Red

My Uncensored Life in Rock

By: Sammy Hagar

Narrated by: Scott Shepherd

Length: 7 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

Loud rock, fast cars, and Cabo. This is the life of Sammy Hagar.

For almost 40 years, Sammy Hagar has been a fixture in rock music. From breaking into the industry with the band Montrose to his multiplatinum solo career to his ride as the front man of Van Halen, Sammy's powerful and unforgettable voice has set the tone for some of the greatest rock anthems ever written - songs like "I Can't Drive 55", "Right Now", and "Why Can't This Be Love".

In Red, Sammy tells the outrageous story of his tear through rock 'n' roll, detailing the backstage antics and nonstop touring that have made his voice instantly recognizable. Beginning with his musical coming-of-age in the blue-collar towns of California, Sammy traces his rough and determined rise to fame, working harder than anyone else out there and writing songs about the things he loved: fast cars, loud parties, and lots of good times.

But solo success was just the start, a prelude to his raucous and notorious decade as the front man for Van Halen, one of the biggest-selling rock groups in history. Filled with behind-the-scenes stories from his time with the band, Red offers the Van Halen story as Sammy saw it, holding nothing back about the worldwide stadium tours, the tensions with Eddie, the messy parties, the divided friendships, and, of course, his controversial and widely disputed exit from the band.

After Van Halen, Sammy changed directions again, throwing himself headfirst into the tequila business and creating Cabo Wabo, one of the most successful tequila brands in the world. And all the while he continued to rock, touring the country with his bands the Waboritas and Chickenfoot, and eventually reuniting with Van Halen for a tour that became both a box-office smash and a personal catastrophe.

©2011 Sammy Hagar (P)2011 HarperCollins Publishers

LOVED it Twice

I enjoyed this book so much, I listened to it twice. I've never done that before. Scott Shepherd sounds just like Sammy - INCREDIBLE narration. What a life, Sammy! He is the living representation of what a can-do attitude can accomplish.

Loved every minute of it!

Loved every minute of it! What an amazing life he lived! And a very intelligent man! Definitely recommend.

Sammy is awesome

Great book couldn't stop listening, gives you the real story behind VH. If you are Red Rocker fan this is the real deal.

Honest, Transparent, and Real: Sammy Hagar

Great biography by one of the music world's most colorful characters. Highly recommend to any Hagar, Van Halen, Chickenfoot or hard rock / heavy metal fans who knows and loves the Red Rocker.

Loved it!

My first concert was Sammy Hagar in 1982. I've been a fan ever since. Red is a fantastic look at where Sammy came from and how he became who he is. I couldn't put it down. I've always been a fan of Sammy's and I love him even more after this. Just added visiting Cabo to my bucket list. Scott Shepherd is a great narrator, even sounded similar to Sammy.

Fan view.

I'm a fan that's seen Sammy many times so this was a interesting book, finshed it in three days while working.

Great read...which is the bottom line

I finished this book quickly, hard to put down. I've been a big fan of Sammy and of Van Halen for a long, long time and really looked forward to the book. The opening chapters were an eye opener filled with information I wan't aware of before and set a nice tone for the book.
As the book goes on, it gets a little more 'dicy' and I became conflicted as to what my opinion now was of Sammy. In many ways, this story and this man is are an 'American Success Story' and illustrates what drive and passion can do for someone in America. His constant justifications for his bad behavior were 'off putting' to me. Fine, you're a rock star and lived the life....I don't need to hear your attempts to justify the disrespect you showed to your wife! And probably not enough credit was given to business partners who really helped Sammy succeed.
In the end - we rate the book and any book that can't be put down...is worth reading.

Sammy, world class

After seeing the Circle in concert; and the band blew me away, I was interested in finding out more about Sammy. I enjoyed the book greatly. A very humble guy. The book reads as if you were just hanging with Sammy and he started telling you about his life. What a great attitude and respect for human life. Long live Sammy, and The Circle. Michael Anthony also blew me away at the concert

red rocker kicks ass

This book kicks ass - all the funny stories about the life of a rockstar who also stayed in the positive realm of life

Sammy in VH was MAGIC

I read the book before this audio book. Sammy is the MAN. Period. Eddie was a big doofus pushing Sammy out. Without Sammy, VH is nothing. Period. The whole tragic/truthful story, from 5150 to the Cherrone mess, is all here.