Medal record
Sammy Lee (diver)
Men's Diving
Competitor for the  United States
Olympic Games
Gold	1948 London	10m Platform
Gold	1952 Helsinki	10m Platform
Bronze	1948 London	3m Springboard

Dr. Samuel ("Sammy") Lee (born August 1, 1920) is the first Asian American to win an Olympic gold medal for the United States^[1] and the first man to win back-to-back gold medals in Olympic platform diving. He was born in Fresno, California to parents who owned what he describes as "a little chop suey restaurant,"^[2] and is of Korean descent.

As a twelve-year-old in 1932, Lee dreamed of becoming a diver, but at the time Latinos, Asians and African-Americans were only allowed to use Fresno's Brookside Pool on Wednesdays, on what was called "international day": the day before the pool was scheduled to be drained and refilled with clean water. Because Lee needed a place to practice and could not regularly use the public pool, his coach dug a pit in his backyard and filled it with sand. Lee practiced by jumping into the pit.^[3]

Lee won a bronze medal in springboard diving in the 1948 games. His accomplishments were not limited to the athletic field. Lee was a student-athlete at the University of Southern California School of Medicine, where he received his M.D. in 1947. He went on to serve in the U.S. Army Medical Corps in Korea from 1953–55, where he specialized in the diseases of the ear. In 1953, while serving his tour of duty in Korea, he won the James E. Sullivan Award, which is awarded annually by the Amateur Athletic Union to the most outstanding amateur athlete in the United States. He went on to coach Olympic divers including Pat McCormick, Bob Webster, and Greg Louganis. He is a member of the US Olympic Hall of Fame.

A landmark, the Sammy Lee Square, at the corner of Olympic Boulevard and Normandie Avenue in Los Angeles' Koreatown was named after him.^[4]

References[link]

1. ^ Steve Almasy: After 60 years, Olympians are fast friends again, CNN.com, 22 Aug 2008
2. ^ Juan Williams and David Halberstam, My Soul Looks Back in Wonder: Voices of the Civil Rights Experience, Sterling (May 28, 2004)
3. ^ Jane Margolis, Stuck In the Shallow End: Education, Race and Computing, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2008
4. ^ LA Square Named After Korean-American Diver

External links[link]

• Sammy Lee on The Asians in America page
• Sammy Lee on hickoksports.com
• Sixteen Years in Sixteen Seconds: The Sammy Lee Story written by Paula Yoo, illustrated by Dom Lee, (LEE & LOW BOOKS, 2005), ISBN 978-1-58430-247-6. The inspirational true story of Sammy Lee, a Korean American who overcame discrimination to realize both his father’s desire that he become a doctor and his own dream of becoming an Olympic champion diver.
• Sammy Lee's profile at Sports Reference.com

This article about an Olympic medalist of the United States is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

This biographical article related to diving is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Sammy Lee may refer to:

• Sammy Lee (scientist) (born 1958), expert in vitro fertilisation
• Sammy Lee (diver) (born 1920), Korean-American diver and two-time Olympic Games champion
• Sammy Lee (footballer) (born 1959), former Liverpool footballer and former Bolton Wanderers manager
• Satoru Sayama (born 1957), Japanese wrestler with the stage name "Sammy Lee"
• Sammy Lee (choreographer), Oscar nominated choreogapher of Ali Baba Goes to Town

See also[link]

• Sam Lee (disambiguation)
• Samuel Lee (disambiguation)

This disambiguation page lists articles about people with the same name. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (July 2009)

Greg Louganis

Photograph by Alan Light
Personal information
Full name	Gregory Efthimios Louganis
Born	(1960-01-29) January 29, 1960 (age 52) El Cajon, California
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Sport
Country	United States
Event(s)	1m, 3m, 10m
College team	University of Miami and University of California, Irvine
Medal record Olympic Games Silver 1976 Montreal 10m Platform Gold 1984 Los Angeles 3m Springboard Gold 1984 Los Angeles 10m Platform Gold 1988 Seoul 3m Springboard Gold 1988 Seoul 10m Platform World Championships Gold 1978 Berlin 10m Platform Gold 1982 Guayaquil 3m Springboard Gold 1982 Guayaquil 10m Platform Gold 1986 Madrid 3m Springboard Gold 1986 Madrid 10m Platform Pan American Games Gold 1979 San Juan 3m Springboard Gold 1979 San Juan 10m Platform Gold 1983 Caracas 3m Springboard Gold 1983 Caracas 10m Platform Gold 1987 Indianapolis 3m Springboard Gold 1987 Indianapolis 10m Platform Summer Universiade Gold 1983 Edmonton 3m Springboard Gold 1983 Edmonton 10m Platform

Gregory "Greg" Efthimios Louganis ( /luːˈɡeɪnɨs/) (born January 29, 1960) is an American Olympic diver and author.

