FROM THE PAST
John Bonham: curiosities you may not know about Led Zeppelin's historic drummer
John Henry Bonham, also known as Bonzo, is considered one of the greatest and most influential drummers in the history of rock music for his unique and overwhelming style of playing.
His artistry helped to make Led Zeppelin's sound unique: on each of the nine albums in the band's discography, the unmistakable talent and style of its drummer can be seen.
John Bonham was born on 31 May 1948 and would have been 75 years old today. Sadly, Bonham died at the age of only 31 on 25 September 1980, suffocated by his own vomit after abusing alcohol.
John Bonham would have been 75 years old today
John Henry Bonham, also known as Bonzo, is considered one of the greatest and most influential drummers in the history of rock music for his unique and overwhelming style of playing. His artistry helped to make Led Zeppelin's sound unique: on each of the nine albums in the band's discography, the unmistakable talent and style of its drummer can be seen. John Bonham was born on 31 May 1948 and would have been 75 years old today. Sadly, Bonham died at the age of only 31 on 25 September 1980, suffocated by his own vomit after abusing alcohol.
Dina Regine, Wikimedia Commons
John Bonham was voted best drummer of all time by Rolling Stone
In 2011, following a readers' poll, 'Rolling Stone Magazine' awarded him the title of 'best drummer of all time', placing him first on the Best drummers of all time list.
John Bonham's "too much noise"
Bonham faced many complications in his early career as a drummer, as he was inevitably regarded as too noisy, and for a time, clubs in his area even went so far as to not allow 'bands with John Bonham on drums' to play.
Early career and alcoholism
Bonham quickly developed, already during his first tours with Led Zeppelin, a very strong addiction to alcohol, with implications straddling the tragic and the comical: roadies and band members themselves recount that, once drunk, the drummer was prey to violent personality changes to the point of earning the nickname 'The Beast'.
Di Ebbskihare - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Sept07.JPG, Pubblico dominio, https://commons.wik
His passion for motors
He loved cars and motorbikes: his garage could boast dozens of unique or rare pieces, bought around America and England during the group's tours.
Bonham's death was the end of Led Zeppelin.
Upon John's death, the Led Zeppelin experience was put to an unceremonious end with this eloquent press release: 'We wish to make it known that the loss of our dear friend and our deep sense of respect for his family have led us to decide - in complete harmony between ourselves and our manager - that we can no longer continue as we were.
His version of "Beware my love"
The drummer played on a version of Wings' 'Beware my love', which remained unreleased until 2014. Bonham participated in an early demo of the song, which only received official release when McCartney collected some rarities for the bonus disc of the album's expanded reissue in 2014.
The death of genius
On 25 September 1980, the band was planning a return to the stage after a short break. Bonzo turned up at Page's villa to record and was already quite tipsy, and during rehearsals he continued to drink to the extent that he was no longer able to play. The other band members took him to another room to let him sleep. The next morning they found him lifeless, choking on his own vomit at the age of 32.
Rankings
21/09/2023
The well-known US magazine Rolling Stone in 2021 has updated the list of the 500 most beautiful songs of all time.
The ranking was first published on December 11, 2003 and was compiled by a jury chosen by the editorial staff, composed of 172 musicians, music critics and experts in the recording industry. Subsequently, the ranking was changed twice: the first in 2010, the second in 2021, when 254 songs that were previously not present were added.
Obviously, there is nothing more subjective than music: these songs are considered the best according to the criteria defined by Rolling Stonemagazine, but each of us has his own personal ranking of the best songs ever. Here, however, is the Top 20 of Rolling Stone.
Rankings
19/09/2023
In 2008, 'Rolling Stone' compiled a list of the 100 best singers of all time.
This ranking was compiled 15 years ago by 180 people, including several musicians (e.g. Bruce Springsteen, Rod Stewart, Justin Timberlake, George Michael, Keith Richards), journalists and music experts.
On 1 January 2023, however, 'Rolling Stone' published an update of the ranking that revolutionised the list, especially with regard to the Top Ten. As the well-known US magazine was keen to point out, this ranking does not only take into account technical and vocal abilities (it is not a list of the best voices of all time), but also the originality of the vocal timbre, the record catalogue, the writing ability and the musical legacy of the singers in question. Here are the top 20 positions.