Sammy Hagar Reflects On Key Turning Points In Van Halen

11-15-2023

Sammy Hagar looked back at a couple of key turning points of his tenure in Van Halen on the Big Interview with Dan Rather podcast. The Red Rocker reflects on when band silenced doubters with the release of their first album together, and when they lost their manager.

AXS TV sent over the following: It's hard to step in for the lead singer of a world-famous band. But the easy-going Sammy Hagar was more than up to the challenge when he took over as frontman for Van Halen.

"Everyone was questioning it, 'Hey is this going to work with Sammy? Dave was such a flamboyant character, can he fill those shoes?'" Hagar said during a conversation with Dan Rather, referring to his first album recorded with the band. "We were in there making this music going, 'Ahh, shut up, wait 'til they hear this.'"

"And when they heard it and it exploded, that was a big moment for all of us," Hagar noted.

But the band would face new tribulations during Hagar's tenure. Namely, the death of Ed Leffler, Hagar's beloved friend and Van Halen's manager.

"When he died... every vulture came at us, every manager on the planet, every promoter," Hagar said, explaining how music industry officials would approach guitarist Eddie Van Halen while causing strife throughout the group.

"They just turned us against each other and I got thrown out of the band," Hagar explained.

You can listen to insightful music conversations like these on Dan Rather's Big Interview podcast, available on iHeart, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and on additional podcasting platforms.