John Bonham - Born To Break Skins

More than one person has told me that John Bonham was born to play the drums. A look at his early years would certainly support the assertion. He entered the world on May 31, 1948 in Redditch, Worcestershire, England.

Jack and Joan did try to ignore their son’s fascination with making noise. But, at age five, he built his own drum kit, stringing wire under empty tins or Mom’s pots and pans to create a snare drum effect.

By emulating his idols, Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich, he taught himself to play. His mother gave him a snare drum when he was ten. His father bought him a Premier Percussion kit – his first real drum set – at fifteen.

Bonham’s passion for percussion never waned. He would seek out local drummers for tips and advice. He’d perform as a stand-in drummer every chance he got. He just lived to play the drums.

John “Bonzo” Bonham’s Early Bands

John Bonham finished school in 1964 and then apprenticed as a carpenter with his father. When he wasn’t working, he was playing with local bands. One, in particular, was a semi-professional group called Terry Webb and the Spiders.

At one of the band’s gigs – a dance in Kidderminster – he met his future wife, Pat Phillips. They married when Bonzo was seventeen. The newlyweds were living in a 15’ trailer and finding it hard to make ends meet.

Despite his need for steady work, Bonzo simply couldn’t give up drumming. He joined a group called A Way of Life in 1966 but, when the band petered out, he again became desperate for work.

He looked up a local singer he’d met previously. Robert Plant was fronting a blues group called Crawling King Snakes and invited Bonham to join. Musically, it was a great fit. Geographically, it was a disaster!

Gigging With The Crawling King Snakes

Because he lived some distance from his band mates, John Bonham had to rely on them for a ride to rehearsals and gigs. Plant and the guys never knew if they’d have enough petrol (gas) money to pick him up!

It was worth the effort, though. Bonham was an excellent drummer. Like most bands in the 1960s, Crawling King Snakes covered a lot of songs like She Has Funny Cars and Plastic Fantastic Lover, both by The Jefferson Airplane.

Unlike many bands at the time, though, the group also performed material of its own composition. Bonham’s transportation problem eventually obliged him to find another gig closer to home. He left the Crawling King Snakes on good terms.

As it happened, A Way of Life was starting up again and the group was thrilled to have John Bonham return to its line-up. This was in 1967. He still kept in regular touch with Robert Plant.

Physical Gifts and Early Inspirations

Before looking at the next step of John Bonham’s career, it’s helpful to examine the influences that would help him arrive there.

Having apprenticed in construction work, he was physically strong and agile. He hammered his drum kit so hard, that many club owners refused to book the bands he played in! He broke lots of drum heads early in his career.

Later, he would develop a knack for achieving equal or greater volume with less force required. He was one of the first professional drummers to line his bass drum with aluminum, to create a sound like cannon fire.

Jimi Hendrix once marveled at his footwork, saying he had a right foot like a rabbit. The machine-gun like staccato sounded as though Bonham were doing double drum rolls with his feet.

photo credits

The Soul Of The Drummer

John Bonham was inspired by Ginger Baker of The Graham Bond Project and, later, Cream. He greatly admired Gene Krupa from the big band era whose dominating style brought the drummer from background obscurity to front and centre stage.

Bonzo was determined to develop his own signature style. He’d seen a jazz show where the drummer used his hands instead of his sticks. He could create a greater range of musical textures and become “as one” with his kit.

This intimate technique of using his hands, along with his love of swing, jazz and soul music, would set Bonham apart. Although his steady beat never wavered, he would learn to do far more than just keep straightforward time.

A professional drummer told me that it’s not how many notes a drummer plays, it’s where he puts them that counts. He said that by the time Bonham was playing with Zeppelin, he had become a very intuitive, tasteful drummer.

What Bonham “Owed to Joy”

When Robert Plant formed The Band of Joy, John Bonham was his first choice as drummer. Although they cut some demos, the band never recorded an album. Their big break came in 1968, opening for American singer, Tim Rose.

Rose had a cult following in Britain. When he returned to the States, The Band of Joy played on.

A few months later, Tim Rose was back touring the UK and he invited Bonzo to join him. Bonham happily accepted.

Finally, Bonham had a steady gig that was paying the bills and letting him develop his drumming style! The Band of Joy subsequently broke up.

Robert Plant started working with British bluesman, Alexis Korner. But their paths would cross again!

The Players Come Together

While John Bonham and Robert Plant were making music in the Midlands, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones had already teamed up in London to form a new band. Page’s Yardbirds had a touring contract but no longer a band!

Page had wanted to recruit Terry Reid as his vocalist and front man, but Reid was under contract to producer Mickie Most and unavailable. He suggested the promising Robert Plant. Page took off to catch Plant perform outside Birmingham.

Despite not liking the songs he sang, Page thought Plant had talent and invited him to London. They got on extremely well. Plant recommended Bonham as the only drummer up to the task of being The New Yardbirds’ new drummer.

Page and his manager, Peter Grant, heard Bonham performing with Tim Rose and agreed with Plant. An aggressive recruiting campaign ensued. Plant and Grant barraged Bonham with telegrams begging him to join Page’s new band. Bonzo thought they were bogus!

On The Road To Rock History

After all the lean years, it’s not surprising that John Bonham would have been so reluctant to leave a steady paying gig with Tim Rose to take a chance on an unknown group. But he believed in his friend, Robert.

Plant convinced him it was a great opportunity for them both, a “gift from Heaven” to become one of The Yardbirds. The four soon-to-be band mates met at Pangbourne, Jimmy Page’s boathouse home on the Thames. It was August 1968.

Bonham later revealed in a radio interview (Australia 1972) that he was extremely shy at that initial meeting and simply played. But all four musicians knew that they gelled and were on to something potentially great. The rest is history.

From The New Yardbirds to Zeppelin

We’ve just taken a look at the earliest days of John Bonham, one of the greatest rock drummers of all time. Much of the material we’ve covered here is fairly well known. But please bookmark this page. Here’s why!

Things are about to get a LOT more interesting. As we add content, I’ll be referring to early bootlegs that give you a glimpse at how Bonham built his trademark solo, Moby Dick. It’s a textbook of different percussion ideas.

You’ll also be in the studio for the PJ Proby sessions as well as the recording of every official album release. Have you ever wondered why Bonzo disappeared from Zeppelin’s concert stage in Japan ’71? You’ll find out here!

In examining bootleg rehearsal tapes, you’ll hear Bonham speaking up and contributing his own musical ideas to what many still consider the perfect rock song, Stairway to Heaven. It wasn’t all Page and Plant’s idea!

So bookmark this page and check back soon. You won’t want to miss a beat!