#jimmy page

[lascitasdelashoras]

Jimmy Page

#jimmy page #guitarrista #musica #rock

[haywire-hetfield]

#jimbert #jimmy page #robert plant #led zeppelin

[rhapsodynew]

Little-known facts about the cult rock band – part one.

Led Zeppelin – founded in England in 1968, the band was almost doomed to success because its founder, guitarist Jimmy Page, and his buddy, bassist and keyboardist John Paul Jones, were already experienced session musicians. Adding a vocalist Robert Plant and the drummer John Bonham – both young but well versed in their shared local music scene – complemented the band perfectly.

An international sensation of the 1970s, Led Zeppelin remains one of the most successful and legendary bands in rock history, breaking records with their rousing live performances, diverse genre catalog, and refusal to play by the rules. Some of their songs, including the iconic "Stairway to Heaven" and "Whole Lotta Love", became classics of the time and genre.

However, over the years, the band's touring exploits – in particular, frequent fun with female fans, the destruction of hotel rooms and reckless use of substances and alcohol – have become a cautionary tale about the dark side of rock and fame in general. It may look colorful and interesting, but in fact the career of the Zeppelins was extremely dark and tragic... 

Below are some of the most unique and little-known facts.

Robert Plant plays the harmonica

Robert Plant was afraid of the stage – at first

While this may seem shocking, given that Robert Plant is now widely known as one of the most iconic rock frontmen of all time, the lion-maned singer once suffered from self-confidence issues. Plant was still literally a teenager (namely, he was 20 years old) when Led Zeppelin first hit the road in 1968, and the shouts of the crowd, as well as harsh media reviews, were initially unbearable for him...

At the beginning of their journey, critics were not kind to the Zeppelins, and Plant, being the face and voice of the group, often bore the brunt of their insults. Some accused Robert of affectation, others of "excessive femininity.".. The cruel words deeply hurt Plant, who was already prone to self-doubt.

Later, the group manager Peter Grant admitted that he had to hide bad reviews from Plant in every possible way, and even comfort the anxious vocalist just to bring him on stage. It was for this reason that Robert also hesitated to write lyrics, which is why many considered him the weak link of the group (again, at the initial stages).

John Paul Jones miraculously did not die in the fire.

John Paul Jones

During a tour of America in 1973, Led Zeppelin threw a party in New Orleans, Louisiana. The group stayed at a hotel in the French Quarter, known for its vibrant nightlife... And that night the bass player John Paul Jones will never forget!

The story goes how John met a certain Stephanie, and invited the girl to his room. The problem came up soon, and it was that Stephanie was actually a man! However, John later claimed that he knew this, and that Stephanie was his good friend, with whom they drank and had fun. In any case, it's not about what gender Stephanie was, and who she was to John. After entering the room, the two had a few drinks and smoked. They were so drunk that they forgot to put out their cigarette butts, and just fell asleep. Soon a fire broke out in the room, and John and his friend miraculously survived – they were found unconscious when the firefighters arrived! It was this incident that Robert Plant immortalized in the song "Royal Orleans".

"Everything is in perfect order on Bourbon Street –You can meet my friends, they hang out there all night long..."

The band was robbed during a US tour.

Led Zeppelin. Early 70s

On July 29, 1973 – the last night of the American tour – Led Zeppelin became the victim of a strange crime. The story goes that tour manager Richard Cole opened the band's safe while at the hotel and found it empty!

"I opened this thing, and there's nothing there–it's empty! Only passports! I burst out swearing because nothing else came to mind at that moment..."

To understand the full range of Cole's emotions, it's worth emphasizing that there were more than $200,000 in the safe– a significant portion of their income from the tour. Not wanting to disturb the band before they went on stage, Cole proceeded to resolve the issue as confidentially as possible. While the Zeppelins were performing, the FBI guys searched the hotel. There were no signs of forced entry on the safe, indicating that whoever stole the money had used the key. Cole was the first to come under suspicion, and he even had to undergo a lie detector test (which, by the way, did not reveal a lie in his words).

After the show, the FBI also questioned the band members, but found no leads. The next day, the robbery made national news. Although the crime remains unsolved to this day, many believe that Peter Grant is responsible for the theft.

John Bonham struggled with depression.

Despite the fact that he looked brave and fearless on stage, the drummer John Bonham had great difficulties on the road. A family man at heart, Bonham, known to his bandmates as Bonzo, often missed his wife and two young children who stayed in England when he toured. At the beginning of his career with Led Zeppelin, he started drinking a lot to fight his depression and homesickness, which most often led only to chaos...

