Lee Kerslake

Lee Kerslake
Lee Kerslake with Uriah Heep in Hamburg, Germany in February 1973
Background information
Birth name	Lee Kerslake
Born	16 April 1947 (1947-04-16) Winton, Bournemouth, Hampshire (now Dorset), England United Kingdom
Genres	Hard rock, progressive rock, art rock, Southern rock, heavy metal
Occupations	Musician, songwriter
Instruments	Drums, percussion, vocals
Years active	1968–2007
Labels	Bronze, Mercury, Warner Bros.
Associated acts	Uriah Heep, The Gods, Toe Fat, Head Machine, National Head Band, Ken Hensley, David Byron, Ozzy Osbourne, Living Loud

Lee Kerslake (born 16 April 1947 in Winton, Bournemouth, Hampshire now Dorset, England) is an English musician, best known as the longtime drummer and backing vocalist for the rock band Uriah Heep, in addition to his work in the Ozzy Osbourne band

Kerslake joined Uriah Heep in November 1971, left the band in October 1979, and rejoined them in April 1982. In early 2007 it was announced on the Heep website that Kerslake left the band 'due to ongoing health problems'.

With Heep Kerslake also performed backing vocals both on album and on stage. On the Firefly album he was credited with the nickname "The Bear", a reference to his beard growth and overall solid physical build.

During his time out of Uriah Heep, he was hired by Ozzy Osbourne, with whom he recorded Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman, and played with bass guitarist Bob Daisley, who later joined Uriah Heep. On the Diary of a Madman notes, Kerslake and Daisley weren't credited. The two musicians were fired in late March 1981, just after the recording session, and replaced for the tour by Tommy Aldridge and Rudy Sarzo. Aldridge's and Sarzo's photos were put on the album and they were credited as studio musicians, but they didn't play on the album.

In 1998, Kerslake and Daisley filed suit against Ozzy Osbourne and his manager (and wife) Sharon Osbourne, seeking royalties and songwriting credits for their contributions to the Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman albums. Osbourne subsequently erased Kerslake and Daisley's playing on both albums, replacing their performances with tracks by bassist Robert Trujillo and drummer Mike Bordin.

In 2003, Kerslake and Daisley's lawsuit was dismissed by the United States District Court in Los Angeles. This dismissal was upheld by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Lee now performs with his own band "The Lee Kerslake Band", guests with various bands and regularly joins ex-Heep members Ken Hensley and Paul Newton in "Uriah Heep Legends"

Discography

With The Gods

• Genesis (1968)
• To Samuel A Son (1970)
• The Gods Featuring Ken Hensley (1976)
• Gods

With Head Machine

• Orgasm (1970)

With National Head Band

• Albert One

With Toe Fat

• Toe Fat (1970)

with Uriah Heep

• Demons and Wizards (1972)
• The Magician's Birthday (1972)
• Uriah Heep Live (1973) - often referred to as "Live '73" by Heepsters
• Sweet Freedom (1973)
• Wonderworld (1974)
• Return to Fantasy (1975)
• High and Mighty (1976)
• Firefly (1977)
• Innocent Victim (1977)
• Fallen Angel (1978)
• Abominog (1982)
• Head First (1983)
• Equator (1985)
• Live at Shepperton '74 (1986) – recorded 1974
• Live in Europe 1979 (1986) – recorded 1979
• Live in Moscow (1988)
• Raging Silence (1989)
• Different World (1991)
• Sea of Light (1995)
• Spellbinder Live (1996)
• King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents In Concert (1997) – recorded 1974
• Sonic Origami (1998)
• Future Echoes Of The Past (2000)
• Acoustically Driven (2001)
• Electrically Driven (2001)
• The Magician's Birthday Party (2002)
• Live in the USA (2003)
• Magic Night (2004)
• Between Two Worlds (2005)
• Still 'Eavy Still Proud

With Ken Hensley

• Proud Words On A Dusty Shelf (1973)

With David Byron

• Take No Prisoners (1975)
• Man Of Yesterdays: The Anthology

With Ozzy Osbourne

• Blizzard of Ozz (1980) (On 2011 Reissue)
• Diary of a Madman (1981) (On 2011 Reissue)
• Tribute (1987) (on two tracks)
• The Ozzman Cometh (1997) (not on the current pressing)

With Living Loud

• Living Loud (2003/2004)
• Live In Sydney 2004 (2005, 2CD/DVD)

External links

• Lee Kerslake interview
• Daisley-Kerslake Lawsuit Dismissed In U.S. Federal Court

Mercury Records artists