10 Greatest Hard Rock Frontmen Of All Time
4. David Lee Roth - Van Halen
There was a certain rhythm to the way that rock was conducted back in the late '70s: you were either on the heavy side or the glam side. Instead of the grand mix of different sounds under one roof, most rock stars didn't really like to differentiate between the glamorous stylings of David Bowie and the pure bluesy wail of Ian Gillan. Just when things started to get too homogenous on both fronts, Van Halen found a beautiful way to satisfy both camps.
When it comes to proper stage etiquette in the rock world (if such a thing exists), David Lee Roth pretty much rewrote the rules on how to properly entertain a crowd. Taking the more over the top nature of the glam rock movement, Roth ditched the flamboyant side of makeup and turned into your resident ringleader of showmanship, doing everything from backflips and karate kicks to wielding a sword in between songs.
Even though Eddie Van Halen could have easily carried this band on pure musicianship, Roth had more charisma in one pinky than most glam artists could muster over 5 records. The hair metal scene may have birthed a pleathora of huge personalities, but when compared with the best frontmen to grace the stage, David Lee Roth is the living cartoon character we didn't know we wanted.