Sammy Hagar and Van Halen almost never did.
Speaking to Fox News Digital after receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Tuesday, Hagar explained that he was about to put the brakes on his music career until he got a call from Eddie Van Halen.
“Then Van Halen came along when I was ready to retire. It’s a word I don’t really like to use because I swear it’s not in my DNA. But I wasn’t ready to say, ‘You know, I’m going to quit for a while. I’m going to quit, I’ve been touring all this time,’ Rocker said.
“This is 1985. I had just finished a major tour and had back-to-back platinum albums. I was rich and famous. So I thought, ‘Why am I going to keep doing this? ” Then Eddie [Van Halen] call. That was a defining moment. ”
Van Halen’s Sammy Hagar plans to ‘make noise’ with Eddie Van Halen before guitarist’s death
Sammy Hagar said he was ready to retire before he got the call from Eddie Van Halen in 1985. (Michael Buckner/Variety, via Getty Images/Paul Nutkin/Getty Images)
Prior to fronting Van Halen, Hagar rose to fame playing with the band Montrose in the 1970s, before embarking on a successful solo career.
Hager told Fox News Digital with a laugh that another defining moment in his career was being “kicked out of Van Halen” in 1996 due to creative differences with Eddie. “I had to roll up my sleeves and get back to work.”
Like what you’re reading? Click here for more entertainment news
He said joining Montrose early on was also a key moment in his career.
WATCH: Sammy Hagar planned to retire before Eddie Van Halen asked him to join the band
“Joining Montrose was a big step from playing in clubs and other people’s music to writing my own songs, making original albums, and touring all over the world,” he told Fox News. told Digital. “So, that was a big moment. I mean, that was a defining moment. I learned everything from Ronnie Montrose: how to perform on stage, how to write songs, how to do all that. of.”
Van Halen’s Sammy Hagar reflects on keeping up with the band’s success while juggling “dark” times at home
Sammy Hagar poses with a star at the Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
He eventually rejoined Van Halen from 2003 to 2005 and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the group in 2007. Eddie Van Halen passed away in 2020.
Hagar on Tuesday was joined by fellow Van Halen member Michael Anthony, Red Hot Chili Peppers musicians Chad Smith, John Mayer and Food Network star Guy Fieri, among other celebrities. Participated.
Sammy Hagar and Guy Fieri at the Walk of Fame ceremony. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Fieri told Fox News Digital that she was “overwhelmed” when Hager asked her to speak at the ceremony, adding that she was “more nervous than I ever was as a star” emceeing the event.
WATCH: Guy Fieri was more nervous officiating Sammy Hagar’s Walk of Fame ceremony than he was officiating himself.
“But it was amazing. It was a great ceremony and Sammy deserved it,” he added. “A really great guy, so much more than music. He’s a philanthropist, a community guy, a worldly guy. This was definitely one of the highlights of my career. .”
John Mayer spoke at Sammy Hagar’s Walk of Fame ceremony. (Fox News Digital)
Click here to sign up for our entertainment newsletter
Meyer also spoke about his bond with Hagar in his speech at the ceremony.
“Sammy Hagar was already a hugely successful artist in his own right when he was approached to join Van Halen,” Mayer told the crowd gathered near Amoeba Music on Hollywood Boulevard. .
“Certainly he didn’t need to join another band to keep making hit records. I think the reason he took that offer up is the same reason he does anything. Because it looked like fun. Sammy is driven to have fun. Sammy has the kind of fun we all dream of having.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
“Every time I think about him, the thought that I want to share with you today comes to mind: No matter where you are or what you’re doing, Sammy Hagar has so much more fun than you.”
