Led Zep: The Beginning

Led Zeppelin, one of the most beloved bands of all time, was really just created to keep some Scandinavian gig commitments in 1968. The Yardbirds, which at the time consisted of Jeff Beck, Keith Relf, Jim McCarty, Chris Dreja, and, of course, Jimmy Page, suddenly broke up while on tour (Fun fact: Page was brought in when Eric Clapton left). Page became the sole remaining member and he and manager Paul Grant had to get a band together to finish up the tour. With some help, he found singer Robert Plant, bassist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham.

The band played old Yardbirds tunes as well as new songs like "Killing Floor/The Lemon Song" which wouldn't be recorded until Led Zeppelin II. In just weeks, the band learned to play together and threw superb and fluid shows, unusual for a band who had been together for so short a time. But this smashed together group had a lot of chemistry and decided to keep going together, but in a new direction. With all the old links broken from The Yardbirds, in November of 1968 the band revealed their new name: Led Zeppelin.

The members of Led Zeppelin

You may wonder where the name comes from. Keith Moon (the drummer from The Who) quipped that the last Yardbirds line-up would "go down like a lead zeppelin." Page, Plant, Bonham, and Jones decided that they could use the line for an identity change and removed the "a" from "lead" as to avoid pronunciation confusion of the band's name. Thus, Led Zeppelin was born.

In January of 1969, Led Zeppelin was released after a short 36 hours of recording. Every track rated 4 stars or higher on their debut album, which included hits like "Dazed and Confused" (an old Yardbirds tune), "Good Times, Bad Times," and "Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You." It's clear that some of their songs had roots in old Yardbirds songs, but it can be seen that Led Zep had their own sound - and they were transforming and rocking the blues genre. The band had incredible power, riffs, and swing, and these qualities would be brought in greater quantities to each successive album in the next 10 years.

Visit their website for even more info: www.ledzeppelin.com
Jimmy Page's Twitter: @jimmypagecom