{"id":2032,"date":"2011-12-14T16:27:49","date_gmt":"2011-12-14T21:27:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bluesguitarunleashed.com\/?p=2032"},"modified":"2011-12-14T16:27:49","modified_gmt":"2011-12-14T21:27:49","slug":"blues-infused-rock-with-guitar-icon-jimmy-page","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bluesguitarunleashed.com\/blog\/blues-infused-rock-with-guitar-icon-jimmy-page\/","title":{"rendered":"Blues-Infused Rock With Guitar Icon Jimmy Page"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Led Zeppelin guitarist, Jimmy Page, playing live on stage<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Today’s post is about the great guitarist, Jimmy Page.\u00a0 I’m certain that with as many Page fans as there are out there, you could probably teach me a thing or two about him, but nonetheless, it was fun getting some info about him.\u00a0 I was able to find a good biography about Page, some great quotes from him over the years, a blues scale lesson, and some of his memorable video performances.\u00a0 Enjoy!<\/p>\n

The first article is a biography about Jimmy Page from Guitar International.\u00a0 It’s a good read filled a lot of cool information about Page growing up into the music industry.\u00a0 Check it out here at http:\/\/guitarinternational.com\/2011\/06\/14\/guitar-heroes-jimmy-page\/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GuitarInternationalMagazine+%28Guitar+International+Magazine%29<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Jimmy Page is one of rock \u2018n\u2019 roll\u2019s most influential guitarists, and over the years has become a household name even in households without music fans. He has earned countless accolades and awards throughout his monumental career with Led Zeppelin, his time with the Yardbirds and The Firm, and as a session musician, but has maintained his humility and dedication to the music above all else.<\/p>\n

Upbringing<\/h3>\n

Born in 1944 to James Page, an industrial personnel manager, and Patricia Page, a doctor\u2019s secretary, in Heston, a London suburb, Jimmy Page didn\u2019t take long to get into music. By the age of twelve, he was already plucking away at the six strings.<\/p>\n

Like many guitar heroes, Page\u2019s introduction to the guitar was serendipitous. When his family moved from Feltham to Epsom in Surrey, there was mysteriously a guitar in the house. They didn\u2019t know if the previous occupants left it or if it was a family friend\u2019s, but either way, Page attacked it.<\/p>\n

Jimmy was mostly self-taught, learning how to play by imitating records, although he did take a few lessons, and a friend at school taught him a couple of chords when he was first starting out. His main influences at this early stage were James Burton and Scotty Moore, who were rockabilly guitarists he heard when they were backing up Elvis Presley on recordings.<\/p>\n

Early Musical Career<\/h3>\n

In only three years, Jimmy abandoned school plans of biological research in favor of a future in music, joining singer Neil Christian\u2019s band The Crusaders. Page stayed with that band for two years, appearing on several records, including the single, \u201cThe Road to Love\u201d in 1962. The Crusaders also toured constantly, and that took a toll on his health.<\/p>\n

Eventually, Jimmy got tired of getting glandular fever \u201cevery three months,\u201d so he quit The Crusaders and decided to go to Sutton Art College in Surrey for painting. The idea was to give his body a rest from the rigors of touring for eighteen months or so, but he continued to play guitar. Page would go to the Marquee Club and jam with various bands and talented musicians, including future guitar icons Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck. Page was spotted on stage at the Marquee one night and was asked by to record a couple of singles for the Columbian Graphophone Company, a gig which led to his first steady work as a session musician for Mike Leander of Decca Records.<\/p>\n

As a session player, Jimmy Page ended up contributing to a huge number of very successful singles, from Johnny Hallyday to the Who. Nicknamed \u201cLittle Jim\u201d because the other popular session guitarist in the area was \u201cBig\u201d Jim Sullivan, he contributed guitar work to The Kinks\u2019 first album, The Who\u2019s \u201cI Can\u2019t Explain,\u201d Rolling Stone\u2019s \u201cHeart of Stone,\u201d Van Morrison & Them\u2019s \u201cBaby Please Don\u2019t Go,\u201d and five songs from Joe Cocker\u2019s sensational debut album With a Little Help from My Friends<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Page has said that his time as a session player was incredibly valuable. \u201cAt one point I was playing at least three sessions a day, six days a week!\u201d he said in an interview with Guitar Player<\/em> magazine. \u201cThe studio discipline was great. They\u2019d just count the song off, and you couldn\u2019t make any mistakes.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Yardbirds<\/h3>\n

Members of the Yardbirds had to ask Jimmy Page to join three times before he accepted. The first time he declined because he would have been supplanting his friend Eric Clapton, and the second time, Jimmy was making too much money as a session player to give that up, so he suggested they try Jeff Beck. The third time, however, bassist Paul Samewll-Smith quit the band and Page volunteered to fill in on bass.<\/p>\n

Eventually, Chris Dreja moved to bass and Jimmy picked up his guitar, playing lead with Beck. This premature \u201csupergroup\u201d only lasted a few months, however, as Jeff Beck left the group in late 1966. Page stayed with the Yardbirds for their next album, Little Games<\/em>, which sounded a bit tame and commercial and didn\u2019t break past No. 80 on the the Billboard Charts.<\/p>\n

Despite the limited success of Little Games<\/em>, The Yardbirds\u2019 live shows were picking up steam and going some interesting places, drifting away from the commerciality of their recordings. Fueled by a heavier sound and some improvisational elements, Jimmy honed a variety of musical and sonic ideas that would eventually become staples of that signature Led Zeppelin\/Jimmy Page sound.<\/p>\n

