Here are some interesting facts about drummer Tommy Aldridge, known for his work with numerous artists such as Ozzy Osbourne, Gary Moore, "Whitesnake", Ted Nugent, "Thin Lizzy", Yngwie Malmsteen and more:
(Photo: Llann Wé²)
= Tommy Aldridge was born on August 15, 1950, in Jackson, Mississippi, USA.
= Aldridge taught himself to play drums, building a kit with money earned delivering newspapers and other jobs.
= He was initially inspired by "Cream", "the Beatles", Jimi Hendrix and "Led Zeppelin" and Drummers like Joe Morello, Ginger Baker, John Bonham and Mitch Mitchell.
= Inspired by drummers such as Louis Bellson and Sam Woodyard, Aldridge started using a double-bass drum setup and became an early pioneer of the hard rock double kick drum style of drumming.
= After playing with the southern rock band "David and the Giants" in 1972, Aldridge joined "Black Oak Arkansas", gaining recognition for his powerful drumming style.
= The same year he was part of their album "If an Angel Came to See You, Would You Make Her Feel at Home?".
In 1973 he played on "Black Oak Arkansas'" most successful album, "High on the Hog", which included the hit "Jim Dandy."
Aldridge left "Black Oak Arkansas" in 1976 after recording 9 albums with the band.
In 1978 he joined the band "Pat Travers Band", contributing to the album "Heat in the Street".
In 1980 he recorded "Crash and Burn" with "Pat Travers Band", which became a significant release in his career.
He left "Pat Travers Band" after recording 4 studio albums in 1981, and joined Ozzy Osbourne's band during the "Blizzard Of Ozz" tour.
He played on Ozzy Osbourne's live album "Speak of the Devil" and contributed to the "Diary of a Madman" tour.
= Aldridge also played in Ozzy Osbourne's "Tribute" album, dedicated to Randy Rhoads.
= In 1983 he played in Ozzy Osbourne's the iconic "Bark At The Moon" album.
The same year he joined Gary Moore's band and recorded "Victims of the Future".
= He is also part of Gary Moore's live album "Live at the Marquee" released the same year.
= Aldridge left Ozzy Osbourne in 1984 and along with bassist and former Ozzy Osbourne-bandmate Rudy Sarzo, joined forces with guitar/keyboard Tony MacAlpine and vocalist Rob Rock to form a project called "M.A.R.S.". They released the album "Project: Driver" in 1986.
= Aldridge and Sarzo both joined "Whitesnake" in 1987 as the band prepared to tour in support of the "Whitesnake" album released the same year.
= Aldridge and Sarzo were also part of the band's follow-up album, "Slip of the Tongue", released in 1989, solidifying his reputation as a top rock drummer.
After "Whitesnake" was put in hiatus in 1990, Aldridge played in the band "Manic Eden", with his former "Whitesnake" bandmates Adrian Vandenberg and Sarzo. The line-up also included former "Little Caesar" vocalist Ron Young.
In the early 1990s Aldridge worked as a session drummer, toured and played with various artists, including "Motörhead" (on "March ör Die" album from 1992), "House of Lords", Yngwie Malmsteen, John Sykes, Vinnie Moore and Ted Nugent (On the "Full Bluntal Nugity" album).
= From 1997 to 2001 and again from 2007 to 2009, Aldridge was touring with the John Sykes version of "Thin Lizzy" alongside Scott Gorham, Darren Wharton and Marco Mendoza.
= From 2002 to 2007 Aldridge toured with "Whitesnake" alongside David Coverdale (vocals), Doug Aldrich (guitar), Reb Beach (guitar), Marco Mendoza/Uriah Duffy (bass) and Timothy Drury (keyboards).
On January 25, 2013, it was announced that Aldridge had rejoined "Whitesnake" for the third time for the band's upcoming "Year of the Snake" tour.
In 2022 Aldridge joined a supergroup called "Iconic" featuring Michael Sweet (guitars), Joel Hoekstra (guitars), Marco Mendoza (bass), and Nathan James (vocals), releasing an album called "Second Skin" the same year.
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