He received the James E. Sullivan Award from the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) in 1984 as the most outstanding amateur athlete in the United States.

Early life[link]

Louganis is of Samoan/Swedish descent. His teenaged parents gave him up for adoption when he was eight months old and he was raised in California by his adoptive parents, a Greek-American couple. As a child he suffered from asthma and a string of allergies; his doctor suggested an exercise program would strengthen his lungs. He was taken to his sister's dance class, and also took up gymnastics and trampoline. He began diving lessons at age eight after the family got a swimming pool and he began attempting his trampoline moves on the diving board.^[1] He attended Santana High School in Santee, California, and Valhalla High School in El Cajon, California.

Diving career[link]

As a Junior Olympic competitor Louganis caught the eye of Dr. Sammy Lee, two-time Olympic champion, who began coaching him. At sixteen Louganis took part in the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, where he placed second in the tower event, behind Italian sport legend Klaus Dibiasi. Two years later, with Dibiasi retired, Louganis won his first world title in the same event with the help of coach Ron O'Brien. In 1978, he accepted a diving scholarship to the University of Miami where he studied theater, but in 1981 transferred to the University of California, Irvine, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts.

Louganis was a favorite for two golds in the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, but an American boycott of the games prevented him from participating. Louganis won two titles at the world championships in 1982, where he became the first diver in a major international meeting to get a perfect score of 10 from all seven judges.^[1] At the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, with record scores and leads over his opponents, Louganis won gold medals in both the springboard and tower diving events.

After winning two more world championship titles in 1986, he repeated his 1984 feat in the 1988 Seoul Olympics, although not without difficulties: he suffered a concussion after hitting his head on the springboard during the preliminary rounds while performing a reverse 2½ pike. He completed the preliminaries despite his injury, earning the highest single score of the qualifying for his next dive, and went on to repeat the dive during the finals, earning the gold medal by a margin of 25 points.^[1] In the 10m finals he won the gold medal performing a 3.4 difficulty dive in his last attempt, earning 86.70 points for a total of 638.61, surpassing silver medalist Xiong Ni by only 1.14 points.^[1] His comeback earned him the title of ABC's Wide World of Sports "Athlete of the Year" for 1988.

At the time of the 1988 accident Louganis did not disclose to the public that he was infected with HIV, a diagnosis he had received six months before the Olympics. His doctor placed him on the antiretroviral drug AZT, which he took every four hours round the clock. It was 1994 when Louganis announced to the world that he was gay. He took part in the 1994 Gay Games as a diving announcer as well as putting on a diving exhibition for capacity crowds. In 1995, Louganis cowrote his autobiography Breaking the Surface, with the assistance of author Eric Marcus. In the book Louganis detailed a relationship of domestic abuse and rape, as well as teenage depression, and how he began smoking and drinking at a young age.^[1] He also disclosed to the world that he was HIV positive. As expected at that time, most of his corporate sponsors dropped him as a client when they heard the news of his HIV status. The exception was swimsuit manufacturer Speedo, who retained him as an endorser of their products until 2007. After his announcement, people in and out of the international diving community began to question Louganis's decision not to disclose his HIV status at the time of his head injury during the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Their concern was that because of the bloody nature of his injury, Louganis placed all of his diving competitors at risk of being exposed to HIV. The United States Olympic Committee expressed great concern about the possibility of HIV exposure.^[2]

Personal life[link]

Greg Louganis is openly gay. After he tested positive for HIV in 1988,^[3][4] he recounted his story in a best-selling autobiography Breaking the Surface co-written with Eric Marcus. The book spent five weeks at number one on the New York Times Best Seller list. His story was also documented in the 1996 Showtime movie Breaking the Surface: The Greg Louganis Story with Mario Lopez playing the lead and Louganis narrating.

