Ronnie Montrose
Ronnie Montrose Montrose in 1974 Background information Birth name Ronald Douglas Montrose Born 29 November 1947 San Francisco, California, US Died 3 March 2012 (aged 64) Millbrae, California, US Genres Hard rock, heavy metal, instrumental rock, jazz fusion, blues rock Occupation(s) Musician, songwriter, composer, producer Instruments Guitar, mandolin, mandocello, bass guitar, koto, vocals Years active 1969–2012 Associated acts Montrose, Gamma, Edgar Winter Group, Van Morrison, Sawbuck Notable instruments Gibson Les Paul Ronald Douglas "Ronnie" Montrose (29 November 1947 – 3 March 2012) was an American rock guitarist, who led the bands Montrose and Gamma and also performed and did session work with a variety of musicians, including Sammy Hagar, Herbie Hancock, Van Morrison, The Beau Brummels, Boz Scaggs, Beaver & Krause, Gary Wright, Tony Williams, The Neville Brothers, Dan Hartman, Marc Bonilla, Edgar Winter, and Johnny Winter. The first Montrose album was often cited as "America's answer to Led Zeppelin" and Montrose the guitarist was often referred to as one of the most influential guitarists in American hard rock.