John Bonham, the crowd-shy rock drummer whose first drum set was cooking pots and pans
The late, great John Bonham is considered one of the best in the business. With a consistent sound that had anything but ordinary rhythm, John is a continuous source of inspiration. But how do you get to be that sensational? Probably by starting at 5 years old on a set that was fabricated by cooking pots and pans. He didn’t get his first snare drum until 10 and his first full set until he was 15. Talk about making due with what you have!
John Bonham had terrible stage fright. You would think after years of performing it would be natural but he routinely had panic attacks before shows. John cut his teeth with a band called the Crawling King Snakes. A band where he would meet Robert Plant in and form a strong bond. They would later start band called The Band of Joy. John was mostly influenced by Jazz drummers like Gene Krupa, and Buddy Rich.
John Bonham’s Nickname was Bonzo and he was known for hitting the drums hard – very hard. He would often use very long and heavy drumsticks, calling them “trees” to aid in the aggressive sound he was known for. John Bonham passed away from alcohol poisoning on September, 24, 1980. He legacy lives on in many players, his hometown where they recently put up a statue in his honor, and even has signature drum models produced by the Ludwig Drum Company that match the ones he used while he was with Led Zeppelin.