He also produced a video diary called Looking To the Light, which picked up where Breaking the Surface left off. In the years since his diagnosis was made public Louganis has been an outspoken HIV awareness advocate. He has worked frequently with the Human Rights Campaign to defend the civil liberties of the LGBT community and people diagnosed with HIV/AIDS.^[5]

In the late 1980s and 1990s, he took on a number of roles in movies, including Touch Me in 1997 and David Oliveras' debut movie Watercolors in role of Coach Brown, a swimming instructor in a high school.

In September 2000, he appeared on Hollywood Squares as a member of famous Olympic gold medalists "Dream Team", competing in a special week of the nationally-syndicated game show series, broadcast as a tribute to the 2000 Summer Games. The episodes marked the first time that all these champions came together for this kind of television competition.

In the October/November 2010 issue of ABILITY Magazine, Louganis stated that the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy is "absurd," "unconstitutional," and a "witch-hunt." He added that "gay men and women have been serving this country for years. . . [it's] basically encouraging people who are serving our country to lie to each other." ^[6]

Also in 2012, he appeared in the penultimate episode of the second season of IFC's comedy Portlandia.

Among other influences, actor Michael Fassbender took Louganis's gait and mannerisms as inspiration for his portrayal of an advanced humanoid robot in the 2012 film Prometheus,^[7] stating that "Louganis was my first inspiration. I figured that I'd sort of base my physicality roughly around him, and then it kind of went from there."^[8]

Dog agility[link]

Louganis competed actively in dog agility competitions with his dogs Dr. Schivago, Captain Woof Blitzer, Nipper, Gryffindor (Gryff), Dobby and Hedwig (named for characters in the Harry Potter series).^[9] He published his book For the Life of Your Dog co-written with Betty Sicora Siino.

Coaching[link]

Since November 2010, Louganis has been coaching divers of a wide range of ages and abilities in the SoCal Divers Club in Fullerton, California.^[10]

Filmography[link]

Films in which Greg Louganis has appeared:

• Dirty Laundry (1987) as Larry
• Inside Out III (1992) as Max in the segment "The Wet Dream"
• Breaking the Surface: The Greg Louganis Story (narrator)
• It's My Party (1996) as Dan Zuma
• Broken Record (1997 TV movie) as Coach Hill
• Touch Me (1997) as David
• Watercolors (2008) as Coach Brown
• 30 for 30: "Tim Richmond: To the Limit" (2010)
• Portlandia, season 2/ episode 9, (2012) as himself

See also[link]

• World Fit

References[link]

External links[link]

• Greg Louganis official web site
• Greg Louganis Official Bio
• Greg Louganis biography at Olympic Movement official web site
• Greg Louganis to keynote DBSA 2007 National Conference
• Greg Louganis -
• Greg Louganis profile at NNDB
• http://www.facebook.com/greglouganisondwts?bookmark_t=page

Johnny Bower
Born	(1924-11-08) November 8, 1924 (age 87) Prince Albert, SK, CAN
Height	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight	170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb)
Position	Goaltender
Caught	Left
Played for	AHL Cleveland Barons Providence Reds NHL New York Rangers Toronto Maple Leafs
Playing career	1945–1970
Hall of Fame, 1976

John William Bower (born John Kiszkan^[1] on November 8, 1924, in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan), nicknamed "The China Wall", is a Hockey Hall of Fame goaltender.

Playing career[link]

Bower served with the Canadian Army during World War II in England from 1940 to 1943 and was discharged due to rheumatoid arthritis. After the war, Bower returned to Prince Albert in 1943 to play junior hockey in Prince Albert and in the AHL — largely for the Cleveland Barons — for 11 seasons in the late 1940s and 1950s, and proved himself the star goaltender of the circuit, winning numerous awards and leading his teams to three Calder Cup championships.

During his first professional year of hockey, he changed his name from John Kiszkan to Bower, to make it easier for sports writers.^[2]

He was finally picked up by the New York Rangers of the NHL for the 1953–54 season, but was sent back down to the minor leagues the following season. Bower would toil in the minors four more years in Providence (Reds 1945–1946, 1955–1956 and 1956–1957), Vancouver (Canucks 1954–1955), Cleveland (Barons 1945–1953 and 1957–1958) and then again with the Rangers in 1954–1955, before being claimed by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1958 Inter-League Draft. He would play 11 full seasons in all with the Leafs, the remainder of his career.^[3]

The height of his NHL career came during the Maple Leafs' three consecutive Stanley Cup victories in the early 1960s — 1962, 1963 and 1964.

