John Bonham: Led Zeppelin’s Back Beat…Rumble on

If there is one thing that I get to take to the grave it's the fact I lived my teen years during one of the greatest rock bands in history's legacy. Just a punk kid working at a 1,000 watt am radio station the music of the Yardbirds was incredible but the music of Led Zeppelin was unmatchable. We couldn't wait for the next single or LP from the Big Led Balloon. The back drop of my high school experience. Jimmie Page a guitar god...Robert Plant a vocal angel but the back bone of the band....was ever present drummer John Bonham. His solo's were unmatched. He would have been 65 today had he not died of a vodka over dose seemingly brought on by the pressures of life, the music and the road. The quote that defines the man, "John Bonham’s explosive drumming powered Led Zeppelin like the engine of a battleship. Bonzo was irreplaceable and his death after a massive vodka binge in September 1980 also killed his band. On the day that would have been his 65th birthday, many remembers the man who sounded like an earthquake onstage, but who always secretly yearned for the quiet life with his family at home." http://www.classicrockmagazine.com/features/john-bonham-rumble-on/

A carpenter by trade, he was self taught when it came to his incredible percussion abilities. And with his demise came the end of Led Zeppelin. And the rest is Rock and Roll History.