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b. January 9, 1944 Born James Patrick Page in Heston, Middlesex, England is widely considered one of the greatest and most influential guitarists in rock and roll. Prior to being a founding father of Led Zeppelin, he was a member of The Yardbirds from late 1966 through 1968. Even before that, Page was one of the most in-demand studio guitarists in England. Page, vocalist Robert Plant, drummer John Bonham and bass player John Paul Jones took their name from one of Who drummer Keith Moon’s favorite catch phrases, who remarked that the band would be “going down like a lead zeppelin”. Led Zeppelin’s eponymous debut was released in 1969 and the groundbreaking record is seen as one of the most impressive and important debuts of rock music, creating an entirely new interpretation of the genre. Page's past experiences in the studio and with the Yardbirds was very influential in the success of Led Zeppelin. As a producer, composer, and guitarist for the band, he was one of the major driving forces behind the rock sound of that era, with his trademark Gibson Les Paul and Marshall amps. In the studio, Page often used a Supro amplifier and a Telecaster guitar. His use of distorted fuzz guitar ("Whole Lotta Love"), slide guitar ("You Shook Me", "In My Time of Dying"), pedal steel guitar ("Your Time is Gonna Come", "Tangerine"), acoustic guitar ("Gallows Pole", "Ramble On") and recording techniques made Led Zeppelin a prototype for all future rock bands. His landmark guitar solo from the song "Heartbreaker” has been credited by Eddie Van Halen as the inspiration for Van Halen's trademark 2-hand tapping technique. Page also put to use the bowed playing technique he developed during his session days, and experimented with feedback devices. His guitar solo in "Stairway to Heaven" was voted by readers of Guitar World Magazine as the greatest guitar solo of all time. Click here to download the Jimmy Page 1024x768 image. Click here
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