After the 1962 victory, Bower complained about Bobby Hull, Chicago Black Hawks left winger and his hard slap shot, improved from that of Montreal Canadiens left-wing Bernie Geoffrion. Bower said, "He needs another shot like I need a hole in the head, which I may get."

His career would be hampered by poor eyesight, but despite that he remained a top-tier goaltender. He was known for his hard-nosed, scrappy playing style and would win another Stanley Cup in 1967 by tandeming with another Hall of Famer (Terry Sawchuk). Bower claimed, "I wasn't all that glad to see the two-goalie system come in. I wanted to play as many games as I could." Bower and Sawchuk shared the Vezina Trophy as the best NHL goalies in 1964–65. On April 22, 1967, in the second game of the Stanley Cup Finals, he shutout the Montreal Canadiens for his fifth (and final) career playoff shutout - four of them against the Canadiens.^[4] In the third game of the Stanley Cup Finals, on April 25, 1967, and in his last Stanley Cup Final appearance, he became the second-oldest goalie to play in the Stanley Cup Final at age 42 years, 5 months, 17 days (refer to Lester Patrick for record). The Leafs won in double overtime when Bob Pulford scored.^[5] On April 6, 1969, at the age of 44 years, 4 months, and 29 days, Johnny became the oldest goaltender to play in a Stanley Cup playoff game.^[6] His last full season was 1968–69. He played his final game on December 10, 1969, a 6-3 loss to Montreal;^[7] mainly due to injuries, this was his only game of the 1969-70 season. On March 19, 1970, Johnny publicly announced his official retirement - four months after his 45th birthday. When asked, in light of his retirement, if he might reveal his true age, he replied "If you don't know by now, you never will".^[3] He subsequently revealed his birth date as November 8, 1924.^[8]

His regular season career statistics include: 552 games played, 250 wins, 195 losses, 90 ties, 37 shutouts and a 2.51 GAA. In addition, he remains the AHL career shutout leader.

Bower was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1976, and the AHL Hall of Fame in 2006. In 1998, he was ranked number 87 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players. He was assistant coach for the Leafs from 1976–1978. Bower is also a member of the Etobicoke Sports Hall of Fame since 1994. Bower is married to wife Nancy with a son, two daughters and six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren and resides in Etobicoke, Ontario. In January 2004, Bower was featured on a postage stamp. As part of the NHL All-Stars Collection, Bower was immortalized along with five other All-Stars.^[9] In 2005, the Royal Canadian Mint featured Bower on a non-circulating fifty-cent coin, as part of its four-coin Legends of the Toronto Maple Leafs coin set.^[10] In 2007, it was announced that Bower would receive a star on Canada's Walk of Fame.

On October 7, 2010, he opened the first game of regular season for the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre by walking out on an implied bridge over water with his goalie stick.

Awards[link]

Bower's star on Canada's Walk of Fame

• Hap Holmes Memorial Award winner in 1952, 1957, 1958
• Vezina Trophy winner in 1961, 1965.
• Stanley Cup Championships in 1962, 1963, 1964, 1967.
• Selected to NHL First All-Star Team in 1961.
• Played in 1961 NHL All-Star Game.
• Les Cunningham Award winner in 1956, 1957, 1958.
• Calder Cup winner in 1948, 1951, 1953.
• In 1998, he was ranked number 87 on The Hockey News' list of the 100 Greatest Hockey Players.
• Inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1976.

Career statistics[link]

Regular season[link]

Post-season record[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Johnny Bower's biography at Legends of Hockey
• Johnny Bower's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database Note: Birth date is incorrectly shown as November 8, 1925 on The Internet Hockey Database
• Age never got in Bower's way
• AHL Hall of Fame bio

David Lee Roth
David Lee Roth, 2008
Background information
Also known as	Diamond Dave
Born	(1954-10-10) October 10, 1954 (age 57) Bloomington, Indiana, United States
Genres	Hard rock, heavy metal
Occupations	Musician, songwriter, paramedic, producer, author, disc jockey
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, harmonica, synthesizer
Years active	1969–present
Labels	Warner Bros., Interscope, Magna Carta, CMH
Associated acts	The David Lee Roth Band, Van Halen
Website	www.davidleeroth.com

