John Bonham

At 32 years old, John Bonham has this physical status:

John Henry Bonham (31 May 1948 – September 20, 1980) was an English singer and songwriter best known as the drummer for the English rock band Led Zeppelin.

Known for his ferocity, power, lightning, snare drumming, distinctive sound, and a keen eye on the groove, Bonham took up drums in 1948 in Redditch, Worcestershire, where he was regarded as the best and most influential rock drummer in history.

He performed in several local bands both at school and in high school, before eventually playing in two different bands with future bandmate Robert Plant.

Bonham joined Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, and bassist John Paul Jones to form Led Zeppelin following the Yardbirds' demise in 1968.

Following Bonham's 1969 concert tours, including congas, timpanis, and a gong, the drum set grew in size, as Keith Moon of Who.

Bonham's band mainly displayed a hard-hitting hard rock style, but later releases, they also explored funk and Latin-inspired grooves.

"Moby Dick" was on the group's second album and was a staple of their shows, often lasting more than 20 minutes.

Bonham performed drums for other artists, including the Family Dogg, Screaming Lord Sutch, Lulu, Jimmy Stevens, and Wings.

After a night of heavy drinking, Bonham continued to act with Led Zeppelin until his death in September 1980 at the age of 32; the remaining members decided to disband the company out of respect for Bonham. Bonham's influences included Max Roach, Gene Krupa, and Buddy Rich, who were mainly self-taught drummers.

Bonham was also close to Vanilla Fudge drummer Carmine Appice, who introduced him to Ludwig Drums.

Bonham's fame as a drummer has risen beyond hard rock following his death; he is now regarded as one of the best drummers of all time.

Dave Grohl, Chad Smith, Dave Lombardo, and Mike Portnoy have all influenced drummers, including Dave Grohl, Chad Smith, Dave Lombardo, and Mike Portnoy.

He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 as a member of Led Zeppelin.

Rolling Stone named him first in its list of the "100 Greatest Drummers of All Time" in 2016.

Early years

John Henry Bonham was born in Redditch, Worcestershire, England, on May 31st, 1948, to Joan and Jack Bonham. At age five, he began learning to drums by making a set of containers and coffee tins, imitating his heroes, Max Roach, Gene Krupa, and Buddy Rich. When he was ten years old, his mother gave him a snare drum. At age 15, he received his first drum kit, a Premier Percussion set, from his father. Bonham never took formal drum lessons, but other Redditch drummers aided him. Bonham was a member of the Blue Star Trio and Gerry Levene & the Avengers while attending college between 1962 and 1963.

Bonham attended Lodge Farm Secondary Modern School, where his headmaster wrote in his book that he would "either end up a dustman or a millionaire." He started working for his father as an apprentice carpenter who was playing drumming for local bands after graduating from school in 1964. Bonham formed Terry Webb and the Spiders, his first semi-professional band, in 1964, and met his future spouse, Pat Phillips, around the same time. In 1964, he appeared in other Birmingham bands, such as The Nicky James Movement and The Senators, with whom he produced a single, "She's a Mod" on the jingo. Bonham took up drumming full time. He joined A Way of Life two years ago. Bonham joined Crawling King Snakes, the band's lead singer, Robert Plant, following the band's demise.

Bonham opted to return to A Way of Life in 1967 while keeping in touch with Plant. Bonham was chosen as the drummer by a plant's Band of Joy. The band recorded demos but no album was released. Tim Rose, an American singer, toured Britain in 1968 and requested that Band of Joy open his concerts. Bonham joined Rose's band when Rose returned months later.

Jimmy Page, a guitarist from the Yardbirds' breakup in July 1968, formed another band and recruited Plant, who in turn recommended Bonham. Procol Harum's B.J. was one of the drummer's picks on the front page. Wilson and Paul Francis. However, on hearing Bonham drum for Tim Rose at a Hampstead, north London, in July 1968, Page and boss Peter Grant were convinced, first identified as the New Yardbirds and later as Led Zeppelin. Bonham was initially reticent. In Walsall, the Plant delivered eight telegrams, the "Three Men in a Boat," which were followed by 40 telegrams from Grant. Bonham was also receiving more lucrative bids from Joe Cocker and Chris Farlowe, but Grant turned down Grant's bid. "I decided I liked their music better than Cocker's or Farlowe's," he recalled.

