RUDY SARZO, BRAD GILLIS And TOMMY ALDRIDGE Reunite For Cover Of THE WHO’s ‘The Real Me’
Written by megarock on September 7, 2025
Canadian-born Rick Hughes is renowned for his powerful voice as the lead singer of the legendary metal band SWORD, and of the hard-rock band SAINTS & SINNERS, as well as a seasoned performer with hundreds of headlining shows in Canada, America, Europe and Japan over the years, and his superb stage performances while opening for bands such as METALLICA, MOTÖRHEAD, Alice Cooper and BLACK LABEL SOCIETY. So when it was time for him to record “Redemption”, his first international solo album, he spared no expenses and efforts to make this album a great one, hiring producer John Webster (AEROSMITH, MÖTLEY CRÜE, AC/DC) and renting HippoSonic Recording Studio (formerly known as Little Mountain Studios) in Vancouver to record this opus.
The first salvo is coming out September 5, 2025, and it is quite an event in itself: his first single and video is a supercharged version of THE WHO‘s classic “The Real Me” — reuniting after 43 years Ozzy Osbourne‘s superband consisting of Brad Gillis on guitar, Rudy Sarzo on bass and Tommy Aldridge on drums. This is the band that did the last leg of the “Diary Of A Madman” tour in 1982 after the tragic departure of the great Randy Rhoads, and that then recorded Ozzy‘s classic live album “Speak Of The Devil”.
The resulting sound is epic, and so is the spectacular video that was shot and directed by Matthew Lucas (“Kringle Time”, “Moonshot”, “We Meet Again”) at the state-of-the-art L.A. Castle Studios, with post and editing by Montreal’s Jean-Marc Laurin (“Jurassic World”, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”, “Game Of Thrones”, “Assassin’s Creed”).
“‘The Real Me’ stands as a cornerstone of my album ‘Redemption’,” says Rick. “As a lifelong fan of THE WHO, I wanted to pay tribute to the golden age of ’70s rock. To capture that spirit, I brought together a true supergroup with Tommy Aldridge, Rudy Sarzo and Brad Gillis, a unique moment where legends unite to breathe new life into a classic.”
This very special song is part of the upcoming Rick Hughes album “Redemption”, a collection of great rock songs to be released on Friday, October 24, 2025 on CD, vinyl, and digital format worldwide by Deko Entertainment, and featuring more great collaborations with some famous musicians.
