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This is an interesting series of articles on John Bonham, this is a reprint of an article published in the June 2003 issue of Rhythm & Drum Magazine, Rhythm & Drum Magazine is no longer in publication – sadly the world lost another drum magazine. We have translated it to the best of our ability, but it’s still great reading and validation that the impact of John Bonham was global.
We will be posting each part weekly over the next four weeks. You can follow the link below if you would like to read them all at once.
PART 02:
John Bonham [Led Zeppelin] Perfect Biography Vol.02 / Satoshi Kishida
More than 40 years after his death, Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham continues to influence performers around the world. In order to hand down his achievements, a reprint project of “Perfect Biography” published in the June/July 2003 issue started on the anniversary of his death (September 25). Vol.02 focuses on Bonzo’s activities before Zeppelin was formed, and about his encounters with Robert Plant and Jimmy Page.
At 16, he joined local band Terry Webb and the Spiders in Birmingham. This was his first semi-pro band. He also tried her first recording, hitting a twisted rhythm on the Senators group’s pop song, “She’s A Mod.” After a year with the Spiders, in 1965 he moved to the two-day band A Way of Life. That same year, the 17-year-old married Pat Phillips, whom he met at a dance party. Pat already had Jason in his belly. However, although they were married, the two young people with low income were forced to rent John’s father’s mobile home and start living.
A Way of Life was a band that played R&B and Byrds songs, but John’s drums were so loud that clubs stopped him, and his drinking habit got him into trouble. , the band repeatedly said they would fire John. As a result, life was difficult, and at one point he returned to the construction site to help out in the family business. Around the same time, John met vocalist Robert Plant, who lived in the nearby town of Black County. He was in an R&B band called The Crawling King Snakes, and had just had a vacancy for a drummer. John pitched himself in his usual tone, and although Robert didn’t take it seriously at first, he was surprised at how good John was playing. After all, Snakes was only enrolled for a few months due to the contract, and there were also financial problems, and John returned to A Way of Life again, but the bond between John and Robert It can be said that it started at this point.
At the time, John was using a Ludwig Super Classic kit (green sparkle color) (which apparently was also bought by his father). His favorite drummers at the time included the Graham Bond Organization, Cream’s Ginger Baker, Gene Krupa, Buddy Rich, Louis Belson, Art Blakey and Max Roach. John also cites the American soul and R&B drummers he listened to from his childhood as the ones that helped him develop his drumming style. Influenced by their feel and sound, he wanted to play big drums unmuted to get a big, open sound.
After that, John joined bands such as The Nicky James Movement, Steve Brett & The Mavericks, and in 1967, reunited with Plant and formed a band called Band of Joy. In addition to R&B, the band also played West Coast sounds, but they arranged Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit” in their own way and developed it freely. It is said that it was the prototype of Band of Joy became popular, touring throughout the UK and recording demo tapes at London’s New Regent Studios. Also, when Tim Rose (American vocalist), who was famous at the time, toured in England, he opened for the band Ainsley Dunbar Retaliation and Tim Rose. John was recruited by Tim Rhodes (just because Aynsley was going to the US) and decided to join his band. Reluctantly, Robert disbanded Band of Joy once and participated in recording with Alexis Corner. John, on the other hand, went to America for a time and played in the bands of Tim Rose and Joe Cocker. After that, John returned to England and had some sessions, but in the fall of ’68, when he was in a club with Tim Rose’s band, Robert brought a guitarist. He was Jimmy Page of the Yardbirds.
Original Article: HERE
