Sammy Hagar has shared a private tribute to the fan who gave him his well-known nickname, the Purple Rocker.
Hagar’s early success got here within the band Montrose, however he was dismissed after simply a few years. The singer launched into a solo profession, at which level he crossed paths with a person named John Pruner.
“In 1976 I had simply launched the pink album,” Hagar recalled in a publish to Fb, referring to his self-titled LP. “I used to be enjoying certainly one of my first concert events in Seattle, Washington supporting that report with the track ‘Purple’ being the only. The following morning, I used to be testing of the resort and John Pruner the person in these photographs, stopped me and requested for an autograph on the newspaper overview of the live performance. He requested me to signal it, ‘The Purple Rocker.’ That was the start of being the Purple Rocker.”
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Little did both man know on the time, however the Purple Rocker moniker would stick. Through the years, Hagar has embraced the nickname to the purpose of branding, with shirts, hats and even beer emblazoned with the Purple Rocker title. By means of all of it, Hagar by no means forgot the person who gave him the identify.
‘You Will By no means Pay to See Me Once more’
“John grew to become perhaps the primary redhead earlier than the followers grew to become redheads,” Hagar famous in his tribute. “He adopted me across the nation, displaying up all over the place. I bought to know him nicely. Later, at a birthday bash in Cabo he confirmed me that he had paid to see over 100 exhibits! I stated you’ll by no means pay to see me once more and gave him the golden lifetime all entry cross. That was nicely over 100 exhibits in the past.”
In accordance with Hagar, Pruner’s well being had “been failing him for nicely over a decade.” Even in a wheelchair, the super-fan nonetheless made it out to exhibits, and Hagar “all the time made room for him on the aspect of the stage or wherever potential.”
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“Effectively, we misplaced the unique primary redhead a pair nights in the past,” the Rock & Roll Corridor of Famer introduced. “We’ll miss you, John Pruner, and the present will go on with out you. I do know you would not have it every other method.”
Hagar is about to carry out on the Stagecoach competition in Indio, California in April. He’ll then open his Better of All Worlds residency in Las Vegas on Might 2.
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Gallery Credit score: Matthew Wilkening
