1944 – Present

Genre – Rock

Without exaggeration, Jimmy Page is arguably the most studied and emulated guitarist in rock history – with the possible exception of Jimi Hendrix. He was an integral part in not 1, but 2 rock n roll hall of fame bands – The Yardbirds and Led Zeppelin, as well as a session legend and producer. His ability to incorporate a huge array of disparate styles into a focused, progressive sound has proved Page is one of the most versatile and intelligent musicians to ever plug a Gibson into an amp. The Modern Guitar sound as we know it, would sound very different without his influence.

Born on January 9, 1944, in Heston, Middlesex, England, Page started playing guitar at age 13 after being inspired by Elvis Presley. Other early influences included acoustic folk, blues and skiffle  Mostly self-taught, he joined his first real band, Neil Christian and the Crusaders upon leaving school. After being forced to quit due to illness, Page considered giving up guitar and subsequently enrolled into art college in Sutton, Surrey. He re-discovered his love for music as the emergence of blues-influenced 60′s rock played by bands such as the Rolling Stones.




In the mid 60′s Page honed his skills by becoming a top session guitarist and producer. The list of artists that he worked with during this period includes The Who, Them, Donovan, The Kinks, Joe Cocker, Marianne Faithful and The Rolling Stones. The sessions were often grueling, but they provided the foundation for Page to become an outstanding musician and gave him the production chops which would serve him in later years.

In 1966 he accepted an offer to play with the Yardbirds, first as a bassist and then as guitarist alongside Jeff Beck. Beck left the band a short time later and Page went on to play on the album Little Games. Although the Yardbirds is often known as the band to feature Page, Beck and Eric Clapton, they were never actually were all in the band at the same time. The Yardbirds officially called it a day in 1968, but with some touring contractual obligations still to fulfill, Page put together a band under the moniker “The New Yardbirds”, which featured the classic line up which would go on to become Led Zeppelin (Robert Plant on vocals, John Bonham on drums and John Paul Jones on Bass).

Page had specific ideas of what direction he wanted Led Zeppelin to go in: “Ultimately, I wanted Zeppelin to be a marriage of blues, hard rock and acoustic music topped with heavy choruses ” The first album ‘Led Zeppelin’ was released in 1969, and although it initially received negative reviews, it was commercially very successful. Ironically, it now is critically lauded (as are most of Led Zeppelin’s albums). Their second album “Led Zeppelin II’ was also released in 1969, and with constant touring, the bands popularity grew. Led Zeppelins concerts could often run for up to 4 hours and included extended improvised jams.

The more acoustic-folk influenced “Led Zeppelin III’ was released in 1970 and included classics such as “The immigrant song” and the Celtic “Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp”. 1971 saw the release of what has become known as “Led Zeppelin IV”, the album was initially released with no title as a reaction to the music press labeling the band as “over-hyped”. “IV” is one of the biggest selling albums of all time and includes tracks such as “Stairway to Heaven”, “Rock n Roll”, “Black Dog” and “Going to California”.

Subsequent releases were “Houses of the Holy” (1973), “Physical Graffiti” (1975), “Presence” (1976) and “In through the Out Door” (1979). There is also the famous concert film “The Song Remains the Same” filmed at Madison Square Gardens. They were arguably the biggest rock band in the 1970′s, selling out stadiums and developing a reputation for debauchery and Hotel room destruction. Page is quoted as saying “Mild Barbarians is how we were described, and I can’t really deny it”.

During this period Page also started using heroin, a habit which lasted for 7 years. The bands excesses caught up with them when John Bonham died an alcohol related death in 1980. Heartbroken, the other members of Led Zeppelin decided to break up. They have re-formed a number of times since for one-off appearances, but a permanent reformation is unlikely.

After Led Zeppelin, Page became in a number of projects and recorded and toured with a whole range of artists. Some of these projects include: Soundtrack work, various projects with Robert Plant including the MTV unplugged sessions “unleaded”, collaborations with David Coverdale, and a solo album “Outrider” (1998).

Page is known as a Gibson Player, and is one of the pioneers of the “Les Paul into a Marshall amp” rock sound. Almost every modern guitar player who uses this combination owes a debt to Page. He also regularly used Vox and Orange amps for recording. Another of his trademarks is the EDS-1275 6/12 String Doubleneck. An SG influenced body, this doubleneck enabled Page to play “Stairway to Heaven” live without switching guitars. Other tools of the trade included Danelectro 3021s and Telecasters. Page is also famous for using a violin bow on songs such as “Dazed and Confused”. He is also made extensive use of alternate and open tunings.

EDS-1275 6/12 String Doubleneck

The list of awards and achievements of Jimmy Page is far too extensive to list here. He is a giant in the world of rock guitar.