Led Zeppelin formed in London in 1968. The rock group consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist and keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham.
The band played together for the first time in front of a live audience at Gladsaxe Teen Clubs in Gladsaxe, Denmark, on September 7, 1968.
Led Zeppelin got their first recording contract based on the recommendation of Dusty Springfield. Jones and Page had both played on some of her albums.
They got their name from a fellow musician, who said their band would go down like a "lead balloon."
The band played together for the first time in front of a live audience at Gladsaxe Teen Clubs in Gladsaxe, Denmark, on September 7, 1968.
Led Zeppelin got their first recording contract based on the recommendation of Dusty Springfield. Jones and Page had both played on some of her albums.
They got their name from a fellow musician, who said their band would go down like a "lead balloon."
Led Zeppelin performed in Denmark under the name 'The Nobs' because Eva von Zeppelin, granddaughter of the inventor of Zeppelin airships, threatened to sue them otherwise for tarnishing the family name.
Aleister Crowley, a practitioner of black magic, was a big influence on Jimmy Page. In 1970, Page bought a house in Scotland where Crowley used to live. He has since sold it.
Led Zeppelin played their most famous song, "Stairway To Heaven" for the first time in Belfast on March 5, 1971 - Northern Ireland was a war zone at the time and there was rioting in nearby streets. John Paul Jones said in an audio documentary that when they played it, the audience was not that impressed. They wanted to hear something they knew - like "Whole Lotta Love."
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Led Zeppelin's untitled fourth album, often called Led Zeppelin IV and released on 8 November 1971, is their most commercially successful LP. It received a 23 times multi-platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America, the third-highest of all albums.
Led Zeppelin bought their private jet “The Starship” for part of their 1973 US tour for $30,000. John Bonham once flew the band from New York to Los Angeles even though he didn’t have a pilot’s license.
In 1975 Led Zeppelin became the first band in history to have six albums on the Billboard chart at once when Physical Graffiti was released. Their previous five albums, Led Zeppelin IV, House of the Holy, Led Zeppelin II, Led Zeppelin and Led Zeppelin III all returned to the charts. They rarely released singles, which helped their album sales.
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| Led Zeppelin performing at Chicago Stadium in January 1975. By tony morelli Wikipedia Commons |
The band pioneered the concept of album-oriented rock and often refused to release popular songs as singles.
Led Zeppelin had become so frustrated with reporters and interviewers that officials had put down strict rules for anyone who went backstage. One of those rules stated "Do not make any sort of eye contact with John Bonham. This is for your own safety."
Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham died at age 32 of asphyxiation from vomiting after drinking the equivalent of 40 shots of vodka in one day on September 25, 1980. The band decide to break up instead of replacing him, officially disbanding on December 4, 1980.
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| Bonham performing with Led Zeppelin in 1973. By Dina Regine - Wikipedia |
They never have fully reformed, but the remaining three members have played some shows with Jason Bonham filling in for his father.
In 2005, 3,500 music fans were polled for Planet Rock Radio and were asked to vote for individual band members to create an "ideal supergroup." They voted for the four members of Led Zeppelin.
Below is a reunited Led Zeppelin in December 2007 at The O2 in London. From left to right: John Paul Jones, Robert Plant, and Jimmy Page. On drums is Jason Bonham.
Source Artistfacts
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| p_a_h from UK Flickr.com. |
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