by Biloxi Von Lutz

Created on: October 22, 2009

Both David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar were successful lead singers with Van Halen, but I believe the nod has to be given to David Lee Roth. He fronted the band from their humble beginnings through their biggest albums in the late 70's and early 80's.

David Lee Roth was the lead singer for Van Halen up until his departure after their album "1984." This was their most popular album to date and really can be considered the pinnacle of their success. His greatest attribute was not so much his voice as it was his stage presence and charisma. His on-stage antics coupled with Eddie Van Halen's virtuoso guitar playing were the perfect combination to propel the band to super-stardom. He was willing to go to almost any lengths to entertain the audience and draw crowds to shows.

His singing voice has been derided as sub-par, but truthfully, he was able to make it work quite well with the music, creating memorable hits like "Jump," "Panama," and "Running with the Devil," to name a few. It's often said that David Lee Roth never sang more than a sentence at a time, but his stage presence and sheer entertainment value more than make-up for his vocal shortcomings.

Sammy Hagar, on the other hand, was already popular by the time David Lee Roth quit and he was asked to join Van Halen. Hagar also had the benefit of joining an already mega-successful band. There was a built in audience, and as long as the music waseven halfway decent, their albums would sell. Vocally, Hagar was probably a better singer than Roth, but the quality of his songs was not quite as high as during Roth's tenure as frontman. Hagar's stage performance certainly, although good, couldn't hold a candle to Roth's inspired performances.

As far as lasting legacy is concerned, David Lee Roth is winning that as well. He recently reunited with Van Halen and they just finished a tour. Supposedly they are working on a new album. Sammy Hagar has continued to tour as well, and after seeing both he and David Lee Roth perform, it's clear that Sammy has taken better care of his voice over the years. No one really compares to David Lee Roth when he's on stage, and that's really the essence of Van Halen; Eddie Van Halen's insane guitar work and David Lee Roth's ridiculous stage antics.

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