Sammy Hagar still Livin' It Up! (Updated January 16, 2013)

No stranger to controversy, Sammy Hagar was unceremoniously fired from Van Halen in 1996. Or at least that's the story Hagar tells in his autobiography 'Red: My Uncensored Life in Rock,' in which he exposed Eddie Van Halen as being completely wasted and barely able to function during most of the group's 2004 reunion tour. Though Hagar says another Van Halen reunion is something he'll never do again, he's far from down and out.

These days, Hagar fronts Chickenfoot – a supergroup featuring Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, guitarist Joe Satriani and former Van Halen bass player Michael Anthony. He's also become a bit of a business savant, owning a chain of nightclubs and airport eateries, along with his continued backing of Cabo Wabo Tequila and ownership of the new Sammy's Beach Bar Rum. But its music that remains Hagar's first love.

Hagar's solo resurgence has been going on since well before that Van Halen reunion. His first live album in 20 years, "Live: Hallelujah. Livin' It Up!" was released in 2006, while his 1984 solo effort "VOA" was reissued the following year. In 2008 came "Comic Universal Fashion," his 11th solo album and first for label Loud & Proud Records. That same year came Chickenfoot, with their self-titled debut album released in June 2009.

Chickenfoot's second album, "Chickenfoot III", was released in the fall of 2011. Hagar then deemed 2012 an "experimental year", but on his to-do list is a third Chickenfoot album. Early 2014 is expected to see the release of "United Sates of Cabo," an independent documentary about Hagar's fans.

Sammy Hagar Tickets - One of the Best Rock Icons Known to Man

He was born on October 13, 1947, with a taste for rock music. And, boy, that taste was never satiated. You'd be surprised to know that this man named Sammy Hagar once trained as a boxer, giving it up in the late '60s for the music industry and working on bands like Montrose, Skinny, the Fabulous Catillas, Justice Brothers, and Dust Cloud. 1979 was a good year, though, as he finally broke away to go solo with what can be called his 'red album.' Not sure what that means, but it sounded cool anyway.

Sammy Hagar Tickets - The Music of Hagar

The album itself was self-titled and went gold as he continued work on more albums like 1981's "Standing Hampton", his best seller, platinum certified, and 1982's "Three Lock Box". Many might know Hagar with the iconic hits 'Your Love Is Driving Me Crazy' and 'I Can't Drive 55.' What happened next? Van Halen, one of the most popular '80s-'90s rock bands, happened!

Sammy Hagar Tickets - The Sound and Style of Hagar

Mixing a gritty grunge rock look with the alt metal style sounds of, say, Chris Cornell of Soundgarden fame, Sammy Hagar had everything anyone could ever possibly need in both a solo artist and frontman. A true artist in himself, no matter where you see him, you'd always know him as a rock icon.