Tommy Aldridge
Encyclopedia
Tommy Aldridge is a veteran heavy metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...

 and hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...

 drummer. Aldridge is noted for his work with numerous bands and vocalists, most notable being Black Oak Arkansas
Black Oak Arkansas
Black Oak Arkansas is an American Southern rock band named after the band's hometown of Black Oak, Arkansas. The band reached the height of its fame in the 1970s with ten charting albums released in that decade...

, Pat Travers Band
Pat Travers
Patrick Henry "Pat" Travers is a Canadian rock guitarist, keyboardist and singer who began his recording career with Polydor Records in the mid-1970s...

, Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...

, Gary Moore
Gary Moore
Robert William Gary Moore , better known simply as Gary Moore, was a Northern Irish musician from Belfast, best recognised as a blues rock guitarist and singer....

, Whitesnake
Whitesnake
Whitesnake are an English rock band, founded in 1978 by David Coverdale after his departure from his previous band, Deep Purple. The band's early material has been compared by critics to Deep Purple, but by the mid 1980s they had moved to a more commercial hard rock style...

, Ted Nugent
Ted Nugent
Theodore Anthony "Ted" Nugent is an American guitarist, musician, singer, author, reserve police officer, and activist. From Detroit, Michigan, he originally gained fame as the lead guitarist of The Amboy Dukes, before embarking on a lengthy solo career...

 and Thin Lizzy
Thin Lizzy
Thin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Two of the founding members, drummer Brian Downey and bass guitarist/vocalist Phil Lynott met while still in school. Lynott assumed the role of frontman and led them throughout their recording career of thirteen studio albums...

.

Self taught, Aldridge was inspired by Cream
Cream (band)
Cream were a 1960s British rock supergroup consisting of bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce, guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker...

, The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...

, Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...

 and Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...

 and drummers Joe Morello
Joe Morello
Joseph Albert Morello was a jazz drummer best known for his 12½-year stint with The Dave Brubeck Quartet. He was frequently noted for playing in the unusual time signatures employed by that group in such pieces as "Take Five" and "Blue Rondo à la Turk"...

 and John Bonham
John Bonham
John Henry Bonham was an English musician and songwriter, best known as the drummer of Led Zeppelin. Bonham was esteemed for his speed, power, fast right foot, distinctive sound, and "feel" for the groove...

. Throughout his career Aldridge has been regarded as a double bass drumming pioneer in heavy metal music
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...

.

Career

In the 1970s, Aldridge joined up and coming rockers Black Oak Arkansas
Black Oak Arkansas
Black Oak Arkansas is an American Southern rock band named after the band's hometown of Black Oak, Arkansas. The band reached the height of its fame in the 1970s with ten charting albums released in that decade...

 and recorded nine albums with them between 1972 and 1976. He also undertook long tours around the US with the band.

He spent 1978 to 1981 signed with Canadian blues-rock
Blues-rock
Blues rock is a hybrid musical genre combining bluesy improvisations over the 12-bar blues and extended boogie jams with rock and roll styles. The core of the blues rock sound is created by the electric guitar, piano, bass guitar and drum kit, with the electric guitar usually amplified through a...

 guitarist Pat Travers
Pat Travers
Patrick Henry "Pat" Travers is a Canadian rock guitarist, keyboardist and singer who began his recording career with Polydor Records in the mid-1970s...

 Band, and recorded five albums with him. Aldridge was then offered a place in Ozzy Osbourne
Ozzy Osbourne
John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...

's band, which he accepted because of the talent of Randy Rhoads. Tommy said it was Randy who pushed him to be the best he could be. Although Aldridge is credited in the liner notes and pictured on the inner sleeve of Diary Of A Madman
Diary of a Madman (album)
Diary of a Madman is the second studio album by Ozzy Osbourne. It was recorded from the 9th of Feb to the 23 of March 1981 inclusively - the end of winter in the UK and recording ending just into spring equinox. It was released on November 7, 1981, and re-issued on August 22, 1995. An altered...

, Lee Kerslake performed all the drum parts on the original release. Playing alongside Ozzy and guitarist Randy Rhoads
Randy Rhoads
Randall William "Randy" Rhoads was an American heavy metal guitarist who played with Ozzy Osbourne and Quiet Riot. A devoted student of classical guitar, Rhoads often combined his classical music influences with his own heavy metal style. While on tour with Ozzy Osbourne, he would seek out...

, the line up is preserved on 1987's Tribute. After Rhoads' death the band continued to record, producing a live album in 1982 called Speak Of The Devil and a studio album, Bark at the Moon
Bark at the Moon
- Credits :* Ozzy Osbourne – vocals* Jake E. Lee – guitar* Bob Daisley – bass guitar* Tommy Aldridge – drums* Don Airey – keyboardsProduction* Produced by Ozzy Osbourne, Bob Daisley, and Max Norman* Engineered by Max Norman...

in 1983, after which Aldridge was fired by Sharon Osbourne. Drummer Carmine Appice
Carmine Appice
Carmine Appice is an American rock drummer of Italian background and is the older brother of drummer Vinny Appice by 12 years. He received a classical music training and was influenced by the jazz drumming of Buddy Rich and Gene Krupa early on...

 was brought in to tour for this release. During this tour, due to some personal differences within the band, Carmine was let go and Tommy returned to work with Ozzy for the final leg of the Bark At The Moon tour. Tommy finished the touring cycle with Ozzy with a performance at Brazil's Rock in Rio music festival in early 1985, which also featured bands such as Queen, Scorpions and Whitesnake.

Aldridge joined Gary Moore
Gary Moore
Robert William Gary Moore , better known simply as Gary Moore, was a Northern Irish musician from Belfast, best recognised as a blues rock guitarist and singer....

 to record Dirty Fingers
Dirty Fingers
Dirty Fingers is an album by Gary Moore. It was recorded in 1981, shortly after disbanding G-Force and released in 1983 in Japan, where Gary was extremely popular, and 1984 in Europe.-Track listing:All songs by Gary Moore except as noted....

in 1981 before accepting an offer from David Coverdale
David Coverdale
David 'Jack' Coverdale is an English rock singer, most famous for his work with the his own hard rock band Whitesnake which achieved massive commercial success.-Early life:...

 of Whitesnake
Whitesnake
Whitesnake are an English rock band, founded in 1978 by David Coverdale after his departure from his previous band, Deep Purple. The band's early material has been compared by critics to Deep Purple, but by the mid 1980s they had moved to a more commercial hard rock style...

. However, before joining Whitesnake for the "Whitesnake 1987" tour he joined forces with longtime friend and bass player Rudy Sarzo and guitar/keyboard virtuoso Tony MacAlpine to form "Project Driver", a Shrapnel Records band which not only failed commercially but was a project he personally financed and cost him his marriage. He was too late to appear on the successful Whitesnake
Whitesnake (album)
Tracks 12-15 taken from Live: In the Shadow of the Blues-20th Anniversary Edition DVD:-Singles:*"Here I Go Again" *"Is This Love"*"Still of the Night"*"Crying in the Rain" *"Give Me All Your Love"-Personnel:...

album, but following the release of that recording, David Coverdale hired Tommy and Rudy Sarzo to join Whitesnake and they were part of that band at the peak of its success. They toured to sell out crowds for the next two years supporting the Whitesnake 1987 album . Tommy then appeared on Whitesnake's Slip Of The Tongue
Slip of the Tongue
-20th Anniversary Edition DVD:-Singles:*"Fool for Your Loving"*"Now You're Gone"*"The Deeper the Love"-Personnel:*David Coverdale – vocals*Steve Vai – All Guitars*Adrian Vandenberg - Guitars *Rudy Sarzo – bass...

, released in 1989, which was less successful and resulted in the group breaking up a year later.

