Van Halen even when Sammy Hagar refers to Los Tres Gusanos by name during the recorded performances.
30.
In 2021, Sammy Hagar claimed that, during the early years of Los Tres Gusanos' formation, he was offered a spot singing for metal band Pantera that did not come to fruition.
31.
Sammy Hagar produced several solo records after the split with Van Halen in 1996.
32.
Sammy Hagar hit No 1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in 1997 with "Little White Lie".
33.
The tour drew large crowds and featured no opening acts; Roth and Sammy Hagar alternated as the first act.
34.
Sammy Hagar released a live album, featuring vocals by Mike and Gary, and a documentary DVD, Long Road to Cabo, about touring with Roth.
35.
In 2002, with Van Halen still unreformed at this point, Sammy Hagar joined again with guitarists Neal Schon of Journey and later Joe Satriani to form a new side project called Planet Us, along with Van Halen member Michael Anthony on bass and Deen Castronovo on drums.
36.
In 2004, Van Halen toured with Sammy Hagar while releasing a 2-CD greatest hits album, titled The Best of Both Worlds, featuring three new Van Halen tracks fronted by Sammy Hagar.
37.
Sammy Hagar said in an interview that Eddie had changed and was not the same person anymore.
38.
In 2005, Sammy Hagar continued to play with the Waboritas as he toured the Atlantic coast and the Midwest and added ex-Van Halen bass player Michael Anthony.
39.
Sammy Hagar has a longstanding and strong relationship with St Louis.
40.
In 2008, Sammy Hagar formed a supergroup named Chickenfoot with Michael Anthony, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, and guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani.
41.
Sammy Hagar formed a new supergroup in 2014, featuring Michael Anthony, Waboritas guitarist Vic Johnson, and drummer Jason Bonham.
42.
Sammy Hagar previously endorsed Yamaha guitars, which are currently producing a line of Sammy Hagar signature guitars named the Yamaha AES620 SH.
43.
Previously, Sammy Hagar collaborated with Washburn Guitars, which made a Sammy Hagar signature guitar named Washburn RR150, which featured Seymour Duncan pickups and a piezo pickup incorporated into the bridge.
44.
Sammy Hagar has used Crate Amplifiers, which marketed a Sammy Hagar signature 120-watt amplifier named Crate BV120RH Red Voodoo Amp Head.
45.
The most notable and longest standing group of Sammy Hagar's is called the Waboritas who were founded in 1997 for the Marching to Mars Tour.
46.
When Sammy Hagar went on tour with Van Halen in 2004, the band were paid to be held on reserve for Sammy Hagar after the tour, despite the band going into a temporary hiatus for the duration.
47.
However, due to commitments of other members of Chickenfoot slowing the band's progress, Sammy Hagar has performed more than he initially planned to with the Wabos lineup.
48.
Sammy Hagar married his first wife, Betsy Berardi, on November 3,1968.
49.
Sammy Hagar is the cousin of Christian metal singer Ken Tamplin, who is best known for his work with Joshua, Shout and Magdallan in addition to his solo career.
50.
Sammy Hagar is a long-time Ferrari enthusiast and owns a 2008 Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano F1.
51.
Sammy Hagar still owns the 1982 Ferrari 512BB made famous in his "I Can't Drive 55" music video.
52.
In March 2011, Sammy Hagar released an autobiography entitled Red: My Uncensored Life in Rock, written with the assistance of rock critic Joel Selvin.