Jake E. Lee

Jakey Lou Williams (born February 15, 1957, in Norfolk, Virginia, USA), better known as Jake E. Lee - a highly regarded heavy metal guitarist best known for his work with Ozzy Osbourne.

Related Topics:
February 15 - 1957 - Norfolk - Virginia - USA - Ozzy Osbourne

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Jake took classical piano lessons as a child, and would also play around with his older sister's guitar. After discovering Led Zeppelin, he knew he wanted to be a rock guitar player. He played in various high school bands and would eventually take his skills out to the L.A. scene in the late 70's.

Related Topics:
Piano - Led Zeppelin

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Out there he joined a band called Mickey RATT in 1980, which later became the popular hair metal band RATT. They released a single "Dr. Rock"/"Drivin On E", which they gave to fans at their shows. They also released the song "Tell The World" on the first metal massacre album which also featured Metallica's first song "Hit The Lights".

Related Topics:
1980 - Hair metal - RATT - Metallica

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Jake soon left Ratt to join Rough Cutt which was produced by Ronnie James Dio and managed by Wendy Dio at that time. After hearing Jake in Rough Cutt in 1982 Ronnie James Dio invited Jake to join his band. Jake accepted the proposal from Dio. The other member was former Black Sabbath drummer and former bandmate of Dio, Vinny Appice. According to Vinny Appice there were rehearsals with Jake and Ronnie. Vinny also has said recordings of those rehearsals exist. Jake also claims to have written the riff to Don't Talk To Strangers

Related Topics:
Rough Cutt - 1982 - Black Sabbath - Vinny Appice

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When Ozzy Osbourne needed a permanant replacement for the deceased Randy Rhoads, he came to L.A. to audition players. Future Slaughter bassist Dana Strum recommended Lee to Osbourne; Dana Strum had also recommended Randy Rhoads to Ozzy. Ozzy came down to 2 guitarists; Dokken guitarist George Lynch and Jake. Ozzy almost chose Lynch but obviously chose Jake instead. Jake played with Ozzy in late 1982 and early 1983 still supporting Diary Of A Madman. Ozzy's line-up was Jake on guitar, Don Airey on keyboards, Tommy Aldridge on drums and Pete Way on bass.

Related Topics:
Ozzy Osbourne - Randy Rhoads - Slaughter - Dana Strum - Dokken - George Lynch - 1982 - 1983 - Diary Of A Madman

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Ozzy and Jake began the follow-up to Diary Of A Madman. Ozzy and Jake kept touring though while working on Bark At the Moon, their next album. They released the hit single So Tired which got air play regularly on MTV and radio. Other singles included Bark At The Moon and Spiders which didn't make the album. The album was released and was very commercially successful.

Related Topics:
Bark At the Moon - So Tired - MTV - Radio

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Ozzy began a world tour and fired Tommy Aldridge, replacing him with Carmine Appice. Ozzy, Carmine Appice, Jake, Bob Daisley and Don Airey toured Europe in late 1983 supporting Bark At The Moon. Then they prepared for a U.S. tour and then Ozzy fired Carmine Appice and replaced him with Tommy Aldridge. On the U.S tour their concert in Salt Lake City on March 18, 1984, was filmed and released as a video Bark At The Moon. After the tour Ozzy checked in to the Betty Ford Centre and the band was put on hold.

Related Topics:
Tommy Aldridge - Carmine Appice - 1983

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After Ozzy got out of the Betty Ford Centre Jake presented him with the music he wrote while Ozzy was away and most of it was kept for their upcoming album. In 1986 The Ultimate Sin was released and peaked at #1 on the charts with the hit single Shot In the Dark. Jake and Ozzy once again began a world tour this time with Phillip Soussan on bass and Randy Castillo on drums. In Kansas City Missouri on April 1st, 1986 another concert is filmed which was released in 1990 as the Ultimate Ozzy by Fox and CBS. In 1987 Jake left the band with Ozzy concentrating on the Tribute album for Randy Rhoads of a live concert recorded on July 28, 1981 in Montreal and in Cleveland on May 11, 1981.

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Jake formed the blues-based metal band Badlands in the summer of 1988. Badlands was made up of Jake, former Black Sabbath singer Ray Gillen, former Black Sabbath drummer Eric Singer and bassist Greg Chaisson. Badlands released their self titled debut album in 1989. In 1991 Eric was fired and replaced with Jeff Martin (whom was also the vocalist for Racer X) on drums and Badlands released Voodoo Highway, a more blues-based album. On the tour Ray was fired and replaced by John West. Ray Gillen died in 1993 at 32 years old of AIDS-related complications.

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In 1998 the album Dusk was released which included previously unreleased material with Ray Gillen.

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In 1996 Jake released an instrumental solo album titled "A Fine Pink Mist" that got very good reviews and was compared to Joe Satriani's "Surfing With the Alien".

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Throughout the 90's and into the new millennium Jake kept a very low profile. Jake appeared on many tribute albums in the 90's and the millennium. He played on tributes to AC/DC, Rush, Van Halen, Randy Rhoads, Metallica and many many more. Jake also started a project called Wicked Alliance with vocalist Mandy Lion, which was a precursor to much of the industrial shock metal, and also briefly joined Bourgeois Pigs with Michael Guy (of House of Lords) and bassist Tony Franklin (The Firm). In 2005 Jake released his first album in 8 years titled "Retraced" which was made up of blues covers from the 60's and 70's. Jake is a guitar virtuoso.

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