Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Bonham and John Paul Jones played for the first time together as The New Yardbirds. The name Led Zeppelin only occurred to them later after a derogatory comment by fellow musicians.
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5 little-known facts about Led Zeppelin
On September 7, 1968, four British musicians appeared together on stage for the first time. Shortly after, the formation also had a name: Led Zeppelin. Their goal was to launch an attack on people's ears.
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'Stairway to Heaven' was never supposed to be released as a single
The band's most famous song was never intended to stand on its own. The band believed in the power of an album. But they couldn't push that notion through for long. The recorded version of the song is over eight minutes, but during their concerts, they often played it much longer. In fact, 30-minute-long versions were not uncommon.
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Robert Plant was actually third choice as singer
When selecting the singer for his new band, Jimmy Page first asked British singer Terry Reid, who also later turned down Deep Purple's offer. The second candidate was Steve Marriot from the Small Faces, but he refused as well. Only then did Jimmy Page think of Robert Plant as an option. Maybe not the first, but a good choice. He later wrote the lyrics for the band's world hits.
Descendants of Count Zeppelin wanted to ban the band from using their name
The burning Hindenburg on the cover of the band's first album caused a lot of trouble with a descendant of the aviation pioneer Ferdinand von Zeppelin. She tried in vain to prevent a TV appearance of the band. Nevertheless, she did win a small battle. During their Scandinavian tour in 1970, the band briefly changed their name to "The Nobs." They never played under this name again.
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Robert Plant warmed up his voice with slow Elvis songs
The Led Zeppelin singer himself talked about this ritual of his, even telling the King about it personally. Elvis Presley had invited the band into his hotel suite after one of his concerts in 1974. Robert Plant boldly sang one of Elvis's songs to him right then and there. The rest of the band held their breath, Jimmy Page reported later. But Elvis just grinned widely.
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Jimmy Page appeared on television for the first time as a kid
Even the wildest rock stars used to be cute little ones. Jimmy Page appeared as early as 1957 on a BBC talent show. He was only 13 years old at the time, though in some YouTube clips the year 1958 is mentioned. Asked back then about his future plans, the young Page did not say that he wanted to become a musician, but that he wanted to do research and discover a cure for cancer.
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Led Zeppelin are among the pioneers of hard rock, perhaps even heavy metal. They are one of the most successful and innovative bands in music history. Since their founding in 1968, they have sold more than 300 million records worldwide. Even today, many musicians refer to Jimmy Page and his comrades-in-arms as an inspiration.
More frustration than desire
At the beginning of their band formation, the members were frustrated more than anything. The band The Yardbirds was in the process of disbanding. Guitarist Jeff Beck had thrown in the towel just shortly before.
Jimmy Page then took over the management and the responsibility. Even though the last album had been a flop, contracts still had to be upheld and concerts had to be given. So Jimmy Page gathered together new musicians around him.
He could win over John Bonham for the drums, Robert Plant as singer and on bass, John Paul Jones.
In this formation, he wanted to play more radically and uncompromisingly than ever before. "We wanted to start a frontal attack on the ears", Jimmy Page said later in an interview and "just make noise."
Led Zeppelin's first outdoor show at the Bath Blues Festival in June 1969Image: picture-alliance/Photoshot
The birth of Led Zeppelin
On September 7, 1968, the four musicians took the stage for the first time in this new combination. Under the name The New Yardbirds, they first toured through Scandinavia.
Legend has it that fellow rock musicians from the group The Who made jokes about the new band, saying they would sink like a lead zeppelin. That inspired the British rock quartet, calling itself "Led Zeppelin" from then on and catapulting its way into history.
In a mere 36 hours, the four musicians recorded the songs for their debut album in one mad rush. After their joint tour, the chemistry was right among them and they all played together well. Even if not all music critics were completely enthusiastic, their progressive sound quickly conquered the rock scene.
Faster success in the US
Although all of the musicians came from Great Britain, the band concentrated first on the US market. The band's immense success developed much faster there than in Europe.
Yet Led Zeppelin avoided television appearances as much as possible, as the medium was simply not cut out for them. Their home was the stage. Led Zeppelin's live concerts were legendary. Due to extremely extensive guitar solos, long songs were played even longer anyway — some up to 30 minutes. Three to four-hour shows were not uncommon.
