Billy Sheehan praised David Lee Roth as the greatest rock frontman of all time.
“David Lee Roth, he’s a grandmaster. He really is,” the bassist remembered his time on stage with Roth. “Working with him was getting a PhD in showbiz. He really knows the depth of it and he was the greatest rock frontman ever in my humble opinion.”
Sheehan went on, “He gave me my break and I’m here where I am today largely in part what he did for me. So, I can never do anything but praise him for what I’ve learned from him. Quite an amazing time. He was quite a phenomenon of nature.”
Sheehan and Roth worked together on the singer’s first two solo albums, ‘Eat ‘Em and Smile’ and ‘Skyscraper.’ “It was an amazing adventure. I came from Buffalo, NY – and Talas… We were doing good, but we were still playing clubs, and it was a tough struggle. And suddenly, I got a call from Dave to come out to L.A. and start a band, and my life changed dramatically,” Billy previously shared.
He added, “I felt bad I left a lot of dear friends back in Buffalo, NY, because there are only so many hours of the day and how you can keep in touch with people. They’re still my friends, and I still have a lot of great connections with wonderful people in Buffalo, but I had to go out to L.A. and start pretty much a whole new life, and it was an incredible thing.”
“We had an incredible time—myself, Steve Vai, Gregg Bissonette, Brett Tuggle, our keyboard player who went on tour with us, and Dave, and I’m supremely thankful to Dave for giving me such a great break. My life would not be what it is today without him, and I appreciate that,” Sheehan shared.
In a 2017 interview, Sheehan mentioned that he would be ready to perform with Roth and the ‘Eat ‘Em And Smile’ band if Roth decided to do shows. He noted that they respect and appreciate Roth, and the decision would be entirely up to him.