After Whitesnake, he played in the band Manic Eden
Manic Eden
Manic Eden were a short-lived hard rock band featuring former Whitesnake members Adrian Vandenberg, Rudy Sarzo and Tommy Aldridge. At first, the band featured singer James Christian of House of Lords, but he was already fired shortly after the founding of Manic Eden and replaced by former Little...

, with his former Whitesnake bandmates Adrian Vandenberg
Adrian Vandenberg
Adrian van den Berg is a Dutch rock guitarist, best known for his tenure as one of the guitarists in Whitesnake during their successful late 1980s period.-Early years:...

 and Rudy Sarzo
Rudy Sarzo
Rudy Sarzo is a Cuban American hard rock/heavy metal bassist. Sarzo has played with many well known heavy metal acts including Quiet Riot, Ozzy Osbourne, Whitesnake, Manic Eden, Dio and Blue Öyster Cult.-Early life:...

. The line-up also included former Little Caesar
Little Caesar (band)
-History:The band was founded late in the 1980s by Ron Young, who had previously worked as a nightclub bouncer. The group independently released an EP which led to their signing with DGC Records, a subsidiary of Geffen Records, in 1989. John Kalodner did A&R work for the group, and Bob Rock...

 vocalist Ron Young.

During the 1990s Aldridge worked with numerous acts ranging from Motörhead to Ted Nugent
Ted Nugent
Theodore Anthony "Ted" Nugent is an American guitarist, musician, singer, author, reserve police officer, and activist. From Detroit, Michigan, he originally gained fame as the lead guitarist of The Amboy Dukes, before embarking on a lengthy solo career...

 (also recording with House of Lords on their 1992 release Demons Down) while continuing to tour and record live albums.

From 2002 Aldridge toured with Whitesnake
Whitesnake
Whitesnake are an English rock band, founded in 1978 by David Coverdale after his departure from his previous band, Deep Purple. The band's early material has been compared by critics to Deep Purple, but by the mid 1980s they had moved to a more commercial hard rock style...

 alongside David Coverdale
David Coverdale
David 'Jack' Coverdale is an English rock singer, most famous for his work with the his own hard rock band Whitesnake which achieved massive commercial success.-Early life:...

 (vocals), Doug Aldrich
Doug Aldrich
Doug Aldrich , is a Los Angeles-based hard rock guitarist, since 2003 a member of Whitesnake. He founded the band Burning Rain with Keith St.John in 1998 and has played previously with the bands Dio, Lion, Hurricane, House of Lords, and Bad Moon Rising...

 (guitar), Reb Beach
Reb Beach
Reb Beach is an American rock guitarist. He is a member of the bands Winger and Whitesnake...

 (guitar), Marco Mendoza
Marco Mendoza
Marco Mendoza is an American musician. He spent his formative years living with his grandmother in Tijuana, Mexico. He started playing the guitar at an early age, adopting the bass when he was invited to join a band that needed a player....

/Uriah Duffy
Uriah Duffy
Uriah Duffy is an American bassist. He is best known as the former bassist of Whitesnake.-Has been a member of/played with:* Whitesnake – rock...

 (bass) and Timothy Drury
Timothy Drury
Timothy Drury is a keyboardist, guitarist and vocalist. He was the keyboard player in rock band Whitesnake up until September 2010.He is the son of actor James Drury....

 (keyboards). Aldridge left Whitesnake in 2007 to pursue alternate musical endeavours.

From 2007 to 2009, Aldridge was touring with Thin Lizzy
Thin Lizzy
Thin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Two of the founding members, drummer Brian Downey and bass guitarist/vocalist Phil Lynott met while still in school. Lynott assumed the role of frontman and led them throughout their recording career of thirteen studio albums...

 alongside Scott Gorham
Scott Gorham
Scott Gorham is an American guitarist and songwriter who rose to international recognition as one of the "twin lead guitarists" of the Irish-formed rock band, Thin Lizzy...

, John Sykes
John Sykes
John James Sykes , is an English rock guitarist, who has played with Streetfighter, Tygers of Pan Tang, John Sloman's Badlands, Thin Lizzy, Whitesnake, and Blue Murder, in addition to having a notable solo career....

 and Francesco DiCosmo. The latter part of his drum solo in this Thin Lizzy
Thin Lizzy
Thin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Two of the founding members, drummer Brian Downey and bass guitarist/vocalist Phil Lynott met while still in school. Lynott assumed the role of frontman and led them throughout their recording career of thirteen studio albums...

 tour includes a "hands-only" percussion piece where he plays snare, tomtoms, and cymbals without sticks as he also did while touring with Pat Travers, Ozzy Osbourne and Whitesnake.

Tommy has been an in demand drum clinician since the early 1980s, and no matter who he works with, much of his work involves drum clinics and festivals each year. Aldridge plays Yamaha
Yamaha Drums
Yamaha Drums is a subsidiary of the Yamaha Corporation founded in 1967. The company manufactures acoustic and electronic drum kits as well as percussion instruments, marching band equipment, and drum hardware.-Production:...

 drums, a company he has been with since 1982. Yamaha has made Tommy a custom "soon to be released" Signature Snare drum that is a 7x14 Stainless Steel model with die cast hoops and black chrome hardware. He also endorses Paiste
Paiste
Paiste, a Swiss manufacturer and designer, is the world's third largest manufacturer of cymbals, gongs, and metal percussion. Paiste is an Estonian/Finnish word which means "shine"...

 cymbals. His cymbal selection can vary, but he strongly prefers the brighter sounds of the 2002, Signature and RUDE cymbals that they offer.

It had been announced that Thin Lizzy, along with The Answer, were to support AC/DC
AC/DC
AC/DC are an Australian rock band, formed in 1973 by brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. Commonly classified as hard rock, they are considered pioneers of heavy metal, though they themselves have always classified their music as simply "rock and roll"...

 at stadium shows in England, Ireland and Scotland at the end of June 2009, but these appearances were cancelled after Aldridge broke his collarbone in an accident. On 30 June, the band's website announced that John Sykes had left Thin Lizzy and all shows for the rest of 2009 were cancelled or postponed. Gorham has stated that he will announce Thin Lizzy's future plans shortly. In May 2010 Thin Lizzy did not include Aldridge in the new line up, due to original drummer Brian Downey
Brian Downey (drummer)
Brian Michael Downey is an Irish drummer.Downey is the drummer and a founding member of the rock band Thin Lizzy, and a friend from childhood of co-founder and frontman Phil Lynott. Along with Lynott, Downey was the only constant member of the pioneering hard rock group until their break-up in...

 returning.

Black Oak Arkansas

  • If an Angel Came to See You ...
  • Street Party
  • Ain't Life Grand
  • X-Rated
  • Balls of Fire
  • High on the Hog
    High on the Hog (Black Oak Arkansas album)
    High on the Hog is the most commercially successful album by the southern rock band Black Oak Arkansas. It is mainly known for its cover of the LaVern Baker song "Jim Dandy", which reached number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100...

  • King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents Black Oak Arkansas
  • Raunch 'N' Roll Live
  • Live! Mutha
  • Ten Year Over Night Success

Pat Travers Band

  • Heat In The Street
    Heat In The Street
    Heat In The Street is a rock album by the Pat Travers Band. It was released in 1978 on Polydor Records.-LP Sequence:Side One#"Heat In The Street" - 4:29 #"Killer's Instinct" - 5:09...

  • Live! Go for What You Know
    Live! Go for What You Know
    Live! Go For What You Know is a live album by the Pat Travers Band, released in 1979 on Polydor Records. It reached platinum status in the US, and was re-released on CD in 1993.-Background:...

