Born 79 Years Ago in California, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Who Paused His Solo Career to Front a Legendary 80s Rock Band
Sammy Hagar, born in Salinas, California, on 13 October 1947, rose from local bands to fame with Montrose and then built a successful solo career. In 1985 he replaced David Lee Roth as Van Halen’s frontman, helping lead the band through a commercially successful period.
Hagar’s first album with Van Halen, *5150*, reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in 1986, beginning a run of four consecutive chart-topping albums. The band also scored several major mainstream rock hits, and its 1992 album *For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge* earned its only Grammy. Hagar’s solo work included “I Can’t Drive 55” and “Give to Live”; he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.
- Sammy Hagar joined Van Halen in 1985.
- His first album with the band topped the Billboard 200.
- He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2007.
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Sammy Hagar is an American rock singer who first gained wider attention with the band Montrose in the 1970s, then released music under his own name. Van Halen, formed in California, became one of the best-known American hard-rock bands of the late 1970s and 1980s.
In 1985, Hagar took over as Van Halen’s lead singer after David Lee Roth left. The change began a successful stretch for the band, including four albums that reached the top of the US album chart in succession. Hagar also continued to record solo music, so his time with Van Halen was one part of a career spanning several bands and projects.