Led Zeppelin Biography: The Beginning: Jimmy Page (b. James Patrick Page, 9 January 1944, Heston, Middlesex, England) formed Led Zeppelin in October 1968 after the dissipation of The Yardbirds. As one of busiest studio musician in London, he joined The Yardbirds playing on bass, then on guitar, along Jeff Back. Despite his efforts to keep the band together and successful, The Yardbirds band members abandoned the band. Jimmy Pages remains alone with the name of the band and with a contract for a concert in Scandinavia. With a new producer, Peter Grant (b. 5 April 1935, London, England, d. 21 November 1995) he starts to find members for a completely new band which he called The New Yardbirds. John Paul Jones (b. John Baldwin, 3 June 1946, Sidcup, Kent, England; bass, keyboards) was the first musician who joined the group. As a studio musician his self, John Paul Jones worked with Page on many recordings, Donovan's "Hurdy Gurdy Man" being one of the famous. Robert Plant (b. 20 August 1948, West Bromwich, West Midlands, England) was recommended to Page by Terry Reid, the Procol Harum singer. When Page first heard him playing with a band named Hobbstweedle, he thought he has a temper problem or that nobody can work with him. Hi didn't understand how he can sing for so many years without getting famous. John Bonham (b. 31 May 1948, Birmingham, England, d. 25 September 1980) came in the group at Plant's suggestion. Both worked together in The Band Of Joy. After Page first invited Procol Harum drummer B.J. Willson and he refuses, Plant goes to Oxford to convince Bonham to come to London. Page is totally shocked by the force of his drum playing. The legend says that the group's first meeting was in a small room in China Town and that they first tried "The Train Kept A Rollin' ". Everything was rolling. Another legend says that in their first concert, as The New Yardbirds, the speakers break down, but Plant saved the show singing without any amplification. Because the band was completely new and with a new style the name "The New Yardbirds" had to be changed and the idea came from Keith Moon, The Who drummer, who was using to say after a bad concert "we fell down like a lead zeppelin". Page changed the expression a little and made it Led Zeppelin. Other option was Mad Dogs, but Page liked Led Zeppelin better because it was a combination of heavy-easy terms, like Iron Butterfly for example. More biography to come...

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