  • Crash And Burn (1980)
  • Live in Concert
  • Radio Active
    Radio Active (Pat Travers album)
    Radio Active is a music album released by the Pat Travers on Polygram Records in 1981.Radio Active was Pat Travers' first release after the highly successful Crash and Burn. But Pat Thrall and Tommy Aldridge had already left the band. Travers and Cowling forged on with former Blackjack drummer...


Gary Moore

  • Dirty Fingers
    Dirty Fingers
    Dirty Fingers is an album by Gary Moore. It was recorded in 1981, shortly after disbanding G-Force and released in 1983 in Japan, where Gary was extremely popular, and 1984 in Europe.-Track listing:All songs by Gary Moore except as noted....

    (1983)
  • Live at the Marquee
    Live at the Marquee (Gary Moore album)
    Live at the Marquee is a live album by Gary Moore, recorded over two nights in 1980 at the Marquee Club in London...

    (1983)

Ozzy Osbourne

  • Speak Of The Devil (1982)
  • Bark At The Moon
    Bark at the Moon
    - Credits :* Ozzy Osbourne – vocals* Jake E. Lee – guitar* Bob Daisley – bass guitar* Tommy Aldridge – drums* Don Airey – keyboardsProduction* Produced by Ozzy Osbourne, Bob Daisley, and Max Norman* Engineered by Max Norman...

    (1983)
  • Tribute  (1987 but recorded in 1981/1980)
  • Diary of a Madman 2011 'Legacy Edition' Disc 2 (2011 but recorded in 1981)

Whitesnake

  • Whitesnake
    Whitesnake
    Whitesnake are an English rock band, founded in 1978 by David Coverdale after his departure from his previous band, Deep Purple. The band's early material has been compared by critics to Deep Purple, but by the mid 1980s they had moved to a more commercial hard rock style...

     - Slip of the Tongue
    Slip of the Tongue
    -20th Anniversary Edition DVD:-Singles:*"Fool for Your Loving"*"Now You're Gone"*"The Deeper the Love"-Personnel:*David Coverdale – vocals*Steve Vai – All Guitars*Adrian Vandenberg - Guitars *Rudy Sarzo – bass...

    (1989)
  • Whitesnake
    Whitesnake
    Whitesnake are an English rock band, founded in 1978 by David Coverdale after his departure from his previous band, Deep Purple. The band's early material has been compared by critics to Deep Purple, but by the mid 1980s they had moved to a more commercial hard rock style...

     - Live...In The Still Of The Night (2004)
  • Whitesnake
    Whitesnake
    Whitesnake are an English rock band, founded in 1978 by David Coverdale after his departure from his previous band, Deep Purple. The band's early material has been compared by critics to Deep Purple, but by the mid 1980s they had moved to a more commercial hard rock style...

     - Live: In The Shadow Of The Blues
    Live: In the Shadow of the Blues
    Live: In The Shadow Of The Blues is a live album by the band Whitesnake Live: In The Shadow Of The Blues is a live album by the band Whitesnake Live: In The Shadow Of The Blues is a live album by the band Whitesnake (the second live album under the Whitesnake band name and includes 4 bonus new...

    (2006)
  • Whitesnake
    Whitesnake
    Whitesnake are an English rock band, founded in 1978 by David Coverdale after his departure from his previous band, Deep Purple. The band's early material has been compared by critics to Deep Purple, but by the mid 1980s they had moved to a more commercial hard rock style...

     - Live at Donington 1990
    Live at Donington 1990
    Live at Donington 1990 is a live album by English hard rock band Whitesnake It was recorded at Castle Donington on August 18, 1990 during the Monsters of Rock festival...

    (2011)

Others

  • Ruby Starr
    Ruby Starr
    Ruby Starr was born Constance Henrietta Mierzwiak in Toledo, Ohio. Starr started performing at the age of nine under the stage name Connie Little and later joined Ruby Jones in 1969. In 1971 they were signed to Curtom Records and recorded their first album, Ruby Jones...

