RIAA Gold Album award for the debut album from Montrose. Released on Oct. 17, 1973, the album was certified Gold by the RIAA on April 13, 1977 for 500,000 copies sold.
The group, named after founding guitarist Ronnie Montrose, featured then-new talent Sammy Hagar on vocals. The album featured the hit tracks "Rock Candy" and "Bad Motor Scooter", which gained the group airplay. The album only peaked at #133 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart and #43 in the UK but proved to be a great seller, especially as Sammy Hagar gained more fame as a solo artist and as part of Van Halen. By 1986 the album was certified Platinum by the RIAA for one million copies sold.*
Includes MusicGoldmine.com Letter Of Authenticity
Item Highlights:
- RIAA Gold Album award
- Award from 1977
- Presented to recording engineer
- All original
- In VG condition
- Known as a "floater" award because the components appear to "float" above the matte, they were made from 1975-1981
- RIAA "floater" awards numbered only 25-50 plaques worldwide for any given single/album
- Award measures approx. 17" x 21"
- Great collectors item for any Montrose or Sammy Hagar fan
- FREE insured shipping to U.S. and Canada
- International shipping available
Detailed Item Description: This RIAA Gold Album award was manufactured in 1977, making it about 49 years old. It is presented to legendary recording engineer Donn Landee, marking the first time he worked with Sammy Hagar. Landee is forever tied to Hagar and also Van Halen history, having engineered the first eight VH albums from the 1978 debut to 1988's OU812. In addition, he helped VH build their 5150 home studio. He also engineered many albums by other artists including The Doobie Brothers, Little Feat, Michael McDonald, James Taylor, Van Morrison, Neil Young, and more.
The award is in VG condition with minor wear on the frame and plexiglass. It is all original and while the manufacturer sticker has fallen off, the construction of the award and adhesive residue present in the correct size, location and shape of a New York Frame & Picture Co. manufacturer label confirm it was made by that company.
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Notes on the condition of all vintage RIAA awards like this one: Please do not buy this item if you want a brand new piece of memorabilia. These are historical artifacts from the year they were produced. As a result they may show signs of wear. Frankly, if you see a 20 to 50-year-old award purported to be in 100% perfect condition, it might be too good to be true. After all, an antique should have "good" wear. If not, you might want to question the piece.
As to where they came from, they could have been displayed in record label offices, recording studios, artist manager's offices, radio stations, record retailers, private collector's homes and yes, of course, possibly the artist's or songwriter's home. Typically, we don't know all the places they may have been over the years other than what we've stated in the description.
Finally, a word on photos: Our photos are zoomable so you can get a very good look. Do let us know if you want photos of any other details on our pieces and we'll be happy to provide.
*RIAA sales data source: RIAA.com