Led Zeppelin Era<\/h3>\n

Led Zeppelin came from a very specific idea in Page\u2019s mind. \u201cI wanted Zeppelin to be a marriage of blues, hard rock and acoustic music, topped with heavy choruses,\u201d Jimmy once said in an interview, \u201ca combination that had never been done before. Lots of light and shade in the music.\u201d<\/p>\n

A crucial element needed for this idea was a group of virtuosic musicians that gelled well as a group. He knew from his time with the Yardbirds and other groups that groups could be filled with talented musicians but never really click, so Page set about recruiting a group that he thought would work well as a unit. \u201cThe New Yardbirds,\u201d as they were first called, consisted of vocalist Robert Plant, drummer John Bonham and bassist John Paul Jones, with Jimmy on guitar. This now-legendary lineup of Led Zeppelin never changed, unlike the lineups of so many other classic rock \u2018n\u2019 roll bands.<\/p>\n

Led Zeppelin, who got their name from a Kieth Moon joke about a former group of Jimmy\u2019s going over like a \u201clead zeppelin,\u201d released eight studio albums during their twelve-year career (1968-1980) and one after their break-up. Taking full responsibility for the sound of Led Zeppelin\u2019s records, Jimmy Page produced every single one of these albums.<\/p>\n

This period is another where Page\u2019s earlier session work really came in handy. While he was recording three sessions a day, he learned a lot about how recordings should NOT be made. Many of the guitar amplifiers were recorded with microphones right in front, resulting in a less-than-desirable sound quality. Jimmy also learned that recording drums in tight rooms made them sound like \u201ccardboard boxes.\u201d<\/p>\n

Taking these experiences, Page experimented constantly with mic placement and different room shapes for recording. He would often mic an amp up close, but also place one as far as twenty feet away to capture the ambient sound, which helped give Zeppelin recordings a quality of depth lacking in other bands\u2019 records. A famous example of Page\u2019s experimentation are the drums on \u201cWhen the Levee Breaks\u201d from Led Zeppelin IV<\/em>. The drum set was infamously placed at the bottom of a staircase, and were recorded by placing microphones at the top of the stairs to create a unique echo effect.<\/p>\n

Jimmy Page\u2019s career with Led Zeppelin was cut short in 1980 when drummer John Bonham passed away at Jimmy\u2019s house in Berkshire. Page was so traumatized by the event he couldn\u2019t touch a guitar for months after his close friend\u2019s death. The remaining members refused to work on any musical project called \u201cLed Zeppelin\u201d since then, except in 2007 where they reunited for one concert, the Ahmet Erteg\u00fcn Tribute Concert, which raised money for the Ahmet Erteg\u00fcn Education Fund. John Bonham\u2019s son, Jason Bonham, played drums for that performance.<\/p>\n

Post-Zeppelin Career<\/h3>\n

Page, never one to sit on his hands, has kept them busy in the years following. He has appeared in various charity concerts and events, including the Action Research for Multiple Sclerosis series of charity concerts in 1983, Live Aid (with the remaining Zeppelin members) in 1985, and a Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Centre concert with Robert Plant in 1990.<\/p>\n

In the mid-1980\u2032s, Jimmy played with Paul Rodgers (Free, Bad Company), Chris Slad (Uriah Heep, Manfred Mann\u2019s Earth Band) and Tony Franklin (Roy Harper) in the supergroup The Firm. That project lasted for two studio albums, 1985\u2032s The Firm<\/em> and 1986\u2032s Mean Business<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Page has also performed with many other musicians throughout the years after Zeppelin. He added guitar work to albums by Steve Winwood, Roy Harper, Graham Nash, Stephen Stills, and the Rolling Stones, and also worked on the soundtracks to Charles Bronson films Deathwish II and Deathwish 3.<\/p>\n

Lately, Page appeared in the documentary It Might Get Loud<\/em>, which featured the aging rocker dispensing wisdom and heavy riffs while jamming with guitar icons Jack White and The Edge. He also represented Britain for the closing ceremonies of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, performing \u201cWhole Lotta Love\u201d with Leona Lewis to symbolize the change of location for the 2012 Olympics to London.<\/p>\n

Legacy<\/h3>\n

Page is at or near the top of nearly every \u201cGreatest Guitarist\u201d list, including lists by Rolling Stone<\/em> (#2), Mojo Magazine<\/em> (#7), Classic Rock Magazine<\/em> (#4), Total Guitar<\/em> (#2), Time Magazine<\/em> (#6) and Gibson Guitars (#2), and his solo in the famous \u201cStairway to Heaven\u201d has been consistently voted \u201cBest Guitar Solo Of All Time,\u201d but those rankings can\u2019t quantify the incredible influence he had on the direction of rock music.<\/p>\n

Jimmy Page has the unique distinction of being almost universally lauded as one of rock music\u2019s greatest guitarists, producers, and composers. His work with the Yardbirds and especially Led Zeppelin has made him one of the most influential guitarists and songwriters in the history of rock music, with Angus Young, Slash, Alex Lifeson, Ace Frehley, Joe Satriani, John Frusciante, Tony Iommi, Joe Perry, and many other now-iconic guitarists counting him as a major influence.<\/p>\n

As anyone can see, these players, who count Jimmy as a key influence, are now themselves legends in the world of rock music, spreading Page\u2019s music from what began as a mysterious old guitar in the corner of a new house in Surrey to fans of almost every genre of music out there. And we can only hope he\u2019ll make some more.<\/p>\n

Equipment<\/h2>\n

Electric Guitars<\/h3>\n