From breaking into the industry with the seminal hard rock band Montrose to his multiplatinum solo career to his ride as the front man of Van Halen, Sammy Hagar has set the tone for some of the greatest rock anthems ever written with songs like “I Can’t Drive 55,” “Right Now,” and “Why Can’t This Be Love.” Along his journey, Hagar has also become a dedicated philanthropist, a New York Times best-selling author and auspicious entrepreneur.
Flip through the gallery for 10 Things You Might Not Know About Sammy Hagar!
Sammy Hagar was born Samuel Roy Hagar on October 13, 1947 in Salinas, California. He was named after his maternal grandfather, Sam Roy
Sammy Hagar formed his first band, The Fabulous Castilles, in 1967
In 1973 Sammy released his first album with Montrose featuring "Bad Motor Scooter," the first song Sammy ever wrote
In 1977 Sammy released the solo album ‘Sammy Hagar’ featuring the massive hit ‘Red’ which led him to become known as the Red Rocker
In 1983 Sammy and Neal Schon formed the supergroup HSAS (Hagar Schon Aaronson Shrieve) along with former Foghat bassist Kenny Aaronson and former Santana drummer Michael Shrieve
Sammy joined Van Halen in 1985 after VH members parted ways with vocalist David Lee Roth. In July 1985, given Eddie Van Halen's appreciation of Montrose and his mechanic's suggestion, the band auditioned and quickly hired Hagar to fill the opening
In the 1990s, Sammy built a mountain bike store called Sausalito Cyclery, soon rated the number one independent bike store in California. Hagar designed a mountain bike called the "Red Rocker," built with a red frame by Gary Fisher, considered one of the inventors of the modern mountain bike
Sammy married his first wife, Betsy Berardi, on November 3, 1968. They had two sons together, Aaron and Andrew. In 1994, the couple divorced after 26 years of marriage. He married his current wife, Kari Karte-Hagar, on November 29, 1995, and together they have two daughters, Kama and Samantha
It was announced on May 7, 2007 that Sammy was selling an 80% interest in his Cabo Wabo Tequila to Gruppo Campari, the world's seventh-largest spirits company, for $80 million. In 2010, he sold the remaining 20% interest in Cabo Wabo Tequila to Gruppo Campari for $11 million (bringing the total to $91 million)
Sammy formed a new supergroup in 2014, featuring Michael Anthony, Waboritas guitarist Vic Johnson, and drummer Jason Bonham. The group was called The Circle as according to Hagar, "this band has kinda taken me full circle in my career
