Sammy Hagar

It’s the shot heard round the world! Sammy Hagar’s RED VOODOO is the rock ‘n’ roll party album of the new millennium. And who’s gonna argue? Says Sammy of the new album, “It’s about fun, it’s about partying. It makes me want to go to Cabo and play.” That Cabo connection is no accident. Sammy’s infamous Cabo San Lucas club Cabo Wabo is the closest thing to rock ‘n’ roll heaven for the Red Rocker, and RED VOODOO was inspired by the boisterous, tequila-fueled camaraderie found at the club every night. Now Sammy and his band the Waboritas are taking it from Baja to the world, one shot at a time.

The new album comes on the heels of Sammy’s 1997 MCA solo debut album Marching To Mars. The world tour in the wake of that album’s release brought together the line-up of Sammy’s band, the Waboritas, which includes guitarist Victor Johnson, bassist Mona, keyboardist Jesse Harms, drummer David Lauser, and of course Sammy himself on vocals and guitar. For Sammy, this is his dream team. “I think this band is truly one of the great packages in rock ‘n’ roll,” he says. “I knew each of them could interpret my music in their own way without disappointing me, so I give them all the freedom in the world.”

Freedom is contagious, and that spirit of liberation colors every song on RED VOODOO. Produced by Sammy and Jesse Harms, and recorded in Sammy’s home basement studio, the album is the result of a burst of creativity that followed the Marching To Mars world tour. “Normally after I finish a long tour, I take a lot of time off to reinvent myself,” notes Sammy. “Then I’m able to start writing again. So I’m sitting in Hawaii my first week of vacation, and every time I turn around, I have a new song. I had been on such a creative roll with the band on tour, I just couldn’t stop.”

Sammy theorizes that the freedom of being on his own after his long tenure with Van Halen had finally sunk in. “The freedom was flowing through me,” he recalls, “and the band had gotten so tight, so good, so spontaneous, so friendly, we all looked forward to jumping back into the studio while we were still a well-oiled machine.” So, like the big happy family they’d become, the whole band moved into Sammy’s Bay Area home and got right to work.

The album kicks off with the title track, Mas Tequila, an instant rock anthem that borrows from Gary Glitter’s immortal “Rock And Roll Part 2,” only with a slight Mexican accent. “I gave Gary co-writing credit,” says Sammy. “It’s one of those songs I figure I’ll be playing the rest of my life. I drink tequila, I make tequila. I’m into it.” The next track, “Shag,” is a soulful rocker about… well, you can figure it out, while “Sympathy For The Human” is a down-tempo bone-crusher which takes an ironic look at the religious diversity of the human family. The upbeat, Cajun-flavored “Red Voodoo” salutes the spicy side of life, while the big ballad “Lay Your Hand On Me” is all about putting one’s card on the table.

“High and Dry Again” rails against a deserting lover, while “The Revival” is pure, syncopated party music. “It’s about taking rock into the next millennium,” says Sammy. The honky-tonk rocker “Don’t Fight It (Feel It),” which features the Tower of Power horns, provides counterpoint to the passion-driven “The Love,” while “Right On Right” is surely one of the album’s most raucous tracks. The album ends with “Returning of the Wish,” a visionary power ballad inspired by the kind of joyous optimism that has always characterized Sammy Hagar.

A native of southern California, Sammy’s career took off in the summer of 1972, when he heard that a hot guitar player named Ronnie Montrose, who had just left the Edgar Winter Band, was forming his own group. Hagar got Montrose’s phone number from a musician friend, and called the guitarist up for a meeting. After playing a couple of original tunes, Sammy got the gig on the spot. One song he performed for the guitarist would become Hagar’s signature piece in concert for years to come, “Bad Motor Scooter.”

In March 1973, Warner Brothers released the debut album from Montrose, which featured six Hagar originals. The album, featuring the tracks “Rock Candy,” “Space Station No. 5,” and “Bad Motor Scooter,” would become a rock ‘n’ roll classic and go on to be recognized as one of the great debuts of all time. “Those were pretty wild times back then,” recalls Hagar. “I went from playing bars in San Francisco, to touring the world, over the course of two years. We didn’t make any money, but for me, this was hitting the big time.”

Montrose came to an abrupt end in Paris, when the guitarist announced he was quitting his own band. Undaunted, Hagar got a demo he’d been working on into the hands of a San Francisco deejay named Phil Charles, who passed the tape along to John Carter at Capitol Records. Impressed, the label signed Sammy as a solo artist, and released Nine On A Ten Scale in May 1976. Over the next five years, Hagar would release five more albums, solidifying his reputation as one of the greatest live performers in rock.

