Who is john bonham

Let There Be Drums! Documentary completed Archival. Show all 6 episodes. Self as Led Zeppelin. Hide Show Archive footage 26 credits. Self as Led Zepplin. Self uncredited. Baker Documentary Self. Self - Led Zeppelin uncredited. Related Videos. Spouse: Patricia Bonham his death 2 children. Children: Jason Bonham See more ». Parents: Jack Bonham Joan Bonham. Relatives: Deborah Bonham sibling See more ». Edit Did You Know?

However, the drummer relented on just the one occasion when he agreed to be interviewed by Billy Connolly. I'm a simple, straightforward drummer and I don't pretend to be anything better than I am. View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro. Getting Started Contributor Zone ». Edit page. Create a list ». British Drummers. Greatest Drummers. Smokin drummers. My Fav People. The self-titled Led Zeppelin album, released in January of , showed how everything about the group was notched up -- the intensity of Plant 's singing, the range and volume of Page 's playing, and the depth and power of Jones ' and Bonham 's rhythm section.

Actually, a good deal of what they did was not new -- Jeff Beck , Page 's predecessor in the Yardbirds , had pioneered a similar sound earlier on a series of singles in and the Truth album in the summer of , but Page and company focused it with laser-like precision. Moreover, whereas Beck 's band, as represented on Truth , had been something of a work in progress, with the work of four different drummers including Cattini and Dunbar , two of Page 's early candidates for the spot represented, Led Zeppelin arrived fully formed, and that went double in the drumming department.

Not that there wasn't room for growth and advancement -- Bonham 's playing was as loud and forceful as ever when they started, but he took another step up following Led Zeppelin 's first tour of the United States, on which they opened for Vanilla Fudge ; their drummer, Carmine Appice later to be a Jeff Beck alumnus , turned Bonham on to Ludwig drums, which became his instruments of choice for the rest of his life.

The first Led Zeppelin album, released in early , topped the charts, and Led Zeppelin II , released eight months later, was even bigger, riding the number one spot for almost two months -- both albums, along with Led Zeppelin III which, being somewhat more experimental, did not sell as well were recorded and released amid 30 months of near-constant touring, across which the group ascended from support act to headliners, and from auditoriums to arenas.

When the smoke cleared, they were established among record buyers and concertgoers from junior high to college age as one of the top musical attractions in the world, ranked alongside the Rolling Stones and the Who. Moreover, because of the group's strategy of almost entirely avoiding the release of singles, it was impossible not to be immersed in their total sound, including Bonham 's playing, if one owned any of their music -- they sold their music by the album, and one bought in for the whole package, even if the interest stemmed from a single song, perhaps even one of the folkier numbers that turned up increasingly in their repertory after the first two albums.

Across the ensuing decade, the band ruled the heavy metal landscape, and Bonham 's drumming was a key part of their appeal. His most basic playing, exhibited on early classics such as "Whole Lotta Love," had an explosive power that was larger-than-life even next to Plant 's singing and Page 's soloing , especially in tandem with Jones ' bass work, and in later years, when he added orchestral tympani and other, more exotic and advanced percussion devices to his array, it only added richness to the power and articulation that he already exuded.

He was as well known as Page or Plant , and his featured spot, the sometimes minute-long piece best known as "Moby Dick," was a recognized musical reference point far beyond the ranks of their fans enough that it could be satirized in This Is Spinal Tap. He could also play with admirable restraint and great effect as well, as on "Bron-Y-Saur Stomp," and his more circumspect presence on some of the band's middle-period folk-based material, such as "The Rain Song" from Houses of the Holy , is welcome.

But Bonham 's great musical virtue was his raw power -- Ginger Baker could generate polyrhythms that teased and dazzled the listener even next to Eric Clapton 's solos and Jack Bruce 's thunderous bass ; Bill Bruford , whether in Yes or King Crimson or any of the bands that followed, could make his drums seem to sing and very sweetly, at that ; Carl Palmer exuded almost unnatural speed behind his kit; and Keith Moon played his drums like an orchestra accompanying the Who.

But whether it was the bass, the snare, the cymbals -- even the symphonic gong, which he added to his sound a couple of years into the band's history -- that he was hitting, Bonham played with the power of a pair of pile-drivers. Not coincidentally, he used some of the heaviest sticks around, and he never gave up that attribute of forcefulness, even when he added synthesized drums to his array of sounds in the late '70s.

In addition to such indulgences as collecting vintage sports cars and motorcycles in his spare time, he tended to push himself hard in other areas of life.

Let me have a go and I'll show you. So the poor chap would get the sack and John would take his job. He was pushy and he got in wherever he wanted - but he had a heart of gold. The band wore distinct purple jackets with velvet lapels in the style of teddy boys.

Around this time, John made his first recording in a studio with a pop song 'She's A Mod' by The Senators, the track was released on a rare compilation album: Brum beat.

When the band were recording a demo at Zella Studios, run by Johnny Haynes, Haynes stated that John's drumming was "unrecordable" as his kit was too loud for the equipment. John and Pat decided to marry when she became pregnant with their son Jason Bonham. Pat went with him everywhere. After the couple were married, John got a day job to bring in a much needed source of income to support Pat and his future family, working for a high-class tailors clothing company in Redditch called Osborne's.

During this period, he and Joan lived in his father's caravan, later moving to a high rise flat in Eve Hill, Dudley, where they were still residing when Led Zeppelin's first album was released in By early , John Bonham had built up a strong reputation amongst musicians and bands in the Redditch area for being one of the best drummers around. He had the combination of power, stamina, technique and stage presence that made him stand out. However, he also had an instinct to play thunderously loud and hard, breaking lots of drum heads along the way.

In many venues, they would have in place a volume limit which would cut the power off once the sound went above its set threshold. Bonham often exceeded these volume limits, cutting off the power which led to him being banned from playing again in many venues. Dave Pegg, a friend of Bonham's said that John would recall and laugh about how "I got blacklisted in Birmingham.

They used to say, 'Your're too loud! There's no future in it. His brother Michael writes: "John was known for going from band to band. As soon as he got a better offer, he was gone. You could turn up expecting to see him at a gig and he wouldn't be there. He'd be off playing somewhere else with another band.

Plant was born just a few months after John August 20th and grew up in Kidderminster, Worcester. He was young and full of determination to 'make it' in a successful band. Meanwhile, Jimmy Page was playing lead guitar with the successful group The Yardbirds which he joined in The Yardbirds had been busy touring America and were managed by Peter Grant.

After The Yardbirds had broken up, Jimmy decided to build up a new band with the expertise of Peter Grant, with the aim of signing with a major record label. The talented bassist John Paul Jones heard about Jimmy's new group and asked if he could join. Jimmy agreed as he already knew what John Paul Jones was capable of as a musician when he'd been recruited as a session bassist for The Yardbirds recording of their album ' Little Games ' released in Robert Plant was recommended to Jimmy as a potential singer for his new musical project.

Jimmy Page followed up on this recommendation, finding Robert Plant to be the right person for the group on both an artistic and personal level. It was Robert Plant who suggested including his previous bands drummer John Bonham.

By this time John had been touring around the UK with American folk singer Tim Rose, and was earning a substantial living, with much interest showed in his abilities.