David Lee Roth Biography

David Lee Roth (sometimes referred to as "Diamond Dave") (born October 10, 1953 in Bloomington, Indiana) is an American rock vocalist, songwriter, actor, author, and former radio personality, best known for his work with the band Van Halen and his fast-talking, oversized personality. Roth is a mountain climber and excels in various martial arts.

David Lee Roth is the son of the late Nathan J Roth, a prominent ophthalmologist, and Sybil Roth. He is the brother of Alison and Lisa Roth. Roth's Jewish grandparents immigrated to Indiana from Ukraine. Roth's uncle, Manny Roth, is an influential New York City nightclub owner and entertainment entrepreneur. Manny Roth owned the famous New York establishment Cafe Wha?. In the early 1960s when the likes of Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix were working there, seven-year-old David Lee got his first taste of, and desire for, show business from the inside by hanging out at "the Wha?".

Roth moved to Pasadena, California, in his teens after living in Swampscott, Massachusetts, and Bloomington, Indiana.

Roth was educated at The Webb Schools in Claremont, California and John Muir High School in Pasadena. He later attended Pasadena City College, although he did not graduate.

In April 1985, Roth either quit Van Halen or was fired (reports differ). Reportedly, tensions between Roth and guitarist Eddie Van Halen broke over Van Halen's desire to incorporate keyboards, synthesizers, and power ballads into the group's sound. In his 1998 autobiography, Crazy From the Heat, Roth characterized Van Halen's music just before his 1985 departure as "morose." Reportedly, Roth wished to record an album quickly, tour, and then shoot a movie (the ill-fated Crazy From the Heat), but found his bandmates apathetic, lethargic, and drunk. Reportedly, Roth also disliked Eddie Van Halen's behavior regarding an appearance on Michael Jackson's 1983 hit "Beat It"—Van Halen did not tell Roth that he had recorded the song, for fear that Roth would prevent him from releasing it. In Crazy From The Heat, Roth writes that he approved of Van Halen's participation on "Beat It"; he believed that the Quincy Jones-produced track provided an excellent vehicle for Van Halen to showcase his talents. Differing reports persist to this day regarding the causes of Roth's departure from Van Halen. Regardless, since 1985, Roth and his former bandmates have engaged in an acrimonious if often colorful feud that has made headlines for twenty years and has become the subject of much popular debate and speculation.

In late 1985, Roth assembled a band that many considered a supergroup, composed of guitarist Steve Vai, bass player Billy Sheehan and drummer Greg Bissonette. He later enlisted Van Halen producer Ted Templeman to produce the band's debut album. Eat'em and Smile saw Roth return to hard rock music, and met with considerable commercial success. In interviews around this time, Roth claimed that he had recorded additional Spanish and Portuguese language versions of the album, but to date only one of these, the Spanish language (all songs sung in Spanish) version titled "Sonrisa Salvajae", appeared (in 1988). The Eat 'em and Smile Tour was one of the most successful concert tours of 1986.

In June 1996, Roth reunited with Van Halen for a brief time and to great public fanfare. He recorded two new songs for Van Halen's Best of Vol. 1 album, "Can't Get This Stuff No More" and "Me Wise Magic." After an infamous appearance on 5 September 1996, at the MTV Video Music Awards during which Roth and Eddie Van Halen reportedly threatened each other, Roth was passed over for Van Halen's new lead vocalist job in favor of Gary Cherone. (Cherone's previous band, Extreme, had opened for Roth in 1991).

In 1997, Roth wrote a well-received memoir, entitled Crazy From the Heat. The 359 page book was whittled down from over 1,200 pages of monologues, which were transcribed by a Harvard University graduate student, who followed Roth around for almost a year. Among the book's revelations, aside from stories about backyard parties, Van Halen, and catching malaria in Third world jungles, was the infamous "Brown M&Ms" clause written into Van Halen's early contract riders. The clause was included in contracts not because of ego, but rather to make sure that structural stage specifications in the contract were read thoroughly and were adequately provided. Roth writes of a time when he found brown M&M's in a bowl and subsequently had a fit. In the press, he was accused of causing US$85,000 worth of damage to the arena. Most of the monetary damages were due to Van Halen's staging sinking through the floor. Roth writes, "they didn't bother to look at the weight requirements or anything, and this sank through their new flooring and did eighty-thousand dollars worth of damage to the arena floor. The whole thing had to be replaced. It came out in the press that I discovered brown M&M's and did eighty-five thousand dollars' worth of damage to the backstage area. Well, who am I to get in the way of a good rumor?"

In 2001, rumors swirled that Roth and the members of Van Halen had recorded several new songs together and were in the process of attempting yet another reunion. Roth later confirmed this, but nothing became of the music. A box set was also rumored, but never materialized. Instead, Warner Bros. re-released remastered versions of all six early Van Halen studio albums.

In 2002, Roth's Heavyweights of Rock and Roll Tour with Sammy Hagar succeeded beyond expectations and revived his career somewhat. Despite this, Roth's future with Van Halen seemed uncertain.

In 2003, Roth released Diamond Dave, an album of (mostly) classic rock cover songs ("If 6 Was 9", "Soul Kitchen", and a solo/big band version of "Ice Cream Man").

In 2004, he appeared on The Sopranos as a poker-playing guest of Tony Soprano, to which Roth was quoted on his website as saying, "Mom says I'm going to look like Lee Marvin in 10 years whether I'm in movies or not, so I might as well get after it!"

On 4 July 2004, Roth performed with the Boston Pops at Boston's annual Pops Goes the Fourth celebration.

According to news reports in July 2004, Roth relocated to New York City where he became an Emergency medical technician. Roth also took extensive flight training on the way to becoming a helicopter pilot.

Roth's website has stated that he is also working on the book The Tao of Dave: Rock 'n' Roll Philosophy with David Lee Roth, a follow-up to his autobiography.

On 25 May 2006 in an interview with Billboard magazine [2], Roth predicts a classic Van Halen reunion. ""There's contact between the two camps..." says Roth, and "To me, it's not rocket surgery. It's very simple to put together. And as far as hurt feelings and water under the dam, like what's-her-name says to what's-her-name at the end of the movie 'Chicago' -- 'So what? It's showbiz!' So I definitely see it happening." In the same interview, Roth also admits that he hasn't seen Eddie Van Halen "in a couple of years."

According to VHND.com, Roth plans a Summer Tour in 2006. He will play classic Van Halen hits as well as selected songs from his solo career. Roth will also promote a new CD, "Strummin' with the Devil," a Van Halen bluegrass tribute album, which features his vocals on several songs. Roth performed a bluegrass rendition of "Jump" on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. [3]

On October 26, credible rumors emerged that Roth would rejoin Van Halen for a 2007 tour, if the band is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at that time. Rolling Stone