In a revealing interview with Get On The Bus, former Ozzy Osbourne drummer Tommy Aldridge expressed deep sympathy for guitarist Jake E. Lee, who joined the band in 1983 under the weight of extraordinary expectations. Lee stepped into the role following the tragic death of legendary guitarist Randy Rhoads in a plane crash on March 19, 1982, a loss that left Ozzy reeling and his solo career at a critical juncture. Aldridge, who played with Osbourne from 1981 to 1983 and again from 1984 to 1985, described the daunting challenge Lee faced in trying to match the magic of Ozzy’s first two iconic albums, Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman.
Aldridge’s compassion for Lee stemmed from the guitarist’s unenviable position of following Rhoads, whose brilliance had helped define Ozzy’s early solo success. “I had the same kind of compassion for Jake I had for Bernie [Tormé, interim Ozzy guitarist],” Aldridge told Get On The Bus, as transcribed by Ultimate Guitar. “I knew, because I’ve seen it didn’t matter. I mean, a Whitesnake record sold 15 million; you come and you do the follow-up, you can sell 5 million records and you’re a failure. I know, I’ve been there.”
Lee joined Ozzy’s band at a pivotal moment, as the third studio album—often seen as a make-or-break point for artists—was looming. The result was 1983’s Bark at the Moon, which, while not outselling its predecessors, achieved triple platinum certification from the RIAA, matching Diary of a Madman. Despite this success, Aldridge noted that Lee was under immense pressure to replicate the Rhoads-era magic. “My heart was going out to Jake E. Lee,” Aldridge said. “He didn’t know it at the time, because he was so consumed. I don’t think Jake E. Lee, in real time, had any idea what was around the corner. I had seen it before I even joined the band. I saw how the cookie was going to be crumbling.”
Aldridge also suggested that even Rhoads would have faced similar pressures had he stayed with Ozzy. However, he revealed that Rhoads had confided in him about his plans to leave the band before his untimely death. “In Randy’s case, it was preempted because Randy was gonna go on,” Aldridge shared. “He didn’t have to die in a plane crash to get away from that camp. That was going to happen; that was in his future. I know it for a fact, because [he] spoke to me about it all the time, in full confidence, and it remains that way.”
For Lee, the challenge was not just following a legend but working in the same studio with the same engineer and striving to capture the same vibe that had made Ozzy’s first two albums iconic. “In Jake’s case, he had to go into the same studio, the same engineer, the same vibe, and come up with the goods, man,” Aldridge said.
Despite the pressures, Jake E. Lee’s contributions to Bark at the Moon solidified his place in Ozzy’s legacy, proving his talent under near-impossible circumstances. Aldridge’s reflections offer a glimpse into the high-stakes world of rock stardom and the immense challenges of stepping into a legend’s shoes.
