Led Zeppelin

Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham made up this group of what would become known as the "Grandfathers of Heavy Metal".

The band was formed in England in 1968 after the Yardbirds played their final gig. Jimmy Page found Robert Plant. Plant then suggested John Bonham on drums. John Paul Jones heard about the open position for a guitarist and contacted Page.

They preferred to develop the concept of "album-oriented rock" so the band did not release the popular songs from their albums as singles in the UK. They did have ten singles that charted in the US, though.

I loved listening to Led Zeppelin. The music was compelling. But the real beauty of it was watching them. In the early days, Robert Plant didn't seem to think much about his onstage presence. His hair was long and bushy and his clothes the kind he would wear everyday on the street.

As you will see in the videos, at some point all that changed. His onstage presence became very different. He became a rocker and wore his shirts open and his jeans tight. His movements became more gyrations than dancing. He became a sex symbol for many women.

As a pre-teen in the 1970's, I was just mesmerized by his hair. I didn't yet see what everyone else was seeing. Oh, but my mother did, I have since been informed. She didn't want me watching Led Zeppelin when they came on TV. I could listen, but watching was not allowed very often, until I got older anyway.

Looking back, I can understand. As an adult woman watching these videos I was amazed at the charisma of this man and the his stage presence. Somehow as a child I missed that completely, which was probably a good thing.

Nearly 30 years after disbanding following John Bonham's sudden death in 1980, the band is still held in high regard for their artistic achievements, commercial success, and broad influence. The band has sold an estimated 200 million albums worldwide, including 111 million in the United States and they have had all of their original studio albums reach the top 10 of the Billboard album chart in the U.S., with six being #1 sellers.

Led Zeppelin are ranked #1 on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock. Rolling Stone magazine has described Led Zeppelin as "the heaviest band of all time" and "the biggest band of the '70s".