Ask anyone born between 1960 and 1995 “Who is Sammy Hagar?”, and they will probably bust out in some song that takes them back to a place in time, in which he piped over the radio, was spun by the D.J and involves anything All American, crazy and extraordinary.
Sammy Hagar is an icon and American Legend and represents Rock and Roll Iconic History. The second of three lead singers for the infamous Van Halen, as well as the original singer for an early 70’s band called Montrose, Sammy Hagar, the “Red Rocker”has made his mark on the music world as a singer, composer, guitarist, solo artist and business man.
Alan Poulin Photography has seen Sammy through all of this and more, capturing the moments suspended in time, through photographs, for over 30 years. Starting back in 1967 (before this blogger was a blip on the radar!) with a relentless interest in the Southern California music scene, Sammy was lead man for The Fabulous Catillas. While the band didn’t take off, obviously, lessons were learned, as is the purpose of life, and Sammy moved on to duo with Pete Sanson, releasing two recordings. “Reach Out to Find Me” and “Read My Thoughts”. This was back in the day before CD’s and MP3’s and in fact was loaded onto a black vinyl round thing we once called “record” that was 7” and took a needle to play…….my own kids cannot quite grasp that idea. You mean there weren’t ALWAYS CD’s???
Sammy’s first recognizable and notable success didn’t occur until 1973-ish, when he came to work with Montrose. This is where Sammy was when “Bad Motor Scooter” was composed. I LOVED THAT SONG! I can recall the song piping in the house from a radio my older brother had, while working on my Mom’s 1967 Shelby. Polyester pants, plaid shirt and feathered hair and all. This was an early Sammy fan.
Fast forward 10 years, because frankly, those years are lost to me now, so many years later to 1985. Hello, can you say MY FIRST DANCE?? This is when Van Halen said good-bye to David Lee Roth, and hello to Sammy Hagar. This is the moment in time Van Halen entered my world, and became the soundtrack of my teen years. With songs like “Right Now”, “Top of the World” and “Jump”, Sammy Hagar’s voice and Van Halen topped billboard charts week after week, dominating Casey’s Weekly Top 40 Countdown Broadcast every Sunday, and drove us to the record store to buy the singles, or (by now we moved into cassette tapes)the tape. With Sammy Hagar as the front man for Van Halen the band produced four multi-platinum, #1 Billboard charting albums.
Today, since parting ways in 1996 with Van Halen, Sammy Hagar is once again on top of the game, with his band Chickenfoot. With the partnership of the infamous, if not insanely talented Joe Satriani (“Surfing with the Alien”), Michael Anthony, and drummer, Chad Smith. These guys can be heard playing such venues as Harrah’s Lake Tahoe nowadays, and where they go, you will find my friend Alan Poulin capturing the legendary moments that make Rock and Roll History.
While I didn’t cover everything Sammy Hagar, and I missed some key moments, what I can tell you is this. Sammy Hagar is the philanthropist, and community man. It is common knowledge that he donates much of the proceeds for his performances to a number of great charities. Sammy Hagar is a full supporter of Mexico, particularly Cabo San Lucas, which, if you know me, you know appeals to my mission in life…to make a difference in Mexico.
Sammy Hagar can be found every year in October in Cabo, playing to a lined up crowd at his famous Cabo Wabo Cantina, and Alan Poulin can be found right there with him, photographing the moments, the crowd and the fun. If you are thinking Vacation, and you wanna put a rocker spin on it, venture on down to Cabo for the infamous:”Birthday Bash”. Tickets are….get this, CHEAP AND FREE and are first come first serve. You might have to sleep on the street overnight, just like back in the day to get the ticket, or call in a favor if you know someone, but the show, the opportunity and the moments that make history are worth it.
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Jessica Arent
