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In Memoriam – John Bonham
John Henry Bonham
May 31 – 1948 – Died September 25 – 1980
English musician, songwriter, and drummer for Led Zeppelin.
In Memoriam – John Bonham – Legacy
Bonham was esteemed for his speed, power, fast bass drumming, distinctive sound, and “feel” for the groove. He is regarded by many as the greatest and most influential rock drummer of all time.
Rolling Stone magazine ranked him number 1 in their list of the “100 Greatest Drummers of All Time”.
In Memoriam – John Bonham – Death
On 24 September 1980, Bonham was picked up by Led Zeppelin assistant Rex King to attend rehearsals at Bray Studios for a tour of North America, to begin 17 October in Montreal, Canada – the band’s first since 1977. During the journey, Bonham asked to stop for breakfast, where he drank four quadruple vodka Screwdrivers (16 shots between 400–560 ml, also equivalent to 9-13 American standard drinks).
He then continued to drink heavily after arriving at rehearsals. The band stopped rehearsing late in the evening and then went to Page’s house, the Old Mill House in Clewer, Windsor. After midnight on Thursday, 25 September, Bonham fell asleep; someone took him to bed and placed him on his side. Led Zeppelin tour manager Benji LeFevre and John Paul Jones found him unresponsive the next afternoon.
Bonham was later pronounced dead at 32 years old.