David Lee Roth (born October 10, 1954)^[1] is an American rock vocalist, songwriter, actor, author, and former radio personality. Roth is one of few vocalists with a larger than 4 octave range in full voice (from G1 to G♯5).^[2]

Roth is best known as the original and current lead singer of the Southern California-based hard rock outfit Van Halen. After departing Van Halen in 1985 Roth first enjoyed a successful career as a solo artist, which originated while still a member of that band and yielded several RIAA-certified Gold and Platinum records.^[3] After more than two decades apart, Roth rejoined Van Halen in 2006 for a North American tour that became the most successful in the band's history^[4] and one of the highest grossing of that year.^[5] Roth has remained the lead singer of Van Halen since his 2006 return and has recently completed recording new material with the band for their first album together since 1984.^[6]

Early life[link]

Roth was born on October 10, 1954, in Bloomington, Indiana. He is the son of ophthalmologist Nathan Roth and Sibyl Roth and the brother of Allison and Lisa Roth. Dr. Nathan Roth was a renowned eye surgeon, who made millions via his practice and in real estate. Dr. Roth was even featured on the TV show, "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous", in 1984. On that program, Dr. Roth claims that he was Van Halen's first manager helping the group obtain gigs in the early days. Nathan owned a 14,000-square-foot home in Pasadena named "Rothwood" and a chateau named "Bradbury". He was a writer, an actor, and a surgeon.

David's paternal and maternal grandparents emigrated from Azores Islands, Portugal, and Russia to New Castle, Indiana. David is half-Jewish on his Father's side.^[7] He was raised in the Jewish religion. Many members of his family were surgeons: Roth has an uncle, Dave, who is a neurosurgeon; an uncle, Marty, who is an orthopedic surgeon; and a grandfather who was a surgeon.^[8] Roth's uncle, Manny Roth, is an influential New York City nightclub owner and entertainment entrepreneur who built and owned the New York establishment Cafe Wha? in the early 1960s, where the likes of Bob Dylan and Jimi Hendrix were performing and hanging out. Seven-year-old David Lee got his first taste of, and desire for, show business from the inside by hanging out at Cafe Wha?, as mentioned in his book "Crazy from the Heat" numerous times. His uncle would be one of David's first guests on his short-lived radio show on New York's 92.3 Free-FM.

After living in both Bloomington, Indiana, and Swampscott, Massachusetts, Roth moved to Pasadena, California, in his teens. Roth stated he bounced around a number of schools and spent three years going to a psychiatrist. He eventually attended a ranch for troubled teens where he cared for a horse to build a sense of responsibility.^[9] He was educated at The Webb Schools in Claremont, California and John Muir High School in Pasadena. He later attended Pasadena City College where he met the Van Halen brothers, Eddie and Alex, although he did not graduate. During this period, Roth worked as a hospital orderly.^[8]

With Van Halen: 1972–1985, 1996, 2001[link]

By the time Roth was in his late teens, he was singing solo as well as with a group called the Red Ball Jets. Another Los Angeles area group, Mammoth (featuring Alex Van Halen on drums and Edward Van Halen singing and playing lead guitar), occasionally rented the Red Ball Jets' PA system. Roth would eventually be invited to join Mammoth as lead singer, an invitation he quickly accepted. In 1974, the band was informed that another act was already using the name Mammoth, and, at Roth's urging, they opted to rename themselves Van Halen.^[10]

Performing both original songs and established tunes, Van Halen eventually gained local success, becoming a regular feature at the Starwood Club, the West Coast's portal to fame. It was during their four-month stint there that they were first discovered. In 1976, Gene Simmons took note of the band (in particular Eddie Van Halen, who Simmons secretly hoped to recruit for his own band, KISS) and assisted them in producing their first demo tape.^[11] Although featuring many of the songs that would be included on their future debut album, the tape did little to garner them any major label attention at the time. In early 1977, Warner Brothers' Ted Templeman came to the Starwood, heard the group, and immediately signed them to a contract with his label.^[10] During this period Roth's stage persona was heavily influenced by that of Black Oak Arkansas vocalist Jim "Dandy" Mangrum.

