Bill Church

Bill Church
Instruments	Bass
Associated acts	Van Morrison, Montrose, Sammy Hagar, Sawbuck

William "Bill" Church (born 9 December 1946) started out playing bass in a band called Sawbuck in 1969, with Mojo Collins, Starr Donaldson, Ronnie Montrose and Chuck Ruff. As the band was beginning to record their first album, Montrose and Church left Sawbuck to join Van Morrison on his Tupelo Honey album. When Montrose rejoined Ruff to record Edgar Winter Group's smash They Only Come Out at Night, Church remained with Morrison and appeared on the Saint Dominic's Preview LP. When Montrose left Winter to form his own hard rock outfit, Montrose, Church was recruited along with singer Sammy Hagar and drummer Denny Carmassi. Church was replaced on the second Montrose album Paper Money by Alan Fitzgerald.

After Hagar left Montrose to start his solo career, Church rejoined the singer for eight studio albums from Nine on a Ten Scale (1976) to VOA (1984) until Hagar left to front Van Halen.

Nicknamed "Electric Church," he has occasionally regrouped with Hagar over the years to record on several of the latter's solo albums. Church, along with Ronnie Montrose and Denny Carmassi had a "Montrose reunion" on Hagar's Marching To Mars CD (1997) on the song "Leaving The Warmth of the Womb."

Albums

• Sawbuck - Sawbuck (1971)
• Van Morrison - Tupelo Honey (1971)
• Van Morrison - Saint Dominic's Preview (1972)
• Montrose - Montrose (1973)
• Sammy Hagar - Nine on a Ten Scale (1976)
• Sammy Hagar - Sammy Hagar (the "Red" album) (1977)
• Sammy Hagar - Musical Chairs (1977)
• Sammy Hagar - All Night Long (Live) (1978)
• Sammy Hagar - Street Machine (1979)
• Sammy Hagar - Danger Zone (1979)
• Sammy Hagar - Standing Hampton (1981)
• Sammy Hagar - Three Lock Box (1982)
• Sammy Hagar - Live 1980 (1983)
• Sammy Hagar - VOA (1984)
• Sammy Hagar - Marching to Mars (1997)
• Van Morrison - The Philosopher's Stone (1998) 2 previously unreleased songs recorded in 1971 "Ordinary People" and "Wonderful Remark"
• the DHC band- the DHC band (2011)

Trivia

• Bill Church’s son, Trevor, plays guitar in the rock band An Angle as well as the band, Medicated Goo based in Fresno California. The band Medicated Goo is led by Lead Singer Guitar player JT Galba. The bands name was changed shortly after Trevor joined to Time Capsule and is still active and playing shows around the Fresno and surrounding area.
• Bill is currently in [the DHC band] (Davis,Hodge,Church) with Tom Davis and Perry Hodge

References

• Discography
• Interview
• Biography

One more album - Sammy Hagar's Best of Sammy Hagar 1992.