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We have always been really big Sammy Hagar fans here at ClassicRockHistory.com, and there are many reasons why. Of course, not everyone is a Sammy Hagar fan—the man replaced one of rock and roll’s most beloved singers, David Lee Roth, when he joined Van Halen. What Sammy Hagar did with Van Halen was essentially take them in a different direction. We’re not going to argue that the Sammy Hagar years were better than the David Lee Roth years, or vice versa—they were simply different. Nonetheless, that’s not why we only love Sammy Hagar.
Our love for Sammy Hagar began in the 1970s when we first saw him perform live, opening for Boston. The man delivered one of the most ferocious rock and roll shows we had ever seen. Non-stop, minute by minute, he just floored it. I wonder how many people became fans after seeing him open for Boston, having never heard him before. Of course, there were people older than us who knew his work with Montrose, but for us 15- or 16-year-old fans in the 1970s, those Boston concerts were our first glimpse of Sammy Hagar. From that moment on, we bought every single Sammy Hagar album we could get our hands on. It was primarily his debut Nine on a Ten Scale and the Sammy Hagar album, which most of us call the “Red Album.”
The Red Album was a fantastic record for rock fans who were 14, 15, 16, or 17. It spoke to us—the songs were about cruising around, having fun on the weekends, and all the typical rock and roll themes that teenagers could relate to. But it wasn’t just the songs; it was the performance. As we saw in concert, Sammy Hagar brought that same energy to his studio sessions. I can’t tell you how many times I listened to that Red Album. Nearly 50 years later, I’m still listening to it. He followed it up with Musical Chairs, which, while not as strong as the Red Album, still had some great tunes. That was followed by Street Machine in 1979 and Danger Zone in 1980, which marked the end of that particular chapter of Sammy Hagar’s career.
It was in 1982, when Standing Hampton arrived as Sammy Hagar’s first album after moving from Capitol Records to Geffen, that our love for his music multiplied by ten. Sammy Hagar took things to a whole new level. I never thought he would release an album I enjoyed more than the Red Album, but Standing Hampton was it. At that point, Sammy Hagar infused his rock and roll energy with well-written, melodic songs that brought him the most commercial success he had seen up to that point. Of course, we all know what happened over the next few albums, with Three Lock Box and VOA, when songs like “I Can’t Drive 55” turned him into a worldwide star. It was fun waiting for a new Sammy Hagar album every year, but after VOA, the whole game changed.
I was very excited when I first heard that Hagar was joining Van Halen, but like many Sammy Hagar fans, I was also pretty sad because it essentially meant the end of Sammy Hagar’s full-time solo career. I never fell into the “Sammy Hagar vs. David Lee Roth” camp—I enjoyed both. I thought each brought a distinct personality to the music in Van Halen. I loved the recordings Hagar made with Van Halen, though at times, I thought the lyrics could have been stronger. I’m not sure what happened there; maybe Hagar was overwhelmed by the ferocity and brilliance of Eddie Van Halen, or perhaps it was a little intimidating. But based on how I’ve heard Sammy talk, and how secure he always seemed to be, that probably wasn’t the reason. Nonetheless, all those Van Halen albums with Hagar were sensational.
I wish it had worked out with Van Halen. I wish they had never broken up and that Sammy had kept releasing new Van Halen records. It would have been amazing to see where they would have gone. But as fans, we don’t really know what happened—we just know it did. Of course, the upside of Sammy Hagar leaving Van Halen was his return to his solo career. Hagar went on to release a series of albums in the 1990s and 2000s, including Marching to Mars, Red Voodoo, Not 4 Sale, and Cosmic Universal Fashion, along with many more records and projects that were just spectacular. These weren’t merely a return to form; they took his solo career to a whole new level.
Sammy Hagar’s career started as a band member in Montrose. Although he eventually left Montrose to start a solo career, he later rejoined Van Halen. After leaving Van Halen and returning to his solo career, it’s quite possible that he missed being part of a band. In 2008, Sammy Hagar formed Chickenfoot with Joe Satriani, his former Van Halen bandmate Michael Anthony, and Chad Smith from the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Their self-titled debut album followed in 2009.
This was definitely a supergroup—another great band and more great music—and sadly, they released only two full studio albums. Chad Smith’s commitment to the Red Hot Chili Peppers naturally limited what Chickenfoot could do, and Joe Satriani had his solo career as well. Nonetheless, Sammy, Satriani, and Michael Anthony eventually came back together in the Best of All Worlds Band, with Kenny Aronoff on drums. Michael Anthony has remained one of Hagar’s closest musical partners through The Circle and the Best of All Worlds project, and hearing Sammy, Michael, and Joe together again has been one of the great pleasures of this later chapter of Hagar’s career.
Looking back, Sammy Hagar has given us more than 50 years of music. None of it has been anything short of spectacular to us—his solo albums, his recordings with Montrose, Van Halen, Chickenfoot, and The Circle, and now the Best of All Worlds Band have all kept that same rock and roll spirit alive. The guy doesn’t need the money—he built a fortune as an entrepreneur, including the extraordinary success of Cabo Wabo Tequila—but rock and roll is still in his blood. The 2024 Best of All Worlds tour turned into a 2025 Las Vegas residency, a 19-track live album, and the 2025 Eddie Van Halen tribute single “Encore, Thank You, Goodnight.” ‘
In 2026, Hagar returned again with more Best of All Worlds shows, including another Las Vegas residency and additional U.S. and U.K. dates. To still sound this energized, to keep celebrating the music, and to keep delivering emotionally charged performances at this stage of his life is as inspiring as it gets to old-time rock and roll fans like me. In the simplest terms, we love Sammy Hagar not just for his music, but for his passion for life and the energy he puts into every single day. That’s as inspiring as it gets.
Read More: Why Sammy Hagar’s Standing Hampton Album Was A Turning Point
Updated September 4, 2026.
Why We Love Sammy Hagar article published on ClassicRockHistory.com © 2026
