Ronnie Montrose was best known as an innovative guitarist, an accomplished musician who in the 1970s brought boogie fever to hard rock, influencing a generation of metal bands. Yet even that accomplishment wasn’t enough to help the Bay Area musician overcome his personal demons of alcoholism and depression.
Shortly after he was found dead in his Brisbane home on March 3, reportedly of natural causes, longtime friends and business associates began planning an all-star concert in his honor.
But even as they were laying the groundwork for the sold-out tribute, set for Friday at San Francisco’s Regency Ballroom, at least some of the participants suspected that the full story of the guitarist’s death had yet to be told.
The announcement initially posted on the 64-year-old guitarist’s website (www.ronniemontrose.com) said that Montrose died of complications from his long battle with cancer.
The truth was more brutal than that.
“Yes, we did know (it was a suicide),” said Kenny Wardell, the managing editor of BamMagazine.com and one of the key organizers behind the concert. “Nobody really said it. But it was between the lines in what was written on the website and what was told to us. We understood what the situation was.”
The situation was that the guitarist who’d started up Montrose — the influential rock band that introduced Sammy Hagar to rock fans in the early ’70s and is best known for such now-classic songs as “Rock Candy” — was as troubled as he was talented.
Eventually, the truth would become public record. A report released April 6 by the San Mateo County Coroner’s Office revealed that Montrose died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. At the time of his death, the guitarist, who friends and family say had long battled alcoholism, reportedly had a blood-alcohol level of 0.31 — nearly four times the legal limit in California.
Knowing that the coroner’s report would cause a stir, the guitarist’s widow, Leighsa Montrose, turned to a trusted family friend — Michael Molenda, editor of the San Bruno-based Guitar Player magazine. Molenda would be the first to tell the tale of Montrose’s final moments, in a heart-wrenching piece that includes a number of the text messages sent from Ronnie to Leighsa on the morning of his death.
“I have the .38 in my hand and am ready to go,” Montrose reportedly wrote in one text, 11:01 a.m., less than an hour before he shot himself.
“I’m so sorry. Still have the gun in my hand. I’m going on that voyage. I love you beyond measure,” he said in another text, sent a few minutes later.
The article also detailed Montrose’s long-term bouts with alcoholism and clinical depression, as well as Leighsa’s belief that the suicide had been planned.
“Ronnie had a very difficult childhood, which caused him to have extremely deep and damaging feelings of inadequacy,” Leighsa told Guitar Player. “This is why he always drove himself so hard. He never thought he was good enough. He always feared he’d be exposed as a fraud. So he was exacting in his self-criticism, and the expectations he put upon himself were tremendous. Now I see that perhaps he didn’t want to carry these burdens for very much longer.”
Leighsa Montrose has declined to speak publicly since the Guitar Player interview.
Friday’s concert — which sold out in minutes — will feature many of the guitarist’s longtime collaborators and musical admirers, including Journey’s Neal Schon, Tommy Thayer of KISS and other notables who will come together as the Ronnie Montrose All Star Band.
The biggest draw is the chance to see three-fourths of the original Montrose band — Hagar, drummer Denny Carmassi and bassist Bill Church — who will join with acclaimed guitarist Joe Satriani on such FM radio staples as “Bad Motor Scooter” and “Rock Candy.” Musicians from Ronnie Montrose’s second-best-known band, Gamma, will also perform during the evening.
Montrose’s diverse and appealing catalog stretches back to the early ’70s, when the San Francisco native began working as a sideman with such A-list talents as Van Morrison, Herbie Hancock, Boz Scaggs and Edgar Winter.
He leapt to the forefront in 1973 when the namesake band he formed with Hagar released “Montrose,” which is now considered one of the era’s essential hard-rock albums. In 1978, Montrose formed the fan favorite Gamma, which produced a few minor rock radio hits.
Although Montrose had taken about two years off from playing guitar after being diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2007, he had been active in recent years — recording a DVD and touring. He seemed to be doing well professionally, and, to many observers, he appeared to be in good spirits.
“At his 64th birthday party last November, it felt like he was going to go on forever,” said Berkeley-based rock writer Jaan Uhelszki, who was one of the last people to interview Montrose. “He made a speech after all the guests had finished singing the Beatles’ ‘When I’m Sixty-Four’ and spoke about how much he loved life. His life. That he was going to leave it so soon seemed inconceivable. It still feels that way. All I know right now is that I will miss him profoundly.”
The details of the guitarist’s death might put a bit of an unwelcome shadow over the tribute concert. But those who knew and loved Montrose and his music feel that it doesn’t cloud his legacy — he remains among the best rock guitarists of all time.
“He wrote some of the mightiest riffs in the history of rock ‘n’ roll,” Carmassi said. “As a guitar player, he was up among the greats. His personal life is his personal life — and we all have personal lives, which are complex. But he was a great guitar player.”
TRIBUTE
“A Concert for Ronnie Montrose — A Celebration of His Life in Music,” featuring Sammy Hagar, Neal Schon, Joe Satriani and others
When: 8 p.m. Friday
Where: Regency Ballroom, 1300 Van Ness Ave., S.F.
Tickets: Sold out.
More information is at
www.goldenvoice.com
Discography highlights
“Tupelo Honey,” Van Morrison (1971) — Montrose’s presence would be felt throughout Morrison’s fifth record, known for the classic title track and “Wild Night.” “Tupelo” established Montrose as a premiere sideman in rock.
“They Only Come Out at Night,” Edgar Winter Group (1972) — Montrose’s ax work helped turn the Edgar Winter Group’s third album into multimillion seller. The album produced the all-time rock instrumental classic “Frankenstein” as well as the FM radio staple “Free Ride.”
“Montrose,” Montrose (1973) — The debut album from the guitarist’s namesake band delivered the popular cuts “Bad Motor Scooter” and “Rock Candy.” Notably, it served as the public’s introduction to Sammy Hagar.
“Paper Money,” Montrose (1974) — The Montrose band’s sophomore set was another solid offering, highlighted by “I Got the Fire.” Hagar would leave Montrose after “Paper Money.”
“Gamma 1,” Gamma (1979) — The guitarist’s second-best known creation, Gamma, never sold massive numbers of records. Yet, the band — known for such hits as “Fight to the Finish,” “Voyager” and “I’m Alive” — is remembered fondly by many fans for its avant-garde take on hard rock.