Spotlight: Ronnie Montrose

Ronnie Montrose was 24 when he got a call from a secretary in the offices of promoter Bill Graham, for whom he'd been doing carpentry work in his native San Francisco. Van Morrison was in town looking for a guitarist. He found one in Montrose ("I think I got me a cowboy"), who helped cut the Irish mystic's 1971 classic, Tupelo Honey. First, there was the small matter of headlining the Fillmore West.

"I had to go throw up before I played," remembers Montrose from his home in Sacramento. "I'd never been in front of that many people, and especially with Van Morrison, playing those songs. It freaked me out."

By 1973, Montrose was his own rodeo, roping in fellow Bay area boy Sammy Hagar to be his singer. Eight short tracks later ("Bad Motor Scooter," "Rock the Nation," "Rock Candy"), and a Seventies rock staple had been sewn up: Montrose.

"Sammy and I did a Montrose reunion at the end of his Cabo tour last year. The last show was in St. Louis where they love their Sammy. They also still love their Montrose. It sold out, like 18,000 people."

Promoting online digital label DMI, for whom he's remastering four titles of his unceasingly inventive oeuvre, Montrose has seen the music business from all angles.

"The music business is the same as it always was. As we grow older, we realize the next fleet of youngsters is appealing to the record-buying public. Not that people over 30 don't buy CDs. That's why digital download is such a great boon for all of us. …

"I had a conversation with an old bandmate of mine in Gamma – Mitchell Froom. I said, 'Man, Mitchell, that stuff I did back in the day. That stuff is so primitive.'

"He said, 'But Ronnie, don't forget. You guys were in your 20s, and you were playing up to 100 percent of your ability. When you do that – with a positive spirit – it can't be denied.'

"In other words, if you're bringing it, bring it all. Even if it's only three chords, make sure you bring it all."