Saturday, December 30: Tig’s Rock Birthdays
Happy Birthday today (Dec. 30) to Ozzy/Black Sabbath drummer Tommy Clufetos. Also celebrating is ELO singer Jeff Lynne (70) and original Jethro Tull drummer Clive Bunker (71).
Tommy Clufetos at 37 years old is best known for his work with Black Sabbath during their reunion tour and he appears on the album 2013 album 13. He's also the drummer in Ozzy's solo band. Clufetos started playing drums at age 7 and would go on to join Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels. Other notable artists he has recorded and performed with include Ted Nugent, Alice Cooper, and Rob Zombie. I've seen Tommy Clufetos perform many times over the years including last year on Black Sabbath's farewell tour. Tommy is a monster drummer. Cheers to Tommy Clufetos on his birthday today!
Jeff Lynne is the main man behind Electric Light Orchestra. During the band’s original 13 year period of active recording and touring, they sold over 50 million records worldwide. I personally have been an ELO fan ever since I was a small child going through my dad’s record collection and pulling out ELO’s Out of the Blue album. I’ll never forget seeing this double album as a kid that folded out to show the interior of a giant UFO. I thought it was so cool! And after hearing songs like “Turn to Stone”, “Sweet Talkin’ Woman”, and “Mr. Blue Sky”, I was hooked! The music of ELO was definitely a memory from my childhood that I fondly remember. Of course Jeff Lynne would also go on to a be part of another great group, the supergroup The Traveling Wilburys with Bob Dylan, George Harrison, Roy Orbison, and Tom Petty.
Jeff Lynne has most recently assembled a new lineup of ELO which is now called Jeff Lynne’s ELO. The band released a new album called Alone in the Universe in 2015 and did some touring in 2016. It was recently announced that ELO will be inducted into the Rock and Roll of Fame in 2017. Check out the official Jeff Lynne’s ELO website here.