Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, and are one of the most successful groups in popular music history. The group consisted of four men: Jimmy Page (guitar), Robert Plant (lead vocals, harmonica), John Bonham (drums), and John Paul Jones (bass guitar, keyboards and mandolin). The beginnings of the group can be traced back to the early Yardbirds. Formed in 1968, Led Zeppelin were innovators who never lost mainstream appeal. By 1975 the band was a household name in both Europe and America. While the band are best known as pioneers of hard rock and heavy metal, they also drew inspiration from many other musical genres including blues, rockabilly, reggae, soul, funk, jazz, classical, Celtic, Indian, Arabic, folk, pop, Latin and country. Almost 30 years after disbanding in response to Bonham’s untimely death in 1980, Led Zeppelin continues to be held in high regard for their artistic achievements, commercial success, and broad influence. Page, Plant and John Paul Jones reunited for the Live Aid concert in Philadelphia in the summer of 1985 to fans great pleasure. To date, the group is reported to have sold more than 300 million albums worldwide. They rank #1 on VH1’s list of 100 Greatest Rock Artists. They were the first hard rock band’s album I ever purchased (the classic Led Zeppelin II) and I would go on to buy all three of their first four. I consider the albums to be synonymous with my years in college and about as good as rock music has ever gotten. Their website is: www.ledzep.com/site_flash