History of Hard Rock/Heavy Metal: Montrose

One of the first American-bred hard rock groups to challenge British supremacy in the early '70s, Montrose is still remembered as, if not the most successful, certainly one of the most influential bands of the era.

In fact, many of the personalities responsible for the group's legendary, self-titled debut (producer Ted Templeman, engineer Don Landee, vocalist Sammy Hagar) would later become instrumental players in the formative and later-day career of the mighty Van Halen.

After cutting his teeth as a session musician with the likes of Van Morrison and the Edgar Winter Group, guitarist Ronnie Montrose decided to form his own, self-named band in 1973. Enlisting the help of fellow session pros Bill Church (bass), Denny Carmassi (drums), and a talented, up-and-coming Californian singer named Sammy Hagar, Montrose soon released their eponymous first album in November of that year.

Although it never broke the Billboard Top 100, Montrose eventually went platinum and was arguably the first full-fledged heavy metal album by an American band (early proto-metal efforts by Blue Cheer and Steppenwolf notwithstanding). With classics like "Space Station No. 5" and "Bad Motor Scooter" leading the charge to the nation's airwaves, it is still considered one of the finest, most influential releases of the decade.

But trouble was already looming, as Church quit the group soon after and was replaced by bassist/keyboard player Alan Fitzgerald for the ensuing tour. Released less than a year after their debut, the erratic Paper Money proved to be a surprisingly diverse but unfocused follow-up that failed to match its predecessor's consistency or popularity. Making things worse, escalating tensions between Montrose and Hagar soon led to the latter's departure following the Paper Money tour. He went on to an increasingly successful solo career, and, of course, eventually Van Halen.

The band released two more albums after Hagar left but never recaptured the magic they had with Hagar and soon broke up. Ronnie Montrose went on to form the band Gamma and other members of Montrose later joined Night Ranger, Heart and the Scorpions.