Hagar’s musical energy on stage convinced a fledgling screenwriter named Cameron Crowe to ask him to write the title track to a movie he was working on. The song, “Fast Times At Ridgemont High,” would help launch the careers of many of today’s Hollywood stars. Hagar would also write the title track to the underground classic, “Heavy Metal,” and pen the hit “I’ll Fall In Love Again,” for the movie Vision Quest. He would also contribute a song to the second biggest selling soundtrack of all time, Footloose.

Change was in the wind for Hagar in 1981. David Geffen, then launching his own label, Geffen Records, wanted to sign Sammy. Hagar delivered. In January 1982, Geffen released Standing Hampton, featuring the song, “There’s Only One Way To Rock.” He followed that with Three Lock Box, which included the smash “Your Love Is Driving Me Crazy.” From there, Hagar was off to the races. In September 1984, he released V.O.A., which included the crowd favorites “I Can’t Drive 55,” and “Two Sides Of Love.”

In 1987, he ended his incredible run of platinum albums for Geffen with I Never Say Goodbye, which featured the hits, “Give To Live,” and “Eagles Fly.” Hagar’s tour of the States in 1984 made him a bonafide superstar. Performing in his signature red and yellow jumpsuits, the Red Rocker went on to play before sold-out arena crowds around the country. After that tour ended, Hagar retreated to his home outside San Francisco to rest and plan his next album. A phone call from Eddie Van Halen put those plans on hold..

Hagar accepted the guitarist’s invitation to fly down to Los Angeles to meet his brother, Alex, and Michael Anthony. They jammed on a couple of tunes the brothers had been working on, made tapes, and went off to talk without listening to what they’d done. “When I was getting ready to leave,” said Hagar, “I asked for a copy of the tape to help me decide. I went home and put on the tape and said, ‘My gosh, this is it. This is what I have been trying to do all my life, make music that is unique and special.’”

What Hagar heard on the tape were the tunes that would eventually become “Summer Nights,” and “Good Enough,” on the album, 5150. That record, with Hagar on vocals and writing all the lyrics, would become Van Halen’s first No. 1 album after six previous tries. Containing the hits “Why Can’t This Be Love,” “Dreams,” “Love Walks In,” and the crowd pleasing, “Best Of Both Worlds,” 5150 would also become Van Halen’s all-time best-selling album. Over the next decade, with the release of OU812, the Grammy nominated For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge (featuring the international smash, “Right Now,”) and Balance, Van Halen would coast through the alternative and grunge craze unscathed.

Hagar intended to end his career with Van Halen. Yet, when their long time manager (and Hagar’s close friend and confidant for 17 years) Ed Leffler, died two weeks after their last show at Irvine Meadows in October 1993, the buffer that had been smoothing things out between the various members for years was gone, and friction soon arose. Although the band recorded Balance in the memory of their good friend and mentor, the chemistry in the group changed. On June 28, 1996, Sammy Hagar released a press statement that said after 11 years of fronting the band, he was severing all ties due to creative differences. Thus began one of the most prolific writing periods of Sammy’s life, as he commenced work on his MCA solo debut. With no one looking over his shoulder, the record was finished in three months.

Marching To Mars was a turning point for Sammy. A new band, a new solo image, and a renewed connection with his fans propelled the singer to greater heights. His Cabo Wabo Cantina and Cabo Wabo brand tequila remain among his pet projects. Every year around Oct. 13, Hagar holds his annual birthday bash at Cabo Wabo, drawing friends, fans, and curious on-lookers from around the world. As for his upcoming world tour, Sammy’s designing a set that re-creates the Cabo Wabo Cantina, complete with tables, patrons (comprised of contest winners), waitresses, and decor. “It’ll be very theatrical,” he promises. “And if someone’s up there snoozing, I’ll throw them the fuck out and grab someone from the audience.”

He’s a family man, a business man, but mostly he’s a slave to rock ‘n’ roll, and having more fun making music than ever before. “As an artist, you have to let your insides out,” he says. “You go to that deep part of the soul, the things that hurt you, the things that carried you to manhood, and reveal them; and that’s hard to do. Now I have the confidence to be myself as an artist, to be totally free within myself.”

That’s Sammy Hagar. Its RED VOODOO.