Released in 1978, the band's first album, Van Halen, earned the band significant national attention. The album was a smashing success, with more than twelve million copies sold, and the original Van Halen went on to release five more successful albums over the next seven years. Roth is often credited with promoting Van Halen's image as the quintessential rock band, one devoted to a lifestyle described by David Fricke in Rolling Stone as "a nonstop booze-and-babes party train." Despite this wild image, Roth earned applause for his abilities as a lyricist and singer. Roth's clever lyrics worked in harmony with the music composed by Edward Van Halen to create the band's trademark tunes, tunes that helped transform Van Halen, in Fricke's words, into "the monster rock action squad that ruled the charts and the airwaves for seven years."^[10]

In early 1985, while still a member of Van Halen, Roth released "Crazy From the Heat", a popular solo EP of off-beat standards. Singles for "California Girls" and "Just a Gigolo/I Ain't Got Nobody" succeeded largely due to their innovative music videos (produced by Jerry Kramer and co-produced by Glenn Goodwin and Bobby Diebold), which featured ridiculous characters created by Roth and his Creative Chief Director, Pete Angelus, who'd previously directed Van Halen's Roth-era videos.

On April 1, 1985, Roth and Van Halen parted ways. In his 1998 autobiography, Crazy From the Heat, Roth characterized Van Halen's music just before his 1985 departure as "morose". Roth wished to record an album quickly, tour, and then shoot a movie, (for which he hoped Van Halen would record the soundtrack. The film, entitled Crazy From The Heat, was budgeted at $20 million by CBS Studios; however, the project folded after the consolidation of CBS Studios.) ^[10]

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 September 5, 1996, at the MTV Video Music Awards during which Roth and Eddie Van Halen reportedly threatened each other,^[12] Roth was passed over for Van Halen's new lead vocalist job in favor of Gary Cherone. In 2012, Cherone confirmed the longtime rumor that he had already been chosen as Van Halen's new singer long before the MTV incident, connoting that Van Halen used Roth to create public interest in the Best Of Vol. 1 hits collection.^[13] '"Me Wise Magic," Van Halen's virtuosic display of psychedlia-influenced rock with Roth on vocals became a #1 Billboard Mainstream Rock hit in 1996.

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. issued remastered versions of all six early Van Halen studio albums.

Solo career: 1985–2003[link]

In late 1985, Roth assembled a backing band, consisting of guitar virtuoso Steve Vai, bassist Billy Sheehan, and drummer Gregg Bissonette. With veteran Van Halen producer Ted Templeman handling the production, Roth released his debut full-length solo album, Eat 'Em and Smile in July 1986. The album saw Roth return to hard rock music, and met with huge commercial and critical success, charting at #4 on the Billboard Top 200.^[14]

In January 1988, Roth released Skyscraper, a more experimental recording featuring the hit single "Just Like Paradise." Skyscraper was co-produced by Roth and Steve Vai and was certified Platinum (1 million in sales). At the time of its release, Skyscraper peaked at #6 on the Billboard album chart. Soon after Skyscraper's release, Billy Sheehan left Roth's band due to musical differences.^[15] He was replaced in time for the album's support tour with bassist Matt Bissonette.^[16] The tour was a major production featuring, at various points, Roth surfing above the audience on a surfboard suspended on wires, and in a boxing ring. Both parts of the stage show were featured in the "Just Like Paradise" music video.^[17] The show also featured the band in a calypso segment playing Caribbean steel drums and in an unplugged segment where the band performed acoustic covers of some rock and roll classics.^[18]

Following the tour for Skyscraper, Steve Vai left the band to pursue a solo career and record and tour with Whitesnake. Roth replaced him with guitar virtuoso Jason Becker to record his third solo LP, A Little Ain't Enough. A more mainstream hard rock album produced by Bob Rock, A Little Ain't Enough achieved RIAA gold status. Shortly before the support tour for the album, Becker was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease, which rendered him unable to perform. Roth replaced Becker with guitarist Joe Holmes for the tour. The emergence of grunge had altered musical tastes at the time and the tour did not do as well financially as its predecessors, marking the last solo arena tour for Roth.

In April 1993, Roth was arrested in New York City's Washington Square Park for buying what he described as "$10 worth of Jamaican bunk reefer" from an undercover police officer. The arrest made headlines^[19] and became a late-night television punch-line. When asked by Howard Stern whether the bust was a publicity stunt, Roth said, "Howard, in New York City this small of a bust is a $35 traffic citation. It literally says 'Buick, Chevy, Other'. Your dog poops on the sidewalk, it's $50. If I was looking for publicity, I would have pooped on the sidewalk."

