David Lee Roth (born October 10, 1954 in Bloomington, Indiana) is an American rock vocalist, songwriter, rock climber, adventurer, actor, author, and former radio personality, perhaps best known for his work with the band Van Halen and his fast-talking, oversized personality. He left Van Halen at the pinnacle of his tenure with them in 1985 (being replaced by Sammy Hagar (Montrose, HSAS)) and formed a solo band. After some time spent performing lounge jazz to small audiences, Roth recruited a super group of Steve Vai (guitar), Billy Sheehan (bass) and Gregg Bissonette (drums), and released the wildly successful ‘Eat ‘em and Smile’ album in 1986. For a while, Roth’s success equaled that of his old band; but while Van Halen became huge with Hagar behind the mic, DLR’s star faded over time. After the impressive dream-team line-up of the David Lee Roth band imploded due to ego, guitar prodigy Jason Becker (formerly of Cacophony) was brought into the fold in 1989. Sadly, Becker contracted Lou Gehrig’s Disease (a form of paralysis) and can no longer play, having only performed on one DLR album A Little Ain’t Enough (1991). Since then, Roth has employed a revolving line-up of musicians, and has never risen back to his former level of success.
In 2007, David Lee Roth rejoined Van Halen for a semi-reunion with the Van Halen brothers, along with Eddie Van Halen’s son (Wolfgang Van Halen) on bass (replacing Michael Anthony from the original lineup). |
