David Lee Roth

David Lee Roth (born October 10, 1954) is an American rock singer. Known for his wild and energetic stage persona, he was the lead vocalist of the hard rock band Van Halen for three separate periods: from 1974 to 1985, in 1996, and from 2007 to when they disbanded in 2020. Nicknamed "Diamond Dave", he has had a successful solo career, releasing eight albums, four of which have been RIAA-certified Gold or Platinum. After more than two decades apart, Roth re-joined Van Halen in 2006 for a North American tour that became the highest-grossing in the band's history, and one of the highest-grossing of that year. In 2007, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Van Halen. Roth had solo hits with the songs "California Girls", "Yankee Rose", and "Just Like Paradise" in the late 1980s.

Roth was born in Bloomington, Indiana to Nathan Hirsh Roth, an ophthalmologist, and Sibyl Roth, a teacher. He has two sisters, one of whom is Lisa Roth, creator of the Rockabye Baby! lullaby music. The family is of Jewish heritage. Roth's uncle Manny Roth was the owner of Cafe Wha? in New York City. All four of Roth's grandparents were immigrants from Russia and his great-grandfather was a Lithuanian cavalryman. From an early age, Roth had an interest in art, especially film and radio; he said his first music idol was Al Jolson.

Roth spent much of his youth in New Castle, Indiana. In a 2019 interview with Q95's "Stuck and Gunner" he explained: "My grandparents moved to New Castle in 1913. It's in the sense of humor, the 'get it done' and how we do get it done approach work ethic of Van Halen, frankly. It's a Midwest approach, not some flakey Hollywood horse manure." The Roths briefly lived in Swampscott, Massachusetts.

In his teens, the family relocated to Pasadena, California. David attended The Webb Schools in Claremont, California, and John Muir High School in Pasadena. Roth's parents arranged for him to receive treatment with a psychiatrist for three years because he was prone to daily bouts of hyperactivity, dubbed "monkey time". Roth attended a horse ranch for troubled teens to build a sense of responsibility. While attending Pasadena City College, he met the Van Halen brothers, Eddie and Alex. During this period, Roth worked as a hospital orderly.

In his late teens, Roth was singing solo, as well as with an R&B-influenced rock band named the Red Ball Jets. Roth says the name was in reference to the red dye used in food at that time, including red candy balls, which would exacerbate his hyperactivity and lead to "monkey hour" at the family home. (Red Ball Jets was also the name of a brand of sneakers popular from 1951 to 1971.) Another Los Angeles band, Mammoth (featuring Alex Van Halen on drums and Eddie Van Halen singing and playing lead guitar), occasionally rented the Red Ball Jets' PA system for $10/night. After a couple of failed auditions, Roth joined Mammoth as lead singer. In 1974, Mammoth officially changed its name to Van Halen. According to Roth, this was his brainchild. He felt it was a moniker that offered long-term identity, aesthetic, and marketing advantages, like Santana.

Biography summary from English Wikipedia, photograph via Wikimedia Commons.