In March 1994, Roth released Your Filthy Little Mouth, a more musically-eclectic album produced by Nile Rodgers.^[20] The album failed to achieve positive critical or commercial success, proving to be Roth's first solo effort not to reach Gold or Platinum status. The support tour found Roth playing considerably smaller venues than where he had played previously. Although out of print for over ten years prior, Your Filthy Little Mouth saw a remastered re-release in 2007.

In 1995, Roth returned with an adult lounge act, performing largely in Las Vegas casinos, with a brass band that featured Nile Rodgers, Edgar Winter, and members of the Miami Sound Machine. It also featured several exotic dancers, who in Roth's words were "so sweet, I bet they shit sugar!"^[21]

By the late 1990s, Roth trained as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) and worked as one for some time.^[22] He occasionally told stories about his experiences as an EMT on his radio show.

In 1997, Roth wrote a well-received memoir, entitled Crazy From the Heat, which landed on The New York Times Bestseller's List. The 359-page book was whittled down from over 1,200 pages of monologues, which were recorded and transcribed by a Princeton University graduate who followed Roth around for almost a year. The book received mostly positive critical reaction and spent time on the New York Times Bestseller list.

In 1998, Roth released a final album of self-penned solo material entitled DLR Band. The album featured a popular song, "Slam Dunk," which, like a majority of the album, was co-written by rising guitar hero and longtime David Lee Roth fan, John 5. The album was considered a return to form for Roth by critics.

In 2002, The "Song for Song: The Heavyweight Champions of Rock and Roll Tour" paired Roth with his musical nemesis Sammy Hagar, and proceeded to revive the careers of both former Van Halen frontmen. Despite the monetary success and publicity generated by the tour, Roth's future with Van Halen seemed uncertain. "Yankee Rose" appeared in the 2002 videogame Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, playing on rock station V-Rock, while generally, Roth became more visible than he'd been in years, e.g. appearing on commercials for MTV with Justin Timberlake.

In 2003, Roth released his final solo album called Diamond Dave, which included one last self-penned John 5 collaboration.

In 2004, Roth appeared on the very popular TV series The Sopranos as a poker-playing guest of Tony Soprano. Regarding this, 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 July 4 2004, Roth performed with the world renowned Boston Pops Orchestra at Boston's annual Pops Goes the Fourth celebration. The performance was witnessed by over 100,000 people live in Boston, and by millions more on U.S. television.

The David Lee Roth Show: 2005[link]

David Lee Roth was tapped to replace his friend, Howard Stern, on terrestrial radio, following Stern's decision to align himself with SIRIUS Satellite radio. Roth's show lasted for four months, and ended in a lawsuit. During the course of David Lee Roth's radio show, he maintained a relationship with Howard Stern News Department reporter Steve Langford. Roth and Langford met frequently after shows, with Langford bringing tape back to Howard of Roth's complaints towards WXRK's management. Issues included Roth's firing, the missing podcast, and his show being cut off early. Langford and Roth met last on Roth's final day, April 21, 2006, Roth performed the Rolling Stones song "You Can't Always Get What You Want" for Howard and discussed an impending lawsuit against CBS.

Return to Van Halen: 2007–present[link]

On January 24, 2007, after much anticipation, Billboard.com reported that David Lee Roth would rejoin Van Halen for a 40-date arena and amphitheater tour in Summer 2007.^[23] This report, among many others, was confirmed with an official press release posted on the official Van Halen website on Feb. 2, 2007.

On Feb. 2, 2007 The Official Van Halen Web Site released information that David Lee Roth had rejoined the band along with current members Alex, Eddie, along with Eddie and Valerie Bertinelli's teenage son, Wolfgang Van Halen. Michael Anthony, Van Halen's original bass player, played the summer 2004 tour with Sammy Hagar under a 'hired gun' contract. On March 8 the official Van Halen website posted a letter from Eddie Van Halen stating that Ed was entering rehab and that the tour with Roth had been indefinitely postponed.

