Sammy Hagar and Montrose First Heard Themselves on the Radio Driving to St. Louis in 1973

The Red Rocker, Sammy Hagar, is currently on the Best Of All Worlds Summer Tour. The tour’s setlist includes hits and deep tracks from his time in Van Halen, Montrose, and his solo career as well. His current lineup includes former Van Halen bass player Michael Anthony, top-tier guitarist Joe Satriani, former John Mellencamp drummer Kenny Aronoff, and keyboardist Nathan Mercado. Additionally, he’s brought along his old friend Rick Springfield to open for a stretch of the tour, as the two share the hit song “I’ve Done Everything For You.”

On June 13, the tour stopped in St. Louis, Missouri. Sammy Hagar shared a story with the crowd about how love for the Midwest city, and it was posted to Instagram. He credits legendary rock station KSHE 95 out of St. Louis for helping launch his career early on. Hagar told the crowd, “St. Louis supported my music from day one. All the way through, and that’s why we’re still doing this today. Because of KSHE and you. They’ve kept my music alive. All of our music, Mikey’s music, Kenny and Joe’s music, too.”

KSHE 95 first aired in 1961, but they made history in 1967, switching over to a rock and roll format. The Midwest is known for its love of rock and roll. Many East Coast and West Coast rock bands first gained a following in the Midwest. Legendary stations like KSHE 95 fueled their popularity, and St. Louis became a frequent stop for tours. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, many bands credited KSHE 95 for helping launch their careers.

Hagar Recalls Hearing Himself on the Radio for the First Time

Sammy Hagar got his start as the singer for the rock band Montrose. Based in San Francisco, Montrose centered on Ronnie Montrose’s flashy guitar skills and Hagar’s screeching vocals. Their self-titled debut was released in 1973 and peaked at No. 133 on the Billboard 200. Ronnie Montrose was acclaimed for his work with The Edgar Winter Group in 1972. He recorded guitar on their 1972 hits “Frankenstein” and “Free Ride” from their album They Only Come Out At Night.

The Red Rocker went on to tell a story to the St. Louis crowd of his first band traveling the Midwest. “The first time I came to St. Louis was in a little band called Montrose. We were driving with a tour manager, who was also the lighting director, sound guy, and the one roadie we had. He was driving us in the station wagon from town to town; we couldn’t even afford to fly. We were opening for Humble Pie, or somebody. We were listening to the radio, and we got KSHE, and all of a sudden, we heard “Space Station #5.”‘

Hagar went on to tell, “God’s truth, it was the first time I ever heard my voice on the radio. KSHE 95! Goosebumps!” “Space Station #5” was the second single released from the debut album. Though it failed to chart and the album didn’t sell well at the time, it was a pivotal shift in rock music. The album was produced by Ted Templeman, who went on to produce Van Halen. It’s heavily speculated that he used Montrose’s debut as the template for Van Halen’s debut years later. Sammy Hagar went on to build a solo career and eventually join Van Halen himself for a legendary run with the band.

Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images for Stagecoach