Ronald Douglas "Ronnie" Montrose (29 November 1947 – 3 March 2012) was an
American rock guitarist, who led the bands
Montrose (1973-77 & 1987) and
Gamma (1979-83 & 2000) and also performed and did session work with a variety of musicians, including
Van Morrison (1971–72),
Herbie Hancock (1971),
Beaver & Krause (1971),
Boz Scaggs (1971),
Edgar Winter (1972 & 1996),
Gary Wright (1975),
The Beau Brummels (1975),
Dan Hartman (1976),
Tony Williams (1978),
The Neville Brothers (1987),
Marc Bonilla (1991 & 1993),
Sammy Hagar (1997), and
Johnny Winter. The first
Montrose album was often cited as "America's answer to Led Zeppelin" and Ronnie Montrose was often referred to as one of the most influential guitarists in American hard rock.