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Description
John Bonham
May 31, 1948-September 25, 1980

In the pantheon of rock drumming, very few can compare to the late John Bonham. As the thunder in the Mighty Led Zeppelin’s sound, Bonham was a critical part of what made them the legends they are.

Born in Redditch just outside of Birmingham, England, John developed a great love for the drums at a young age, converting a collection of tins and containers into a kit to emulate the likes of Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich before receiving a snare from his mother Joan at the age of 10. By 15, he received a full kit from his father Jack, and would begin playing in various local groups such as Terry Webb and The Spiders, The Nicky James Movement, and The Senators, the latter producing a single in “She’s A Mod.” By 1964, John began drumming full time, playing in bands such as A Way Of Life and Crawling King Snakes, the latter fronted by one Robert Plant.

Plant and Bonham developed an instant rapport, eventually playing together in Band Of Joy, also featuring future Jethro Tull/Fairport Convention bassist Dave Pegg among many others. The band ultimately didn’t progress beyond demos, but proved a fertile ground for its members. And through the band opening for singer-songwriter Tim Rose, John would soon end up in Rose’s solo group, which indirectly led to the opportunity that changed John’s life forever.

It’s 1968, The Yardbirds are broken up. There are dates already booked, and guitarist Jimmy Page needs to put a band together to play those dates. He and manager Peter Grant have thought of some drummers, BJ Wilson from Procol Harum being one. But Robert Plant mentioned John as being a good choice for the new band, and upon seeing him with Rose, Page and Grant instantly realized he was the man for the job. Though John was also getting offers from people like Joe Cocker and Chris Farlowe, he eventually decided that this “New Yardbirds” lineup was the gig for him. Round it out with John Paul Jones, and the rest is history.

When Led Zeppelin debuted with their record, it was like nothing else. Sure, there were blues rock records, harder edged bands, but this was something else completely. While not considered heavy metal now (least of all by Page and Plant), they certainly were heavier than heavy for the time, and no small part of that is because of John. His power was equal to that of the Hammer Of The Gods, with a drive and force rarely seen in drummers of the time. His timing was spot in, his playing tight as can be, he was ever rock solid. At the same time, there was such a swagger to his playing, something that many hard rock drummers of later years often fail to capture. A real lover of funk and R&B, John along with John Paul Jones brought a strong funk undercurrent to the Zeppelin sound that made the music not only rock hard but just feel so good and so right. As a result, Zeppelin had this immense power not only when they went hard and heavy, but also went they went more mellow.

When it comes to drum solos, Sturgeon’s Law is very much in effect-90% are just lousy. But “Moby Dick” is not part of that 90%. From the studio version on Zeppelin II to the various live versions, most notably Song Remains The Same, “Moby Dick” is an adventure, an epic much like its namesake. It takes you through peaks and vallies, takes all these great twists. You’re right there with Bonham, going insane as you seek to conquer the great blue whale, and you’ll be damned if you don’t catch Moby Dick or die trying. Forget the hard hitting wildman that John Bonham is often caricatured as, he was a storyteller behind the kit. You can hear his drum hooks, and you instantly know the song that’s coming up, a rare thing for a drummer to do.

Outside of Led Zeppelin, John would occasionally offer his services elsewhere. The Family Dogg’s debut A Way of Life, Screaming Lord Sutch, Lulu’s single “Everybody Clap”, Jimmy Stevens’ Don’t Freak Me Out, fellow Birmingham native Roy Wood’s On The Road Again, and Paul McCartney and Wings’ Back to The Egg, appearing on “Rockestra Theme” and “So Glad to See You Here”. Plus appearing in Son of Dracula, playing the drummer for Harry Nilsson’s character and playing on the soundtrack alongside fellow legends Keith Moon and Ringo Starr.

John Bonham physically left us far too soon, but in spirit is simply immortal. Virtually every rock drummer of the past 50+ years, rather knowingly or not, takes a page or two from him. Hip hop artists continue to build songs out of his grooves, eager to get the crowd going just as John did all those years ago. His son Jason has gone on to become a successful drummer in his own right and honor his legacy, most notably with Zepplein at the O2. He provides the soundtrack to people’s lives, and he remains with his former bandmates, especially Robert.

Happy birthday to John Bonham. Often imitated, but never duplicated.

