RIP Ronnie Montrose

http://rocknewsdesk.com/world-news/mont ... t-64/4596/

There are too many of these guys dying lately. Very sad to lose yet another great musician.

I hope Mr. Montrose is at peace now, blazing away in that great band in the sky.

I was thinking the same thing Chris. It seems like a lot of greats have passed away recently.

Have loved Ronnie's playing for many years... he leaves behind quite a musical legacy.

I'm not overly familiar with Montrose's catalog -- I know the Sammy Hagar stuff and that's about it. But I know that Ronnie was regarded as a great jazz/rock guitarist. It seems like he didn't achieve the mainstream acceptance that other guitarists did, though.

Very sad news. The first 2 Montrose CD's are classics..........

Oh no, I am gutted by this one.
I loved both Montrose and Gamma as well as Ronnie's work with Van Morrison, Edgar Winter Group and Herbie Hancock.
This is terrible-a true American guitar great and one who is not well-enough known.
This sucks. A lot.

R.I.P. my friend

Montrose was such a great guitarist though underrated & overlooked. Loved all the Montrose group albums, especially "Warner Bros Presents" and "Jump On It". Also enjoyed the couple Gamma albums I have. RIP Ronnie Montrose

I agree he was very under rated to the general public. Quite a legacy. RIP Ronnie.

Man, what a terrible week of news. I loved Ronnie Montrose, both his Montrose and Gamma albums. Of course with Edgar Winter he really shined as well. I just recently bought Gamma 1 on CD after having it on vinyl. Have it in heavy rotation and will continue to play his music this forthcoming week.

God Bless you my friend and may you Rest in Peace.

Rick A.

I remember my parents going through similar with their heroes at our age.

I guess one of the few good things about cd's not selling is there is much less commercial expolitation of these deaths than with say John Lennon.

When Lennon died, both myself (I owned an indie store also named Dandylion) & my late friend Bear who was an ast. manager at a Tower store chose NOT to bring in Lennon LP's for a couple weeks once current stock had sold out out of respect for the man.

Sammy Hagar posted a lovely tribute in honor of the passing of his former bandmate, Ronnie Montrose.



In a statement on his website, the Red Rocker said:
“

Ronnie Montrose gave me my first break as a songwriter, as a front man, as a recording artist, as a touring artist, and for that I will always be grateful.

I was looking forward to a reunion for my birthday bash in Cabo with Denny, Bill and Ronnie – one of the few bands from that era where all four original members were still able to do it. It’s a shame to lose Ronnie and I’m so sorry for his loved ones. Rest in peace.

Ronnie and Sammy co-founded Montrose in the early 1970s, releasing a self-titled album in 1973 and ‘Paper Money’ the following year. Hagar left the band shortly thereafter to pursue a solo career, which eventually included a stint as the frontman for Van Halen and his current gig with supergroup Chickenfoot.

Sammy’s reaction was only the latest of a litany of posts about the legendary guitarist, with more sure to come.

Always loved Good Rockin' Tonight off the Montrose debut.

Ronnie played at a small club in Dallas this past October. It was open seating so I was able to sit one row (8 feet from ronnie himself) from the stage. Perhaps the most enjoyable concert (and I have been to quite a few since 1976) I have been to. Simply an amazing guitarist. After the show he stayed to sign items, shake hands, and chat. I won't forget the short conversation I had with him when he signed some Open Fire press kit items and the first Montrose album cover. he showed no signs of illness at this show and it would seem that he was planning a DVD and several more concerts in March and April this year. Not sure if anyone else picked up on the rather disconcerning comment from his manager that he was fighting personal demons and he "chose his own exit". Not one to over exam things, but this sure seems strange.

Edgar Winter's They Only Come Out At Night and Dream Weaver are 2 of my favorite albums and Montrose is prominent on both. Just received They Only....mini-lp the other day in fact. Great guitarist.

The Bay Area music community is coming together to remember and celebrate the late Ronnie Montrose, who passed away March 3 after a long battle with prostrate cancer.

“A Concert For Ronnie Montrose – A Celebration of His Life In Music” will see Sammy Hagar reunite the original Montrose band, plus Joe Satriani, to perform the group’s landmark 1973 debut album...plus a variety of special guests.

"A Concert For Ronnie Montrose - A Celebration of His Life In Music" will feature the original Montrose lineup (Sammy Hagar, vocals; Bill Church, bass; and Denny Carmassi, drums), performing the landmark first Montrose album, with special guest Joe Satriani on lead guitar. The original Gamma lineup (Davey Pattison, vocals; Glenn Letsch, bass; Denny Carmassi, drums) will also be on hand, with special guest Marc Bonilla on lead guitar.

There will also be an All-Star band, comprised of many of the great musicians that Ronnie played with over the years. Some of the confirmed artists include: Neal Schon from Journey, Steve Smith formerly from Journey, members of Tesla, Eric Martin from Mr. Big, Rickie Philips from Styx, Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer of KISS and Jimmy DeGrasso from Y & T and Alice Cooper.

The Montrose tribute will be held at the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco on Friday, April 27.

Tickets go on sale on March 30 at 10:00 am.

A portion of the proceeds from the concert will benefit the Ronnie Montrose Fund for San Francisco Bay Area Musicians through SweetRelief.org.

Ronnie Montrose was born in San Francisco and moved with his family to Colorado when he was two, returning back to his native home when he was 19 years old. In 1969, he started a band with Bill Church called Sawbuck, but that project got sidetracked when Ronnie was hired to do studio work with Van Morrison (Tupelo Honey), Boz Scaggs, Edgar Winter, Herbie Hancock, and others. In 1973, he formed his own band, Montrose, who recorded two albums together. The debut Montrose album went platinum and has been called the first American heavy metal album. In 1979, Ronnie formed Gamma, who recorded four albums. Ronnie continued to record through the 1980s and 1990s, and Gamma put out their fifth album in 2005.

I get that Satriani is working with Hagar, & I think he's a great player; but he's never sounded much like Montrose to me. IMO, Neil Schon (also mentioned above) would fit in better.

This makes his passing so much more painful. Depression is such a terrible illness. Brad Delp, lead singer of Boston suffered as well with depression and took himself out after saying goodbye to his loved ones. So very sad.

Rick A.

I knew this, but decided not to post it-it doesn't change how I feel about the man and his music one bit. (I also do not blame Chris for posting it-it's public knowledge, I just felt weird and upset about it).

I felt kind of ghoulish posting it, but I felt it belonged in the thread. I thought it was a very sad story.

I've only heard the first two Montrose albums myself, but I know that Ronnie was very well regarded for his guitar work.