More than 45 years after his death at the age of 32, John Bonham continues to be one of the most influential musicians of all time. He was a crucial part of Led Zeppelin’s sound, and that is why the band decided they could not continue without him, bringing the group to an end in 1980, although the three remaining members reunited on special occasions over the years.
All of them have spoken fondly of Bonham since his death, and Jimmy Page, who formed the band and was also its producer, once explained why the drummer was so special.
Why John Bonham was so special according to Jimmy Page
“John Bonham was an extraordinary musician who had this incredible technique that was head and shoulders over anyone around him when he was still in his teens. It was just absolutely phenomenal and he kept finessing his technique and vision of the drums. He had a definite vision to drums and how they should be played, how they would fit in with a band and also how would be soloed as well in his solos. It’s without doubt that his technique was as I say beyond everybody else’s, that’s why he is so looked to and looked back to with such reverence and love really, because he was absolutely extraordinary.”
Then Jimmy Page recalled the first time he had the chance to meet John Bonham: “Well, I went to see him play with Tim Rose. For those who don’t know, (Rose) he was known for singing ‘Hey Joe’ and Hendrix of course did that. I went to see him play in a club and at the time I was putting Led Zeppelin together and was head hunting people.”
“I did actually have a drummer in mind, but this incredible talent that was there in the Midlands, the reputation of John Bonham hadn’t really come outside of the Midlands. But he got this gig with Tim Rose, playing in London, in a small club and I heard him and thought he was absolutely amazing, he is definitely the drummer to try and pull on board. It was his attitude to his playing but the dynamics as well. That was a key to what I was going to try and get together in Led Zeppelin,” he said in an interview with Lauren Laverne on BBC Radio 6 in 2011 (Transcribed by Rock and Roll Garage).