During his career. Ronnie Montrose contributed a lot to other people’s LPs. He worked extensively on Van Morrison’s Tupelo Honey and played guitar for Edgar Winter Group on the band’s most famous album They Only Come Out At Night. In theory, he could have continued on as a hired gun playing on great albums for decades, but in 1973, he decided to put together his own band called Montrose. He enlisted a then unknown Sammy Hagar, as well as Bill Church and Denny Carmassi and released one of the greatest debuts in the history of music. The record was called Montrose, and it featured classics like “Rock Candy”, “Bad Motor Scooter” and “Rock The Nation”.
Ronnie Montrose passed away this weekend at the age of sixty-four. For the past several years, he battled prostate cancer, but the fight eventually became unwinnable. Those closest to him released a statement honoring his life, and you can take a look at it below…
"A few months ago, we held a surprise party for Ronnie Montrose's 64th birthday. He gave an impromptu speech, and told us that after a long life, filled with joy and hardship, he didn't take any of our love for granted. He passed today. He'd battled cancer, and staved off old age for long enough. And true to form, he chose his own exit the way he chose his own life. We miss him already, but we're glad to have shared with him while we could."
In addition to that first Montrose record, the guitarist released a ton of others throughout his life. They were all cherished by his fans, but more importantly, by an entire wave of upcoming musicians. Everyone from Dee Snider to Lemmy to Slash to Billy Sheehan has publicly cited Montrose as a significant influence, and his work will live on through them.
Pop Blend’s thoughts go out to his entire family, as well as his fans. In his honor, take a listen to “Rock Candy” below…
