Led Zeppelin was the definitive hard rock band. The mix of loud blues (with a healthy dose of British folk) and mystical lyrics influenced hundreds of subsequent bands, making hard rock eternally compatible with acoustic balladry. Because the band rarely released its music on singles, Led Zeppelin albums were essential in bolstering the album-rock radio format. Critics hated the band, but fans have purchased more than 100-million Zep albums in the U-S alone.
Led Zeppelin formed out of the legendary British Invasion band The Yardbirds, whose early lineups included Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck. Guitarist Jimmy Page had joined the band (initially as a bassist) for its final album, 1967's Little Games, which employed another London session regular, John Paul Jones, as its string arranger. Jones and Page later worked together again, and Jones said he'd like to be part of any group Page started. In 1968, singer Keith Relf and drummer Jim McCarty quit The Yardbirds, leaving Page and bassist Chris Dreja with the rights to the name, as well as the obligation of a fall tour. Page set out to replace them. His first choice for singer was Terry Reid, who wasn't able to take the offer, but recommended Robert Plant, who was singing with a band called Hobbstweedle.
After hearing him sing, Page asked Plant to join in August of 1968, the same month that Chris Dreja dropped out. John Paul Jones quickly joined as bassist, and Plant recommended John Bonham, the drummer in Plant's prior outfit, The Band of Joy. That set the lineup, and the band went out as The New Yardbirds. In October, they recorded a debut album in just under 30 hours, and changed their name to Led Zeppelin, inspired by Who drummer Keith Moon's comment that "...it'll probably go over like a lead zeppelin."
Early in 1969, Led Zeppelin set out on their first American tour and released their self-titled debut. The band toured America and England relentlessly, and recorded their second album, Led Zeppelin Two, while they were on the road. It became the first of six studio albums from the band that hit number-one. With their soaring popularity, the group toured around the world. Led Zeppelin Three featured a stronger folk influence, setting the stage for the landmark 1971 album. Led Zeppelin Four, called "ZOSO" by fans because of the mysterious symbols on the cover, was the group's most diverse, from the blistering "Rock n' Roll" to the folk ballad "The Battle of Evermore," with vocals by Fairport Convention's Sandy Denny. The album is best known for "Stairway to Heaven," which is arguably the most popular rock song of all time. Led Zeppelin Four is the band's biggest album, with sales in excess of 22-million copies.
After a 1972 tour, Zeppelin took a brief break and started work on their fifth album. Released in the spring of 1973, Houses of the Holy expanded the group's musical range, adding a bit of reggae. Their 1973 tour broke box office records everywhere, and shows at New York's Madison Square Garden were filmed for the concert movie The Song Remains the Same.
In 1975 the band launched a label (Swan Song) and released the double-album Physical Graffiti. A large American tour to support it came to a halt when Robert Plant and his wife were in a car crash in Greece. The tour was canceled and Plant spent the rest of the year recuperating.
Led Zeppelin returned to action in the spring of 1976 with Presence, and that fall with the release of The Song Remains the Same film and soundtrack. The band finally returned to tour the U-S in the spring of 1977, but that was cut short when Plant's son Karac died of a stomach infection. The group didn't begin work on a new album until the summer of 1978. A year later, a short European tour included their last two U-K shows, at the Knebworth festival.
In Through the Out Door was released in September of 1979, and in May of 1980, Led Zeppelin embarked on their final European tour. In September, they began rehearsing at Page's house for an American tour. On September 25th, John Bonham -- a prodigious drinker -- was found dead in his bed after choking on his own vomit. In December of 1980, Led Zeppelin announced that the band was no more. A 1982 outtakes collection called Coda became their epitaph.
The three survivors began solo careers, reuniting only three times -- in 1985 at Live Aid (with Power Station's Tony Thompson and Phil Collins on drums), in 1988 at Atlantic Records 25th anniversary concert (with Jason Bonham on drums) and at their induction to The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995.
In 1994, Page and Plant reunited to record a segment for M-T-V Unplugged, which was released as the No Quarter C-D in the fall of 1994. The following year, Page and Plant embarked on a world tour, which eventually led to an all-new studio recording in 1998, Walking Into Clarksdale. After they toured behind that disc, Page and Plant ended their collaboration once again. In 2003, Page, Plant and Jones made a couple of public appearances to promote a new archival live C-D set, How the West Was Won, and a self-titled live DVD.
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