A friendly and gentle man when sober, Bonham was prone to anger, recklessness and outbursts of rage when intoxicated. He often took out his alcohol-induced rage on hotel rooms and anyone unlucky enough to be near him at the time of his rampage. Over the years, this behavior earned him the nickname "The Beast".

"Bonzo drank because he hated being away from home, it's true. Between performances, it was difficult for him to cope with emotions ...", – said John Paul Jones.

John Bonham

The tour also aggravated Bonzo's mental state. He began to be afraid of flights, and also suffered from constant panic attacks before performing. One day he confessed to a journalist:

"Every year it gets worse for me. I have terribly bad nerves all the time... It's even worse at festivals."

Zeppelin concerts have become dangerous.

As their popularity grew, Led Zeppelin began to give larger-scale concerts, which led to new problems. On July 5, 1971, the band performed in front of a boisterous crowd of about 15,000 people at the stadium Velodromo Vigorelli in Milan, Italy. The promoters begged the band to ask the public to stop lighting the fire, which frontman Robert Plant repeatedly did, but to no avail. The situation escalated, and hundreds of police used tear gas, water cannons and batons to subdue the crowd. Many were injured.

Led Zeppelin

Disoriented by the blinding smoke, panicked onlookers rushed onto the stage, causing the band to drop their gear in the middle of the performance and flee. In the confusion, one of the Zeppelin roadies was hit on the head with a broken bottle and was hospitalized. Page later recalled:

"It was absolutely terrible..."

And this was just the first of many dangerous performances by the Zeppelins. During the band's 1977 American tour, fans without tickets burst through the gates at several concerts, leading to hundreds of arrests. That same year, violent riots broke out in Tampa, Florida, among a crowd of 70,000 when the show was interrupted due to rain, leaving the police outnumbered and powerless. Then, during a concert in Cincinnati, Ohio, a fan fell from an upper floor. It was the last concert in his life...

The extension follows....

#not made-up stories #led zeppelin #robert plant #jimmy page #john paul jones #john bonham #hard rock #folk music #music story #hustory music #music #my music #music love #musica #history music #rock music #rock #rock photography #stadium rock #music youtube #video youtube #heavy metal #Youtube

[zheber]

so NERD

😟😧

#john paul jones #jimmy page #actually so mean!

[lilaceas]

#jimmy page #led zeppelin

[designfiend]

International Times (February 1970)

it's interesting to see this 53 years later

#international times #it newspaper #70s #60s #johnny cash #jim morrison #paul mcartney #bob dylan #mick jagger #ringo star #jimmy page #elvis #john lennon #beatles #jimmy hendrix #janis joplin #27 club #70s music #60s music

[percys-lemons]

W H AT

#H UHH #JIMMY??? #I AM SPEECHLESS #I HAVE NOT SEEN THIS #aww his laugh #led zeppelin #robert plant #jimmy page

[devilsrains]

led zeppelin in paris, june 1969. (via zepplike on ig)

#led zeppelin #john paul jones #john bonham #robert plant #jimmy page #classic rock #60s #mine

[magickzep]

Jimmy Page and Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin as they walk backstage at Madison Square Garden, New York, July 1973 — The Song Remains The Same (1976) dir. by Peter Clifton and Joe Massot.

#jimmy page #robert plant #led zeppelin #the song remains the same #1973 #1976 #70s #classic rock #peter clifton #joe massot #silently crying my heart out

[undergroundrockpress]

Led Zeppelin, Los Angeles 1975.

Photo : James Fortune.

#rock photography #James Fortune #Led Zeppelin #robert plant #jimmy page #1970s #1975

[subloonary]

there must’ve been something in the air during the 1970s that made everyone sexy and free

#1970s #classic rock #mick jagger #david bowie #70s #the beatles #the rolling stones #jimmy page #robert plant #led zeppelin

[floatinginthedunes]

#jimmy page #john paul jones #led zeppelin #robert plant #john bonham

[another-little-hippie]

i wonder what their horoscopes were 🥹

#jimmy page #70s #classic rock #led zeppelin #robert plant #60s #jimbert #rock and roll #john paul jones #bonzo

[ledzeppelemons]

just a man and his black beauty

#led zeppelin #jimmy page #black beauty #yet another outfit I’d die to have

[soundsof71]

Led Zeppelin: Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, and Jimmy Page enjoying a little downtime on the Starship en route to Detroit, January 31 1975 by Michael Brennan, my edit of original via iconicimages

#led zeppelin #classic rock #robert plant #jimmy page #john paul jones #vintage #starship #michael brennan #detroit #my edit

[thegroovywitch]

#jimmy page #led zeppelin #70s #classic rock #1970s #seventies #rock #hard rock #by dee dee