The image of the band was also legendary. To this day, rumors still circulate that their biggest hit, "Stairway to Heaven," reveals satanic messages when the song is played backwards.
Robert Plant (right) was not the first choice as singer for Led Zeppelin, but later made rock history with the band; here, with John Bonham on drumsImage: picture-alliance/dpa
Fame and ruin
Though world-famous and celebrated, the band was nevertheless in a bad position by the end of the 70s. There was tension within the band behind the scenes. Jimmy Page and John Bonham were suffering from personal problems. Robert Plant also faced his own crisis when his six-year-old son died from a viral infection. Talk of the band breaking up started to spread.
Led Zeppelin also struggled with an image problem for the first time. The new, anarchic, wild punk movement suddenly made the musicians appear like aging rock dinosaurs.
The tragic low point in the band's history, however, was the death of drummer John Bonham. After a concert and a very boozy party, Bonham suffocated on his vomit while on the back seat of a car, passing away on September 25, 1980. The end was then near for Led Zeppelin.
The band announced its breakup on December 4, 1980.
Just as at the beginning of the band's history, so too was Jimmy Page confronted with the same problem as it ended. Existing contracts had to be fulfilled.
In order to be able to release another album, he assembled old live sessions and studio recordings. It was released two years after the dissolution of the band.
Since then, fans all over the world have been waiting for a reunion, and there have been various attempts. Led Zeppelin's history is definitely over, but they have written rock history.
How Robert Plant contributed to creating the 'rock god' archetype
Led Zeppelin's "Whole Lotta Love," "Stairway to Heaven" and "Kashmir" are indelibly anchored in the collective consciousness. As Robert Plant turns 70, here's a glance back at the iconic rock band's story.
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Robert Plant at 70
What's a rock star to do at the age of 70? Keep on touring, of course! Former Led Zeppelin lead singer Robert Plant, who signed classics such as "Stairway to Heaven," "Immigrant Song" and "Kashmir," is not ready to retire yet. "I sing better than ever... and I still have so many songs in me," he told Spiegel magazine in 2017.
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Grizzled gods of rock
Coolness has nothing to do with age — and the surviving Led Zeppelin boys are the best proof of that. Here we see John Paul Jones, Robert Plant and Jimmy Page (from left to right) at the presentation of their concert film "Celebration Day" in 2012 in London.
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Four young men
This is how they looked in 1969 at the Blues Festival in Bath. The band was then still complete with drummer John Bonham (Number 77). The four young men got together to bring rock to the masses: "Most of all we wanted to show that old hands like Sinatra and his gang were no longer cool! They were the enemy," Plant later said.
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Lots of skin, too much alcohol
They thoroughly succeeded. Long hair and bare chests became sexy. Robert Plant's was even named "Chest of the Year" in 1970. But Led Zeppelin's rock'n'roll lifestyle led to tragedy: After excessive alcohol consumption in 1980, drummer John Bonham choked on his vomit during his sleep. That was the end of the band.
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The heritage
What forever remains is the music that inspired and influenced generations of rock bands. Most of all the classics "Whole Lotta Love," "Stairway to Heaven" and the majestic "Kashmir," which Robert Plant considers the best Zeppelin song.
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The aftermath
When the band broke up, Plant and Page got together a few times, recorded two albums and stood together onstage — here in 1995 in Schwalmstadt at "Rock over Germany." But the momentum was gone, especially with Robert Plant. A much-hailed Led Zeppelin Reunion in 2007 remained a one-time-only event.
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Prize-winning collaboration
Robert Plant pours his real energy into solo projects — and albums like "Raising Sand," recorded in tandem with bluegrass musician Alison Krauss. The yield: five trophies at the 2009 Grammy Awards.
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Plant in 2018
Currently The Sensational Space Shifters are Plant's band of choice. His latest album from 2017, "Carry Fire" has been well received by critics and fans. Still touring at 70, here he is at an appearance in Milan in July 2018. The long hair is now pulled together into a ponytail, but that's about it: "Every hairdresser and barber has refused to cut my hair, so it stays," says Plant.
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And the journey continues
"I really don't know what I'll be doing in five years," Plant recently said. The coming two months are booked out though, with concerts in the US, Great Britain and Ireland.