Bonham became acquainted with Vanilla Fudge's drummer, Carmine Appice, during Led Zeppelin's first tour of the United States in December 1968. Appice introduced him to Ludwig drums, which he later used for the remainder of his career. "Moby Dick" (Led Zeppelin III), "Immigration Song" (Led Zeppelin III), "The Ocean" (Houses of the Holy), and "Achilles Last Stand" (Presence). In a young demo of "Communication Breakdown," Bonham and Page encouraged Bonham to use a double bass drum, but they were dissatisfied with the track because of Bonham's "overuse" of it. The "Misty Mountain Hop" studio film captures his energy, as well as "No Quarter" on "No Quarter." Bonham performed funk and Latin-influenced drumming on recordings from later albums. Examples include songs like "Real Orleans" and "Fool in the Rain," which respectively display a New Orleans shuffle and a half-time shuffle.

His drum solo, "Pat's Delight" first appeared, and "Moby Dick" later in life, lasted for 20 minutes. In some sections, he used his naked hands on his drums to imitate the sounds of a phased hand drum. In a drag race at Santa Pod Raceway to the sounds of his solo's "Moby Dick," Bonham's sequence for the film The Song Remains the Same featured him. Bonham performed congas, orchestral timpani, and a symphonic gong on Led Zeppelin tours after 1969.

Bonham appeared on The Family Dogg's A Way of Life in 1969, with Page and Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones. In 1970, Bonham appeared on Lord Sutch and Heavy Friends. He appeared on "Everybody Clap," a 1971 film starring Maurice Gibb and Billy Lawrie. He appeared on Don't Freak Me Out in the United Kingdom and Paid My Dues in the United States, dubbed "Gemini" (his actor sign), and he appeared on Jimmy Stevens's "Gemini" (his star sign). On "Keep Your Hands on the Wheel," Roy Wood's 1979 album On the Road Again and Wings' album Back to the Egg, he drummed for his Birmingham friend, Roy Wood, who appeared on his 1979 album "Keep Your Hands on the Wheel" and "So Glad to See You Here." He appeared on Paul McCartney & Wings' "Beware My Love" demo version first released in 1975, but it wasn't announced until 2014 with the introduction of the album Wings at the Speed of Sound boxset. At his wedding reception, Bonham was the best man of Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi.

In 1974, Bonham appeared in the film Son of Dracula, playing drums in Count Downe's (Harry Nilsson) band. On the soundtrack album, Bonham appeared in a drum line-up, including Keith Moon and Ringo Starr.

Bonham was picked up by Led Zeppelin assistant Rex King for a tour of North America, and the band's first tour since 1977. Bonham begged for breakfast, where he drank four quadruple vodka screwdrivers (16 shots between 400 and 560 ml) during the ride. After arriving at rehearsals, he continued to drink heavily. The band halted rehearsing late in the evening and then escorted to Page's home, the Old Mill House in Clewer, Windsor. Bonham fell asleep at midnight on September 25th, but someone carried him to bed and escorted him to bed. Benji LeFevre and Jones, Led Zeppelin tour manager Benji LeFevre and Jones, became unresponsive the next afternoon. Bonham died at 32 years old when he was first announced dead.

In 24 hours, Bonham had consumed about 40 shots (1–1.4 litres) of 40% ABV vodka, which caused him to vomit and cough (a condition that is also known as pulmonary aspiration). The finding was accidental. There were no other prescription drugs in Bonham's body, according to a post-mortem. Bonham had recently recovered from a heroin addiction and was taking an unspecified anti-anxiety and depression at the time of his death, according to Rolling Stone. On October 12, 1980, Bonham's remains were cremated and his ashes were laid to rest at Rushock parish church, Worcestershire. Led Zeppelin chose to disband out of love for their deceased bandmate rather than replacing him. "We want it to be known that the death of our dear friend and the profound love we have for his families, as well as the feeling of undivided peace felt by ourselves and our boss, have led us to the conclusion that we could not continue as we were." It was marked "Led Zeppelin."

Mick Bonham (1950–2000), a disc jockey, author, and photographer, and Deborah Bonham (born 1962), a singer-songwriter, and a younger sister, Deborah Bonham (born 1962).

Bonham and Pat Phillips were married, and the couple had two children together. Zo Bonham (born 10 June 1975) is a singer-songwriter who appears at Led Zeppelin conventions. Jason Bonham (born 15 July 1966) is a drummer who has performed or appeared with Sammy Hagar and The Circle, Black Country Communion, UFO, Foreigner, and Bonham. Jason appeared at Led Zeppelin's 40th Anniversary reunion show on May 15, 1988, and later on December 10, 2007 at the Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert. In Led Zeppelin's film The Song Remains the Same, a 1973 film clip of seven-year-old Jason playing drums appears. Zo and Jason attended the induction ceremony for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 with the surviving members of Led Zeppelin.

Joan Bonham's mother, Joan, died on February 10, 2011. She performed for The Zimmers, a 40-member band formed as a result of a BBC documentary on elderly care.

Billy Bonham (born 1950) played keyboards for Terry Reid and Ace Kefford.

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