AccuRadio Song Of The Day-Montrose

Artist:Montrose

Song:Bad Motor Scooter

Album:An Introduction To Montrose

Today the 70s band Montrose is best known as the launching pad for singer Sammy Hagar. They never had a hit single but the 1973 album Montrose was certified Platinum. Bad Motor Scooter is their best known song. I don't know why guitarist Ronnie Montrose named the band after himself. He wasn't well known. Mostly he played sessions and was in The Edgar Winter Group for the 1972 album They Only Come Out At Night. But producer Ted Templeman had a good relationship with Warner Bros. by producing The Doobie Brothers. So Montrose got a record deal and instead of billing himself as a solo artist, he formed the band Montrose. Sammy Hagar was in a San Francisco cover band when Montrose recruited him. Drummer Denny Carmassi was also recruited from a San Francisco cover band. Montrose knew bassist Bill Church from playing together on Van Morrison's Tupelo Honey. When they recorded the 1973 album Montrose, the band didn't have a name. When they appeared on Tom Donohue's Apr. 21, 1973 broadcast on radio station KSAN, they were called Ronnie Montrose and Friends. I guess Montrose is a shortening of that. Bad Motor Scooter is Montrose's best known song. Sammy Hagar wrote it but Montrose and Hagar wrote most of the songs together. The problem was Montrose had a bad temper. As a result, the band had a heavy turnover. Church was replaced by Alan Fitzgerald for the 1974 album Paper Money. The album was not as hard rock as the first album. Hagar didn't like that so he left during a European tour and was replaced by Bob James. Montrose recorded four albums for Warners. The changes and the constant touring was wearing thin. Montrose even parted ways with Templeman. Montrose split up on New Year's Eve 1976. Montrose released the 1978 album Open Fire. It was instrumental similar to Jeff Beck's Blow by Blow. Montrose formed the progressive rock band Gamma in 1979. They recorded three albums for Elektra and had similar personnel problems. Montrose  reformed with a new lineup in 1987 and recorded an album for EMI's Enigma label. Montrose continued to perform occasionally. He even successfully battled prostate cancer. But he suffered from clinical depression and he committed suicide on Mar. 3, 2012 at age 64. Here's the video for Bad Motor Scooter by Montrose.