On March 3rd 2012, guitarist Ronnie Montrose passed away.

For many classic rock fans,  he is a man who needs no introduction. A hard working guitarist, Montrose was responsible for a handful of genuine rock classics in his own right as well as having appeared on various other well known sessions.

His eponymously named band propelled the now legendary vocalist Sammy Hagar into the spotlight, with their 1973 debut release hosting a couple of well-worn and often covered tracks: ‘Bad Motor Scooter’ and ‘Space Station #5’. The album inspired a generation of musicians, not least of all Edward Van Halen, who cited Montrose as a key influence and eventually hired Hagar for his own band just over a decade later.

Most rock guitarists would consider it a great achievement to have such a great album within their back catalogue, but Montrose’s legacy runs far deeper. Not only did he put his stamp on a few other greatly enjoyable Montrose records during the 1970s, but his follow up band – the often overlooked Gamma – recorded material which has worn the test of time incredibly well. Just check out 1980’s ‘Gamma 2’ (more specifically, the wondrous ‘Voyager’) for instant proof. [At the beginning of 2012, UK vocalist Lee Small played tribute to Montrose on his ‘Jamaica Inn‘ album with a great cover of this tune.]

In addition, Montrose can also be heard on Van Morrison’s ‘Saint Dominic’s Preview’, where his guitar lines are absolutely pivotal to the wandering slow-burner ‘Listen To The Lion’ and parts of Edgar Winter’s 1973 outing ‘They Only Come Out at Night’, both albums which have achieved a cult classic status.

Ronnie revived the Montrose moniker in the 80s and Gamma in the 00s, but also released a string of solo releases throughout the 1990s. He also never forgot those whose who had strong connections with his earlier work, appearing as a session man for both Sammy Hagar and Edgar Winter in the 1990s. For the last decade of his life, his output became more sporadic, but he lent his style and guitar chops to a few sessions, appearing on a couple of “all star tribute albums. The last few years were hardly a fitting epitaph for such an influential figure, but after his Montrose and Gamma works, Ronnie Montrose was a man who had nothing to prove.

Look back at a couple of Ronnie Montrose’s 1970 career highlights below.

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Mark Reale will be best known to all as the guitarist and founding member of hard rock band Riot.  On January 25th, the much-loved musician died following complications with Crohn’s Disease. He was 57 years old.

At the beginning of January, Reale was hospitalised; reports suggested he had suffered a Subarachnoid Hemorrhage and was in a coma.  At the time Reale was taken ill, Riot were touring to promote their 2011 release ‘Immortal Soul’, released only two months previously.

A band seemingly dogged by bad luck, Reale is the third key figure in Riot’s history to pass away prematurely:  the band’s first vocalist, Guy Speranza lost his life to pancreatic cancer at age 46, while second vocalist Rhett Forrester was shot and killed during a carjacking in 1994.  The perpetrators have never been caught.

Riot formed in 1975 and released their first album ‘Rock City’ in 1977, followed by ‘Narita’ two years later.  While these albums were instrumental in creating and tightening Riot’s sound, for many fans, 1981’s ‘Fire Down Under’ acted as the band’s breakthrough.  In 1982, following the departure of vocalist Guy Speranza, Riot acheived greater attention with ‘Restless Breed’ – the band’s first album to feature vocalist Rhett Forrester.

After the first Riot break-up in the mid-80’s, Reale formed a new band named Narita which failed to get off the ground.  He revived Riot in  1988, who subsequently released ‘Thundersteel’ – the first release with vocalist Tony Moore.  As a sideline, Reale also teamed up with ex-TNT vocalist Tony Harnell in the late 90s to form the hard rock powerhouse Westworld.  With Westworld, Reale never achieved any huge commercial success, but critically, the hard rock press were often more than enthusiastic with regards to the band.

Meanwhile, shifting line-ups in Riot never deterred Reale, who continued to record with the band throughout the 90s and beyond.  The arrival of 2011’s ‘Immortal Soul’ had been particularly anticipated by the band’s fans, since not only was it Riot’s first studio record in five years, but it also marked the return of vocalist Tony Moore.

On Wednesday January 18th, just a week prior to his passing, Riot performed their first gig without Mark Reale.

He will be sadly missed by many fans of classic rock and melodic metal the world over.

Ex Fleetwood Mac guitarist Bob Weston passed away on Tuesday January 3rd after suffering an internal gastric haemorrhage and cirrhosis of the liver.

Weston played with Fleetwood Mac as second guitarist in 1972, appearing on their ‘Penguin’ and ‘Mystery To Me’ albums, both of which were released in the US in 1973. His work with the band is often overlooked, since neither of the albums on which Weston appeared received a UK release at the time, appearing only as reissues after the band’s big 1975 comeback with Lindsey Buckhingham and Stevie Nicks.

As two of the best albums released during Mac’s “wilderness” period, Weston’s contribution to the band should not be overlooked, especially since he contributed both great playing and occasional writing. This is especially true of ‘Penguin’ which stands among the band’s best releases.

Weston’s tenure within Fleetwood Mac was relatively short. During a tour for ‘Mystery To Me’, it emerged that he was having an affair with Mick Fleetwood’s wife, Jenny.

Although it is for his work with Fleetwood Mac Weston is best remembered, he went on to record with Steve Marriott’s All Star Band, before making three solo records of his own – the last of which, ‘There’s a Heaven’, was released as a private pressing in 1999.