According to Billy Sheehan, David Lee Roth is the greatest rock frontman of all time.
“David Lee Roth, he’s a grandmaster. He really is,” the bassist recalled his stage shows with DLR in an interview with Masters of Shred. “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.”
He continued, “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 Diamond Dave worked together on Roth’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 explained.
The rocker 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 revealed.
Sheehan said in a 2017 interview that he would be ready to perform with Roth and the ‘Eat ‘Em And Smile’ band if Roth decided to do shows. He mentioned they respect and appreciate Roth, and that it’s entirely up to him.
