By the late 1970s, Hagar was enjoying moderate success as a solo artist on Capitol Records under the tutelage of A&R man Carter, with such albums as "Nine on a Ten Scale" and hits such as "Red", which would build his persona and style, leading to his nickname as "The Red Rocker". However, Hagar felt that Carter did not play to his strengths as "a heavy-metal guy" and instead tried to generate Top 40 hits (such as a cover of Otis Redding's "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay") with little success. Hagar opened for Boston during their 1978/1979 "Don't Look Back" tour, and was scheduled to continue in San Bernardino, California. Prior to the show, Hagar was replaced on the bill by the up-and-coming Los Angeles club band The Knack. Hagar split with Carter for his 1979 "Street Machine" album which he self-produced. But after it and 1980's "Danger Zone" failed to break out, Hagar felt that Capitol was not supporting him sufficiently.