Influenced by Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon, Howlin' Wolf, and Otis Rush, among others, Led Zeppelin resulted from the Yardbirds disband in 1968. In September of 1968 Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, Robert Plant, and John Bonham joined forces in West Bromwich, England, to bring Led Zeppelin to life.
Initially, Jimmy Page, who joined the Yardbirds in 1967, was left with the rights of the band's name and the responsibility to fulfill previously booked band's engagements.
In the need of a vocalist, he was advised to hire Hobbstweedle's singer Robert Plant. With all the original Yardbirds members splitting up, Page invited John Paul Jones, who worked with the band previously making string arrangements.
Meanwhile, Robert Plant recommended his old band drummer John Bonham and with this lineup, the band performed first as the New Yardbirds, fulfilling dates and recording Led Zeppelin's self-titled debut album in nearly 36 hours according to a Jimmy Page's interview.
"Led Zeppelin" was released early in January 1969, after the band signed a contract with Atlantic Records. Led Zeppelin went on their first American tour, topping the Billboard Top-Ten chart two months later.
Although, their music was catalogued as a blend of folk and blues, a distorted sound amplification made it fall into the heavy metal classification despite over 30% of the band's music was acoustic.
Between 1969 and 1979, Led Zeppelin recorded 8 studio albums, from which seven were number one on the UK charts and six were number one on the American Charts. After touring extensively throughout their active years, the band soon would come to an end when drummer John Bonham collapsed on stage during their tour in Nuremberg, Germany.
Bonham was rushed to a hospital, where he was diagnosed with a problem due to alcohol excess, and drugs abuse. Bonham returned to Led Zeppelin in September of 1980, but after continuing with alcohol abuse, he died of asphyxiation from vomit.
The band split up after Bonham was cremated in October 1980, but the surviving members have confirmed to a reunion in November 2007 for a fundraising show in London with Jason Bohhma, son to John.
Below are people interested in Led Zeppelin chat; join the chat room to chat with people about Led Zeppelin.