Description
John Bonham
May 31, 1948-September 25, 1980

In the pantheon of rock drumming, very few can compare to the late John Bonham. As the thunder in the Mighty Led Zeppelin’s sound, Bonham was a critical part of what made them the legends they are.

Born in Redditch just outside of Birmingham, England, John developed a great love for the drums at a young age, converting a collection of tins and containers into a kit to emulate the likes of Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich before receiving a snare from his mother Joan at the age of 10. By 15, he received a full kit from his father Jack, and would begin playing in various local groups such as Terry Webb and The Spiders, The Nicky James Movement, and The Senators, the latter producing a single in “She’s A Mod.” By 1964, John began drumming full time, playing in bands such as A Way Of Life and Crawling King Snakes, the latter fronted by one Robert Plant.

Plant and Bonham developed an instant rapport, eventually playing together in Band Of Joy, also featuring future Jethro Tull/Fairport Convention bassist Dave Pegg among many others. The band ultimately didn’t progress beyond demos, but proved a fertile ground for its members. And through the band opening for singer-songwriter Tim Rose, John would soon end up in Rose’s solo group, which indirectly led to the opportunity that changed John’s life forever.

It’s 1968, The Yardbirds are broken up. There are dates already booked, and guitarist Jimmy Page needs to put a band together to play those dates. He and manager Peter Grant have thought of some drummers, BJ Wilson from Procol Harum being one. But Robert Plant mentioned John as being a good choice for the new band, and upon seeing him with Rose, Page and Grant instantly realized he was the man for the job. Though John was also getting offers from people like Joe Cocker and Chris Farlowe, he eventually decided that this “New Yardbirds” lineup was the gig for him. Round it out with John Paul Jones, and the rest is history.

When Led Zeppelin debuted with their record, it was like nothing else. Sure, there were blues rock records, harder edged bands, but this was something else completely. While not considered heavy metal now (least of all by Page and Plant), they certainly were heavier than heavy for the time, and no small part of that is because of John. His power was equal to that of the Hammer Of The Gods, with a drive and force rarely seen in drummers of the time. His timing was spot in, his playing tight as can be, he was ever rock solid. At the same time, there was such a swagger to his playing, something that many hard rock drummers of later years often fail to capture. A real lover of funk and R&B, John along with John Paul Jones brought a strong funk undercurrent to the Zeppelin sound that made the music not only rock hard but just feel so good and so right. As a result, Zeppelin had this immense power not only when they went hard and heavy, but also went they went more mellow.

When it comes to drum solos, Sturgeon’s Law is very much in effect-90% are just lousy. But “Moby Dick” is not part of that 90%. From the studio version on Zeppelin II to the various live versions, most notably Song Remains The Same, “Moby Dick” is an adventure, an epic much like its namesake. It takes you through peaks and vallies, takes all these great twists. You’re right there with Bonham, going insane as you seek to conquer the great blue whale, and you’ll be damned if you don’t catch Moby Dick or die trying. Forget the hard hitting wildman that John Bonham is often caricatured as, he was a storyteller behind the kit. You can hear his drum hooks, and you instantly know the song that’s coming up, a rare thing for a drummer to do.

Outside of Led Zeppelin, John would occasionally offer his services elsewhere. The Family Dogg’s debut A Way of Life, Screaming Lord Sutch, Lulu’s single “Everybody Clap”, Jimmy Stevens’ Don’t Freak Me Out, fellow Birmingham native Roy Wood’s On The Road Again, and Paul McCartney and Wings’ Back to The Egg, appearing on “Rockestra Theme” and “So Glad to See You Here”. Plus appearing in Son of Dracula, playing the drummer for Harry Nilsson’s character and playing on the soundtrack alongside fellow legends Keith Moon and Ringo Starr.

John Bonham physically left us far too soon, but in spirit is simply immortal. Virtually every rock drummer of the past 50+ years, rather knowingly or not, takes a page or two from him. Hip hop artists continue to build songs out of his grooves, eager to get the crowd going just as John did all those years ago. His son Jason has gone on to become a successful drummer in his own right and honor his legacy, most notably with Zepplein at the O2. He provides the soundtrack to people’s lives, and he remains with his former bandmates, especially Robert.

Happy birthday to John Bonham. Often imitated, but never duplicated.