He is undoubtedly one of the greatest and most influential guitarists of all time and he certainly deserves to be called a "living legend".
"The Rolling Stone magazine" described him as "The Pontiff of Power Riffing" and ranked him 3rd on the list of greatest guitarists of all time.
(Photo: handout)
His name is Jimmy Page and we want to tell you some interesting facts about him:
1. He was born as the only son to his parents, on January 9, 1944, named James Patrick Page.
2. The song that pushed him to play the guitar was "Baby Let's Play House" by Elvis Presley.
3. He started playing the instrument at the age of 12.
4. At age 13 he participated in a Skiffle young talent competition. The competition was broadcast on "BBC1" in 1957. Video footage of Page in the competition can be seen here:
5. Thanks to his outstanding talent Page soon became a highly sought-after session player in England. During the first half of the 1960s Page played for the leading artists of the time, such as "The Kinks" on their first album, "The Who" on their first single "I Can't Explain", singer Marianne Faithfull on the song "As Tears Go By", "The Rolling Stones" in the song "Heart of Stone", "Van Morrison & Them" in the song "Baby, Please Don't Go", Joe Cocker on his debut album "With a Little Help from My Friends" including the immortal rendition of the theme song, singers Donovan, Roy Harper and more...
6. On March 25, 1965, Eric Clapton decides to leave "The Yardbirds" and recommends a talented young studio player named Jimmy Page as his replacement. Jimmy Page feared the politics that would cause Clapton's departure and recommended Jeff Beck as guitarist in his place.
7. In mid-1966, during a performance of "The Yardbirds" at "Queen's College" in Oxford, bassist Paul Samwell-Smith abandoned the show while intoxicated. Jimmy Page who happens to be in the audience goes on stage and replaces him playing bass guitar.
8. This case was the trigger for Jimmy Page's joining "The Yardbirds", of which he was a member from 1966 to July 1968, when the band made its final appearance. Read more about the establishment of "Led Zeppelin" here:
9. In 1968, Jimmy Page participated in the "No Introduction Necessary" superstition album, which also features John Paul Jones, Albert Lee, Nicky Hopkins, and more.
10. With the dissolution of "The Yardbirds" Jimmy Page rushed to form a new band, and already in September 1968 together with John Bonham, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones in Denmark made his first appearance under the name "The New Yardbirds".
11. On October 25, the band takes the stage for the first time under the name "Led Zeppelin", and already on January 12, 1969, the band's first album called "Led Zeppelin" is released.
12. Jimmy Page was the one who paid for the recording of the band's debut album, which they recorded in less than 30 studio hours.
13. "Led Zeppelin" will become the pioneer of Hard Rock and Heavy Metal, not least thanks to Page's contribution to the band's sound, both as a player and as the producer of all their albums.
14. Page's playing was bold, original, and innovative. It influenced many great guitarists who came after him.
15. One of the most prominent examples of Page's primacy is related to the recording of the song "Whole Lotta Love", which first uses the "backward echo" or "reverse echo" effect, in which the echo is heard before the note is heard. Read more about this in the review of the album Led Zeppelin II.
16. In Jimmy Page's 11 years with "Led Zeppelin" he releases 9 studio albums ("Coda" not included), including masterpieces: "Led Zeppelin III", "Physical Graffiti", "Led Zeppelin IV", "In Through The Out Door", "Presence", "Houses of the Holy" and makes it, along with his friends, one of the best-selling bands in the history of music.
17. After the dissolution of "Led Zeppelin" in 1980ת following the death of drummer John Bonham, Jimmy Page didn't play the guitar for a long time and mourned the death of his friend.
18. He returned to play only in March 1981 as a guest player in a live performance of his good friend Jeff Beck.
19. That same year Jimmy Page joined bassist Chris Squire and drummer Alan White from "Yes", to form the supergroup "XYZ" - the letters come to express the words ex (X) Yes (Y) Zeppelin (Z). The project did not materialize in the end, but you can find bootlegs from the same sessions online, including here:
20. In 1982 Page released the soundtrack of the movie "Death Wish II" - starring Charles Bronson.
21. In 1984 he released the album "Whatever Happened to Jugula?", with his longtime friend Roy Harper.
22. That same year he co-recorded with Robert Plant the album "The Honeydrippers: Volume 1" under the band "The Honeydrippers". His friend Jeff Beck was also featured on the album.
23. In 1985 he joined legendary singer Paul Rodgers, known from the bands "Free" and "Bad Company", to form "The Firm".
24. Along with this band he will release two albums in the years 85 and 86, including among others the songs "Radioactive", "Satisfaction Guaranteed" and "All the King's Horses".
25. Back in 1985, Page participates in the soundtrack of the movie "Scream for Help", composed by his friend John Paul Jones.
26. In 1988, Page released the solo album "Outrider". Singer Robert Plant participated in writing and singing one of the songs on the album.
27. Page returns a favor to Robert Plant on his album, "Now And Zen" Robert Plant on his album, "Now And Zen" which was released that year.
28. In 1993 Page joined legendary singer David Coverdale known from "Deep Purple" and "Whitesnake" and released the excellent album "Coverdale/Page".
29. In 1994 Page returned to work with Robert Plant, this time on the show "No Quarter: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded" which was part of the "MTV Unplugged" project and spawned four new songs of the duo. Read more about the special project in the review we wrote about it.
30. This mini-reunion will lead to Page's further collaboration with Plant, reflected in the 1998 studio album "Walking into Clarksdale".
31. That same year Page collaborated with rapper Puff Daddy on the song "Come with Me", including quotes from Led Zeppelin's song "Kashmir". The song will appear in the soundtrack of the movie "Godzilla".
(Photo: Graham Wiltshire)
32. In 1999 Page collaborated with "The Black Crowes" for a performance of "Led Zeppelin" songs. The show will be released on a double album called: "Live at the Greek" in 2000.
33. In 2005 Page received the title "Officer of the Order of the British Empire".
34. In 2007, members of "Led Zeppelin" + Jason Bonham - son of John Bonham held a reunion show at the "O2" in London. This show entered the Guinness Book, following more than 20 million requests to purchase tickets.
35. In 2008 Page starred in the documentary "It Might Get Loud" with guitarists The Edge and Jack White.
36. In 2012, Page released the album "Rising and Other Sound Tracks", which included music Page wrote for the film "Lucifer Rising" but was never released.
37. Page was a devout admirer of the theories of Aleister Crowley - founder of the religious philosophy Thelma. He also used to engage in black magic.
38. In the early days of "Led Zeppelin" Page caused a scandal when he was discovered dating Lori Maddox - a 14-year-old girl.
39. Page entered the "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame" twice. The first time with "Led Zeppelin" in 1992 and the second time with "The Yardbirds" in 1995.
40. He is ranked second on Gibson's list of the 50 greatest guitarists of all time.
41. He is also ranked fourth on "Classic Rock" magazine's 100 Guitar Heroes list.
42. The "Times Magazine" also ranked Page in second place in the list of greatest guitarists.