In March 2007 five members of Van Halen, the four original members and Sammy Hagar were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The Van Halen brothers did not attend due to Eddie's condition. Roth was to perform with the band Velvet Revolver; however, conflict with the band caused his part to be canceled. Roth subsequently did not attend the induction, leaving only Michael Anthony and Sammy Hagar to represent Van Halen. Both Anthony and Hagar thanked Roth publicly for his contribution to the band during the awards acceptance. David Lee Roth did not attend the ceremony and the event was considered yet another public embarrassment for the band.^[24]

The conflict was rumored to be based on song selection. Roth wanted to perform "Jump", the band's highest charting song, but Velvet Revolver would only agree to play "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love" or "You Really Got Me". When it was finally agreed upon that Paul Shaffer would perform "Jump", Roth claimed that there was no longer enough time to rehearse and opted not to attend the ceremony.

On G4's show Code Monkeys, Dave is shown giving an inspirational speech to keep the others from taking up jobs at Bellecovision and asks "Would David Lee Roth leave Van Halen?" The show takes place in the 1980s.

On August 13, 2007, 6 months after the initial reunion tour was postponed, it was finally confirmed by Van Halen with Roth at a press conference in Los Angeles that they would start the tour back up again and schedule it starting in September 2007. At that conference, Eddie Van Halen stated that he and Roth were "like brothers" now. Calling Van Halen a "real band", both Edward and Roth spoke of the possibility of further worldwide touring and a new album in mind for the future.

On June 5, 2008, Van Halen announced that the 2007–2008 tour with Roth grossed more than $93 million, a record for the rock band. Van Halen played to nearly one million people during 74 arena shows throughout the United States and Canada, beginning September 27, 2007 in Charlotte, N.C. and wrapping June 3, 2008 in Quebec City, QC for the 400th anniversary of the city.

In December 2011, Van Halen announced a 2012 tour with David Lee Roth.^[25]

The new Roth-fronted Van Halen album A Different Kind of Truth was released on February 7, 2012. A tour commenced in February 2012.

Solo band members[link]

Guitars[link]

• Brian Young and Toshi Hiketa (2006)
• Toshi Hiketa (2003–2005)
• Brian Young (2002–2003)
• Bart Walsh (1999, 2001)
• Mike Hartman and John Lowery (1998)
• Steve Hunter (1997)
• Terry Kilgore (1994)
• Terry Kilgore and Rocket Ritchotte (1993–1994)
• Joe Holmes and Steve Hunter (1991–1992)
• Jason Becker and Steve Hunter (1990–1991)
• Steve Vai (1985–1989)
• Peter Lewis (1990–1991)
• Electric Moccasin

Bass[link]

• Todd Jensen (1990–1991, 1999–2000, 2004–2006)
• James LoMenzo (2001–2004)
• B'urbon Bob (1998)
• John Regan (1994)
• James Hunting (1993–1994)
• Matt Bissonette (1988–1990)
• Billy Sheehan (1985–1988)

Drums[link]

• Jimmy DeGrasso (2006)
• Ray Luzier (1997–2000, 2001–2005)
• Ron Wikso (1993–1994)
• Gregg Bissonette (1985–1992)

Keyboards[link]

• Marcus Margand II (2000–2001)
• Patrick Howard I (1998–1999)
• Richard Hilton (1994–1995)
• Brett Tuggle (1988–1994, 1997)
• Jesse Harms (1986)

Discography[link]

Albums with Van Halen

• Van Halen (1978)
• Van Halen II (1979)
• Women and Children First (1980)
• Fair Warning (1981)
• Diver Down (1982)
• 1984 (1984)
• A Different Kind of Truth (2012)

Studio albums/EPs

• Crazy from the Heat EP (1985)
• Eat 'Em and Smile (1986)
• Sonrisa Salvaje (1986) Spanish version of Eat 'Em and Smile
• Skyscraper (1988)
• A Little Ain't Enough (1991)
• Your Filthy Little Mouth (1994)
• DLR Band (1998)
• Diamond Dave (2003)

Other appearances

• Strummin' with the Devil: The Southern Side of Van Halen – vocals on "Jump" and "Jamie's Cryin'" (2006)

References[link]

Bibliography[link]

• David Lee Roth (1997). Crazy From the Heat. ISBN 0-7868-6339-0

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: David Lee Roth

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: David Lee Roth

• Official website
• David Lee Roth Army
• Official Van Halen website
• Van Halen News Desk