Hi everyone!
I decided to start my posts with one of the greatest (and my personal favorite) guitarrists of all time: James Patrick "Jimmy" Page.
A review of his early years.
Firsts steps
Jimmy was born in West London, England in 1944, and at the age of 8 he and his family moved to Surrey (near London). There, with 12 years old, he started to play the blessed instrument. In his house it was found a spanish guitar that nobody knew who it belonged to, perhaps to the previous dwellers of the house, or maybe was the guitar of a friend of the family. Anyway, I appreciate that situation, which introduced dear Jimmy into play music.
Some of his early influences were:
- Rockabilly: Scotty Moore, James Burton (who both played on recordings made by Elvis Presley), Buddy Holly.
- Blues: B.B. King, Otis Rush, Elmore James, Freddie King, Hubert Sumlin, among others.
The yardbirds
In the 60s, Page established a respectable career as a session musician, and met many musicians who would later become important figures on the rock scene.
Two of this people were Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck. The three would be part of The Yardbirds at different times.
Jimmy was member of this band for three years, and worked in the 1967 album Little Games.
In 1968 when The Yardbirds disintegrated, Page started a search for members to form The
New Yardbirds.
After several changes, the final line-up was formed, and soon the group changed its name.
Led Zeppelin
The members were:
- Jimmy Page - guitar
- Robert Plant - vocal
- John Bonham - percussion
- John Paul Jones - bass, organ, synthesizer
After play a few concerts, the band was renamed Led Zeppelin.
They released their debut album in 1969, and the rest is history.
They were an axis of the rock of 70s.
Why Jimmy Page is a legend?
First of all, he was the founding member of one of the most important and influential bands in the history of rock and music in general. That's a lot 😉.
His composing creativity was huge. Samples of it are the song Kashmir, or the guitar solo of Stairway to Heaven.
He was a master studio musician, where he made arrangements of excellent quality and originality. Listen When the Levee Breaks, or Ten Years Gone.
A great capacity for improvisation. You can corroborate it with all the bootlegs existing in youtube.
His style influenced great musicians like Eddie Van Halen, Joe Satriani, John Petrucci, Steve Vai, Jack White, etc.
He is the author of the most famous guitar solo that exists. 😁
Gems
I hope you enjoyed it. 😄🎸🎵 ...