Tommy Aldridge - Career

Career

In the 1970s, Aldridge joined up and coming rockers Black Oak Arkansas 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 guitarist Pat Travers Band, and recorded five albums with him. Aldridge was then offered a place in Ozzy Osbourne'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, Lee Kerslake performed all the drum parts on the original release. Playing alongside Ozzy and guitarist Randy Rhoads, 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 in 1983, after which Aldridge was fired by Sharon Osbourne. Drummer Carmine Appice 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 to record Dirty Fingers in 1981 before accepting an offer from David Coverdale of Whitesnake. 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 M.A.R.S., 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 8-times platinum Whitesnake 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 sold out crowds for the next two years supporting the 1987 album . Tommy then appeared on Whitesnake's Slip Of The Tongue, released in 1989, which was considerably less successful (though it went platinum); Whitesnake nevertheless remained massively successful and toured the world to support the album, co-headlining the 1990 Monsters of Rock festival at Donington Park with Aerosmith. Announcing he was going to take a break from the music industry, Whitesnake mainman David Coverdale put the band on hiatus after the tour.

After Whitesnake, he played in the band Manic Eden, with his former Whitesnake bandmates Adrian Vandenberg and Rudy Sarzo. The line-up also included former Little Caesar vocalist Ron Young.

During the 1990s Aldridge worked with numerous acts ranging from Motörhead to Ted Nugent (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 alongside David Coverdale (vocals), Doug Aldrich (guitar), Reb Beach (guitar), Marco Mendoza/Uriah Duffy (bass) and Timothy Drury (keyboards). Aldridge left Whitesnake in 2007 to pursue alternate musical endeavours.

From 2007 to 2009, Aldridge was touring with Thin Lizzy alongside Scott Gorham, John Sykes and Marco Mendoza. The latter part of his drum solo in this Thin Lizzy tour includes a "hands-only" percussion piece where he plays snare, tomtoms, and cymbals without sticks as he also did while touring with Black Oak Arkansas, 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 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 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 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 returning.

On January 25th, 2013, it was announced that Tommy will be rejoining his former band Whitesnake.