How SAMMY HAGAR Keeps From Growing Old

In a new interview with Japanese music critic and radio personality Masa Ito of TVK's "Rock City", legendary rocker Sammy Hagar spoke about his enduring passion for making music and performing live. The 74-year-old musician said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "The reason I can still sing and the reason I can still write is 'cause I never stopped. People that go five years without singing… you know, a lot of these bands. My favorite band in the world, PINK FLOYD, for God's sakes, what do they do? Every 10 years… That makes it hard — to me. So the way you don't grow old is you don't sit around and grow old. You've gotta keep moving. Don't let the old man in. Don't let the age catch up with you. I'm going too fast. I'm looking in my rearview mirror, 'Here they come.' So I think it really works — it really works. And passion — I love, love, love singing and playing guitar and performing for people. Not by myself — for people. I'm a people's person. You put me in front of people and I become an entertainer. And people say, 'Are you that way around the house?' I go, 'Yeah.' [Laughs]"

Hagar's second studio album with his Billboard chart-topping supergroup THE CIRCLE, "Crazy Times", was released on September 30 via Ume. The LP found Hagar, fellow Hall Of Famer and VAN HALEN bassist Michael Anthony, Grammy-winning drummer Jason Bonham and Grammy-winning guitar virtuoso Vic Johnson traveling to Nashville to record the album with eight-time Grammy Award-winning producer Dave Cobb at Nashville's historic RCA Studio A. The follow-up to their much-lauded debut "Space Between", a multi-category No. 1 Billboard-charting album, includes 10 songs, nine of which Hagar wrote or co-wrote, along with a notable cover, "Pump It Up", a 1978 song by Elvis Costello and THE ATTRACTIONS. The song "Crazy Times" was written by the whole band along with Dave Cobb and recorded live.

For more than five decades, Hagar has been recognized as one of the best and most accomplished lead singers and songwriters in rock music. From breaking into the industry with the seminal hard rock band MONTROSE, to his multi-platinum solo career, to his ride as the frontman of VAN HALEN, CHICKENFOOT and his latest best-selling supergroup, THE CIRCLE, Hagar has amassed 25 platinum albums on sales surpassing 50 million worldwide. Along his journey, he has set the tone for some of the greatest rock anthems ever written with songs like "I Can't Drive 55", "Right Now" and "Why Can't This Be Love", and earned the highest respect of the music industry with a Grammy Award and induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Since launching his flagship Cabo Wabo Cantina in 1990, he's turned a lifelong passion for great food, music and spirits into a thriving and iconic lifestyle brand. A pioneer in the spirits industry, Hagar's development and nine-figure sale of his Cabo Wabo Tequila to Gruppo Campari in 2008 is widely credited as the start of the celebrity-owned spirits trend. His portfolio of spirits now includes Sammy's Beach Bar Rum, Santo Tequila and Sammy's Beach Bar Cocktail Co., as well as several restaurants. Never one to hit the brakes, he's also found success in publishing, TV, radio and beyond, including five seasons of his hit TV show "Rock & Roll Road Trip with Sammy Hagar" and as host of "Sammy Hagar's Top Rock Countdown", his syndicated radio show that's broadcast on over 90 U.S. stations. He's also a New York Times bestselling author, a dedicated philanthropist and since January 5, 2022, the first Honorary Ambassador to Los Cabos, an honor he was bestowed in recognition of his longtime investment in the people and economy of Mexico.

Photo credit: Leah Steiger