     - Scene Stealer
  • Vinnie Moore
    Vinnie Moore
    Vinnie Moore is a guitarist and a member of the English hard rock band UFO. Along with Yngwie Malmsteen, Tony MacAlpine, and others, Moore is known as one of the most influential guitarists to emerge out of the shredder boom in the mid 1980s.-Biography:Moore was born in New Castle, Delaware...

     - Mind's Eye
    Mind's Eye (album)
    Mind's Eye is the first studio album by guitarist Vinnie Moore, released in 1986 through Shrapnel Records. An article in Guitar World magazine ranked the album as third in the all-time top ten list of shred albums.-Track listing:-Personnel:...

  • Motörhead - March ör Die
    March ör Die
    March ör Die is the tenth album by the British band Motörhead. It was recorded and released in 1992.-History:Recorded at Music Grinder Studios, Los Angeles, three drummers participated in the making of this album: Phil Taylor, who was fired after "I Ain't No Nice Guy" was recorded , Tommy Aldridge...

  • Steve Fister - Age of Great Dreams
  • House Of Lords
    House of Lords (band)
    House of Lords is a hard rock/AOR band from Los Angeles, California.-History:House of Lords was formed in 1987 by former Angel member and keyboardist Gregg Giuffria from his solo project Giuffria...

     - Demons Down
    Demons Down
    -Personnel:*James Christian - lead vocals*Gregg Giuffria - keyboards, backing vocals*Dennis Chick - guitars, backing vocals*Sean McNabb - bass, backing vocals*Tommy Aldridge - drums, backing vocals-Additional musicians:...

  • Dragon Attack: A Tribute to Queen
    Dragon Attack: A Tribute to Queen
    Dragon Attack: Tribute to Queen is a Queen tribute album produced in 1997. Like most tribute albums, it features cover versions of many Queen songs by various artists, but uniquely the songs are not performed by established groups...

     (1997)
  • Thin Lizzy
    Thin Lizzy
    Thin Lizzy are an Irish hard rock band formed in Dublin in 1969. Two of the founding members, drummer Brian Downey and bass guitarist/vocalist Phil Lynott met while still in school. Lynott assumed the role of frontman and led them throughout their recording career of thirteen studio albums...

     - One Night Only
    One Night Only (Thin Lizzy album)
    One Night Only is a live album by rock band Thin Lizzy, released in 2000. Thin Lizzy had reformed in 1996 for a series of gigs marking ten years since the death of singer/songwriter/bassist Phil Lynott. Latterday Lizzy guitarist John Sykes now took the lead vocal while Marco Mendoza was recruited...

    (2000)
  • Ted Nugent
    Ted Nugent
    Theodore Anthony "Ted" Nugent is an American guitarist, musician, singer, author, reserve police officer, and activist. From Detroit, Michigan, he originally gained fame as the lead guitarist of The Amboy Dukes, before embarking on a lengthy solo career...

     - Full Bluntal Nugity
    Full Bluntal Nugity
    Full Bluntal Nugity is a live album by Ted Nugent, recorded on New Year's Eve at Ted Nugent's annual Whiplash Bash in Detroit, MI.-Track listing:#"KLSTRPHK" [Instrumental] - 3:59#"Paralyzed" - 4:27#"Snakeskin Cowboys" - 5:58...

    (2000)
  • John Sykes
    John Sykes
    John James Sykes , is an English rock guitarist, who has played with Streetfighter, Tygers of Pan Tang, John Sloman's Badlands, Thin Lizzy, Whitesnake, and Blue Murder, in addition to having a notable solo career....

     - 20th Century
  • Patrick Rondat
    Patrick Rondat
    Patrick Rondat is a French guitarist. He plays instrumental heavy metal associated with diverse influences such as new age music, progressive metal, classical music and jazz. He appears in some shows by Jean Michel Jarre.-Biography:...

     - Amphibia - On the Edge

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK