Jimmy Page (Led Zeppelin) birthday - TIMH

You know you’ve made it when Spinal Tap spoofs you. (Note Nigel Tufnel tuning the violin rather than the guitar. Sublime.)

Long before he was spoof-worthy, Jimmy Page was a middle-class kid from London. Born today in 1944, Page first picked up a guitar at age twelve. Inspired by the rockabilly sounds of Elvis Presley’s “Baby Let’s Play House”, Page learned a few chords from a friend and then taught himself the rest. From the earliest days he was obsessed by the guitar and would play any chance he got.

This relentless drive to play led Page to play with any band he could catch on with. Most of the relationships were temporary but gave Page exposure and he ultimately started performing as part of the house band at the famous Marquee Club in London, where he developed friendships with Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck. The time at the Marquee also led Page to become a session musician and he played for some the biggest acts around, including the Kinks, The Who, the Stones and, most importantly, Donovan.

It was through his work on Donovan’s “Hurdy Gurdy Man” album that he played with drummer John Bonham and was reunited with John Paul Jones, a multi-instrumentalist he played with previously. Prior to the “Hurdy Gurdy Man” sessions, Page had joined the Yardbirds. The band had already been through numerous lineups and was now completely falling apart. Page was left as the only member of the band and the Yardbirds had a tour to complete. John Paul Jones asked Page if he needed a bassist, which he did, and then Page recruited John Bonham and a vocalist named Robert Plant. The New Yardbirds were born.

Upon completion of the tour the New Yardbirds became Led Zeppelin and pretty much took over the musical world. Led Zeppelin released nine studio albums, six went to #1 on the US album chart and the other three reached the Top Ten. Page wrote a majority of Zeppelin’s songs, including the rock classics “Whole Lotta Love”, “Black Dog” and “Stairway to Heaven”.

Following the breakup of Zeppelin in 1980, Page continued playing with some of the biggest names in rock and roll. He released his only solo album, “Outrider” in 1988 and the album featured Page teamed up with Paul Rogers in The Firm in 1985 then partnered with former Deep Purple and Whitesnake singer David Coverdale for the “Coverdale Page” album in 1993. In 1998 he reunited with Plant for the album “Walking into Clarksdale” and in 1999 he toured with The Black Crowes.

Page is one of the most influential guitar players in rock and roll history and is widely regarded as one of the top five rock guitarists of all-time. Pick your favorite guitarist and there’s a good chance he was influenced by Page. Eddie Van Halen, Joe Satriani, Brian May, Alex Lifeson, Steve Vai, Joe Walsh, Dave Mustaine, Tom Morello, Zakk Wylde, Kirk Hammett, Slash, Joe Perry, Jerry Cantrell, Johnny Ramone and Ace Frehley all claim to be disciples of Page. His riffs are still copied, imitated and used as inspiration by guitar players the world over.

Jimmy Page was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of both The Yardbirds and Led Zeppelin. His music has worked its way into hip hop and was heavily sampled on the Beastie Boys’ first album as well as an unfortunate song by Puff Daddy. As long as rock and roll music is played, Page will be revered as one of its most accomplished stars.

Led Zeppelin – “Communication Breakdown” 1968: