15 Best Hard Rock Singers Of All Time
12. Sammy Hagar - Montrose/Van Halen
Sammy Hagar really embodies every teenager's dream of rock star upbringing. By the time he was finishing high school, he had already joined the band Montrose, whose brilliant work in the 70's made fans out of everyone from Iron Maiden to a fledgling Van Halen. As his career went on though, Hagar proved himself to be one of the best all-around singers in the business.
While Hagar had a fine solo career lined up for him after Montrose, the vocal chops he brought to Van Halen are up there with some of the best performances in rock. It was certainly not an easy task to replace someone like David Lee Roth, but in terms of raw vocal ability, Hagar blows his predecessor out of the water, with songs like "Dreams" and "When It's Love" having some of the best highs of any 80's band.
Even when he wasn't with the guys in VH, Hagar proved to be an amazing songwriter in his own right, with his solo hits like "I've Done Everything For You" later being covered by teen heartthrob Rick Springfield. Many bands have tried to copy the Van Halen model, but when it comes to covering the Sammy Hagar era, rookie singers are gonna be in for a rough ride.