Montrose were a Californian hard-rock band named for guitarist Ronnie Montrose who formed the group in 1973 with vocalist Sammy Hagar, bass player Bill Church and drummer Denny Carmassi. Hailed as America's response to British bands such as Led Zeppelin and The Who, the group recorded a handful of albums and went through several line-ups until Montrose's death in 2012 at the age of 64.
Ronnie Montrose had made records with Van Morrison, Herbie Hancock and Edgar Winter before he established the band with his name. They made their recording debut with an eponymous album in 1973 and while it did do well on the charts, it proved to be an influence on bands such as Iron Maiden. Bassist Alan Fitzgerald replaced Bill Church on their second album, 'Paper Money' (1974) but Hagar left in 1975 to be succeeded by singer Bob James. Keyboard player Jim Alcivar signed on for a revamped debut in San Francisco and two albums followed, 'Warner Brothers Presents Montrose' (1975) and 'Jump On It' (1976).
They toured extensively across North America playing with The Rolling Stones, Yes, The Eagles, Aerosmith and others and headlined some of their own concerts. The band broke up in 1976 but reformed in 1987 when Ronnie Montrose hooked up with singer Johnny Edwards, drummer James Kottak and bass player Glenn Letsch for an album titled 'Mean'. The original aggregation performed together on the 1997 Sammy Hagar album, 'Marching to Mars' and made some cameo appearances at Hagar's concerts.
Assorted players joined Montrose for performances under the band's name in concert and at festivals including West Fest, which marked the 40th anniversary of Woodstock. Following Montrose's death, Hagar, Carmassi and Church performed as Montrose in a tribute concert. Compilation albums include 'The Very Best of Montrose' (2000) and a five-disc set, 'Original Album Series' in 2011.