"Show me your bright lights and your city lights, all right,
I'm talking 'bout a Yankee Rose…"

Ready to perform a midair leg split at a moment’s notice, able to unleash bloodcurdling screams at will, and without a doubt, one of the most flamboyant lead singers to ever front a mega-rock group, David Lee Roth took the world by storm as the vocalist for Van Halen, alongside pyrotechnical guitar whiz Eddie Van Halen, his brother Alex on drums and Michael Anthony on bass guitar. There isn’t a high schooler from the late 70s that didn’t get a daily dose of Van Halen.

And after six successful records and a decade of touring with the band, Diamond Dave decided to spread his wings and fly the coop, launching his first solo effort, the 1985 EP, Crazy From The Heat. Drawing from such eclectic covers as Louis Prima’s “Just a Gigolo” and The Beach Boys “California Girls,” Roth milked his extroverted rock star image to the fullest, to the point of becoming a lounge act caricature of his former self, which he proudly displayed in a series of comical MTV videos.

Upon the success of the aforementioned EP, Roth proceeded to assemble a group of some of the finest rock musicians in the business, including drummer Greg Bissonette, bassist Billy Sheehan and Frank Zappa alumni, Steve Vai, a recognized guitar virtuoso in his own right. Together, they recorded their 1986 full-length debut album, Eat ‘Em and Smile. Seemingly unable to decide whether he wanted to go with the persona of rock hero or lounge lizard, Dave simply alternated between the two. Songs like “Tobacco Road” and “That’s Life” allowed him to play up the campy image, while “Yankee Rose” left no doubt that Diamond Dave was still a rocker at heart. With the wild success of the album, the band set out on an extensive and lucrative tour, while his former bandmates emerged with a new lead singer, veteran rocker Sammy Hagar. It seemed that the split had not damaged the earning potential of either Roth or Van Halen.

In 1988, Roth and his band followed up with Skyscraper, incorporating more synthesizers and producing the #6 hit, “Just Like Paradise.” Although the album sold very well, however, it would mark the end for bassist Billy Sheehan, who left to form his own band, Mr. Big. The band turned to the drummer’s brother, Matt Bissonette to fill the shoes of Sheehan.  Not long after, Steve Vai decided to get his solo career rolling (after a brief stint as the guitarist for Whitesnake) and left the group as well. Roth turned to an up-and-coming virtuoso named Jason Becker to fill his shoes and added a second guitarist, Steve Hunter, and a keyboardist, Brett Tuggle to the lineup. The group released the third album in 1991, called A Little Ain’t Enough and a fourth in 1004 called Your Filthy Little Mouth, but although the records sold respectfully, it was clear that they were missing some of the charm of the preceding efforts.

In 1996, Roth took to the stage at the MTV Video Music Awards with his old Van Halen cohorts. Rumors immediately began to fly about a reunion but hopes quickly faded as it was learned that the band mates’ former feuds were far from resolved. Instead, Roth went on to write a well-received autobiography called Crazy From the Heat.  Rumors resurged in 2001 of another reunion, supposedly thanks to the band recording a number of new songs together, but the tour, nor the songs, ever materialized – much to the disappointment of fans. Roth released another album of classic rock covers in 2003, called Diamond Dave and made a guest appearance on television'sThe Sopranos the following year. In 2006, he tried his hand at a new career - that of radio talk show host. Unfortunately, his show was cancelled within three months.

Finally, in September of 2007, fans got their long-awaited wish as Roth reunited for a tour with Van Halen, although the celebration was short-lived, with Eddie Van Halen returning for another stint of rehab and the remainder of the tour postponed indefinitely. Finally, in April of 2008, the tour was resumed until June, allowing fans to finally see Diamond Dave return to the spotlight with his former cohorts. And with a follow-tour already underway, it seems clear that the incendiary team of Roth and Van Halen has yet to take its final bow.