Early Tommy Aldridge video

Tim Brown

Tim Brown

New member
Here's Tommy Aldridge back in the 70's playing in Black Oak Arkansas.
Due to a lot of legal BS that happened between himself and the band - he hates the band so much that he won't even mention them....on his website, he just calls them "that band" :p , but for what they were doing - they were actually really good for an American Hard Rock band during the disco era...sort of Southern Redneck Heavy Metal. As a kid growing up in the South, BOA were very well known to me, and my brother got me a video of BOA down through the years (a friend of ours knows BOA's lead singer Jim Dandy) and at first - he kind of got the video as a joke, so we sat down to watch it one night, and he turned to me a said,"These guys were actually bad as shit! No wonder you liked them."

I just saw them as hard rock band made up of rednecks, more than a "southern rock band"....sort what would have happened if Ted Nugent had been raised in the south rather than in Michigan.


Check out Aldridge's kit - Blue Ludwigs.

If you listen, you'll hear Jim Dandy say "beat out some energy Dork" (Aldridge went by the name Dork Johnson for some strange reason.)

These videos are from Don Kirshner's Rock Concert. (These are on the video that I have.)

"Hot Rod"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3V08cokSd9g

"Up" (with Tommy Aldridge drum solo - including playing with his hands.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7VzMk1uSMbQ

Plus, you'll see right away where David Lee Roth stole his entire look/act from.


Tim
 
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I remember when my dad would play the whole Black Oak Arkansas album (vinyl) when I was younger. Pretty southern stuff, I'll have to dig around and see if I can find any of their music!
 
timboZ said:
Dam I miss Don Kirshner's Rock Concert.

Killer drum solo. I miss the 70's :eek: :D
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I miss bands that were better live than on record.

This is the same drum solo (pretty much) that he does to this day.

I saw him with Ozzy a few times, then almost 10 years later with Whitesnake, same drum solo.

If you can find the vidio of the MTV Ozzy concert from the 'Bark at the Moon' tour, you will see the same solo. Possibly, the other MTV Ozzy concert with the guy from Night Ranger playing guitar (after Randy died) would have the same solo as well.
 
Farview said:
I miss bands that were better live than on record.
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Amen brother......................



I think one of there LP's came with a deed to 1 sq inch of land in Arkansas.
 
Farview said:
I miss bands that were better live than on record.

This is the same drum solo (pretty much) that he does to this day.

I saw him with Ozzy a few times, then almost 10 years later with Whitesnake, same drum solo.

If you can find the vidio of the MTV Ozzy concert from the 'Bark at the Moon' tour, you will see the same solo. Possibly, the other MTV Ozzy concert with the guy from Night Ranger playing guitar (after Randy died) would have the same solo as well.
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Oh yeah, and that BOA video footage was from 1974 or 1975- almost 10 years prior to his playing with Ozzy. It's not the exact same solo, but it is mapped out to a certain degree. I asked him about it - he kept track of what got the greatest applause, and that's the format he stuck with.

MTV ran an Ozzy concert for Halloween, I guess it was in 1982 :confused: with Brad Gillis playing guitar, and it has Adridge's drumsolo in it and they had mirrors mounted all over his kit, and shot lasers at the set and bounced them all over the place via the mirrors - it looked freaking awesome! - Meanwhile, Aldridge was back there flailing away on his Kit (Sonor Signatures at the time)

I guess when you finally do come up with a solo that works - why mess with it?


Tim
 
Great stuff.

70`s rocks my boat.

Its the first time I`ve heard this band, really cool :)

thanks tim :cool:
 
Tim Brown said:
MTV ran an Ozzy concert for Halloween, I guess it was in 1982 :confused: with Brad Gillis playing guitar, and it has Adridge's drumsolo in it and they had mirrors mounted all over his kit, and shot lasers at the set and bounced them all over the place via the mirrors - it looked freaking awesome! - Meanwhile, Aldridge was back there flailing away on his Kit (Sonor Signatures at the time)

I guess when you finally do come up with a solo that works - why mess with it?


Tim
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I missed the one with brad gillis, I still have a video tape from the 1983 bark at the moon tour.

You're right, why mess with it. I still have a hard time doing that 5 stroke thing that he does.
 
Black Oak was one of the bands that came through town here regularly back in the 70's. They put on a wicked show, blew several bands they opened for off the stage!! They are still out kickin around today, with Johnny Bolin on drums. Johnny is Tommy Bolin's younger brother, from Sioux City, Ia. I just ran into Johnny last Saturday night at a Wishbone Ash show in Sioux City.He is always really cool and takes time to talk to us fans.
Steve Z.
 
T Aldridge is one of my favorite heavy drummers. I saw him play with Nugent as a 3 piece band when they supported the first KISS reunion tour and it was very cool. Saw him with Whitesnake, not as cool of a band but good drum experience.

The first album that I had with him drumming was a P Travers live album and he simply kicked major ass. I like the way he attaches himself to name acts but you never really associate him as being in 'a band'.
 
6gun said:
T Aldridge is one of my favorite heavy drummers. I saw him play with Nugent as a 3 piece band when they supported the first KISS reunion tour and it was very cool. Saw him with Whitesnake, not as cool of a band but good drum experience.

The first album that I had with him drumming was a P Travers live album and he simply kicked major ass. I like the way he attaches himself to name acts but you never really associate him as being in 'a band'.
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I think that's because of his experience with Black Oak Arkansas. It took him a year to get out of the band legally - and ever since then he's been a hired hand.


Tim
 
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