House Resolution 52

A RESOLUTION COMMENDING MR. TOMMY ALDRIDGE FOR HIS OUTSTANDING MUSICAL ARTISTRY AND ACCOMPLISHMENTS.

WHEREAS, one of the greatest rock drummers of this generation, Mr. Tommy Aldridge is renowned for his virtuosity, groove, and for innovating such techniques as the use of double kick drums and playing with his bare hands; and

WHEREAS, born on August 15, 1950, in Jackson, Mississippi, Mr. Aldridge was raised in Pearl, Mississippi, and graduated from Pearl High School in 1968; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Aldridge taught himself to play drums in the 1960s, building a kit piece by piece with money he earned by delivering newspapers and working other jobs, and he credits his unique style to learning without the benefit of a mentor or teacher; and

WHEREAS, in the early 1970s, Mr. Aldridge began playing original music with Alley Keith in the Florida Panhandle, and as he was inspired by drummers such as Louis Bellson and Sam Woodyard, he started using a double-bass drum setup, and became an early pioneer of the hard rock double kick drum style of drumming; and

WHEREAS, after playing for a short time with the southern rock band David and the Giants, in 1972, Mr. Aldridge auditioned for the band Black Oak Arkansas, and he made his recording debut that year with the band's If an Angel Came to See You, Would You Make Her Feel at Home? album, and he subsequently toured extensively and recorded 10 albums with the band between 1972 and 1976, which surpassed a collective 1.5 million in sales; and

WHEREAS, from 1978 until 1981, Mr. Aldridge was with the Pat Travers Band, recording five albums over that time, and upon parting ways with Travers in 1981, he moved to London, England,

and began working with Gary Moore, recording the Dirty Fingers album; and

WHEREAS, after working with Mr. Moore, and becoming friends with American guitarist Randy Rhoads, who had been in England recording with Ozzy Osbourne, Mr. Aldridge, who had toured with Mr. Osbourne's previous band, Black Sabbath, extensively in the 1970s as part of Black Oak Arkansas, joined Mr. Osbourne's band

in 1981, prior to the North American leg of the "Blizzard Of Ozz" tour; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Aldridge appeared on Mr. Osbourne's Bark at the Moon album in 1983, which sold nearly 4.8 million copies, as well as a pair of live albums, Speak of the Devil, which achieved platinum status in the United States, and Tribute, before leaving the band in 1984; and

WHEREAS, soon after, Mr. Aldridge, along with former Ozzy Osbourne-bandmate, Rudy Sarzo, joined forces with two others to form a project called M.A.R.S. and afterwards, Mr. Aldridge and Mr. Sarzo both joined the band Whitesnake in 1987, as the band prepared to tour in support of its multi-platinum selling Whitesnake album; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Aldridge performed on the band's 1989 follow-up album, Slip of the Tongue, which went platinum, and following his time in Whitesnake, he played in the band Manic Eden, and during the 1990s, Mr. Aldridge recorded and toured with various acts including Motörhead, House of Lords, Yngwie Malmsteen, John Sykes and Ted Nugent; and

WHEREAS, widely respected in the rock community, Mr. Aldridge has been an in-demand drum clinician since the early 1980s, and

much of his work involves festivals and drum clinics, discussing everything from the basic fundamentals of rock drumming, to the double bass fills and solos that made him famous; and

WHEREAS, Mr. Aldridge's "Rock Drum Soloing and Double Bass Workout" was his first instructional video, and he is currently working on his second instructional video and a method book on double bass drumming; and

WHEREAS, from 2002 until 2007, Mr. Aldridge toured with Whitesnake, and from 1997 through 2001, and again from 2007 through 2009, he toured with the John Sykes-fronted version of Thin Lizzy; and

WHEREAS, on January 25, 2013, it was announced that Mr. Aldridge had rejoined Whitesnake for the third time for the band's upcoming "Year of the Snake" tour, and he has since recorded the albums Flesh & Blood and The Purple Album with the group and remains their drummer; and

WHEREAS, for more than four decades, Mr. Aldridge's fiery drumming has defined hard-rock showmanship, and his signature style is a rare combination of power, technique, and feel, and in total, he has played on albums that have combined to sell nearly 10,000,000 copies; and

WHEREAS, it is the policy of the House of Representatives to recognize extraordinary Mississippi musicians, especially those such as Mr. Aldridge, whose incredible talent, hard-hitting style, flair and showmanship, continues to be a major influence in the music industry:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That we do hereby recognize and commend Mr. Tommy Aldridge for his outstanding musical artistry and accomplishments, and express sincere wishes for continued success in all of his future endeavors.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be furnished to Mr. Tommy Aldridge, and to the members of the Capitol Press Corps.