John Bonham is Led Zeppelin's drummer. No one has replaced him until now. He died in 1980. His son Jason had taken his place on the drums during the band's tribute performance for Ahmet Ertegun last 2007. The young Bonham's presence in that reunion concert led to fan's speculation on a new Led Zeppelin, but was not materialized.
During the early stage of the group in 1968, Robert Plant recommended John Bonham to Jimmy Page. Soon as Page heard John Bonham play, he had persistently pursued him to join in his then newly formed band. Bonham had a regular gig and had several offers when Page wooed him, so that his acceptance was not easily obtained. Bonham was quoted to have said "I had so much to consider before I joined Led Zeppelin. It wasn't a question of who had the best prospects, but which was going to do the right kind of stuff.
Prior to his recruitment, John Bonham had the chance to perform with Robert Plant in "Band with Joy" plus some knowledge about "The Yardbirds" to which Page belonged. He must have known in which mix of group he could play his best. Eventually, he accepted Page' offer. From then on, Bonham was the esteemed drummer of Led Zeppelin that even his death could not convince the surviving Led Zeppelin to replace him with a new one. The band opted instead to disband.
Bonham was quoted as having said "I can't say how long Led Zeppelin will last, but we'll go on for as long as we can." Bonham did not know that Led Zeppelin had rested as a group when he was laid to his final rest.
So what makes Bonham irreplaceable as Led Zeppelin's drummer?
Jimmy Page was reported as having said in an interview "There's never been anybody since. He's one of the greatest drummers that ever lived - John was the greatest rock drummer ever, as far as I'm concerned."
John Paul Jones, Led Zeppelin's bassist and keyboardist said of Bonham "John was rock solid and because drummers and bass players have to work so closely together you soon get to recognize each other's ability. You soon know if you've got a duffer onboard."
Jones description of his working partnership with Bonham is even more kind of intimate. There was an understanding and anticipation of each other's move. Jones said "With Bonzo (referring to John Bonham) and I, we just listened to each other rather than look at each other and we knew immediately because we were so solid. From the first count in we were absolutely together."
Lastly, Robert Plant may have looked for the qualities of Bonham in some aspiring drummers that he had been quoted to have said "Bonzo was the main part of the band. He was the man who made whatever Page and I wrote basically work, by what he held back, by what he didn't do to the tempos. I don't think there's anyone in the world who could replace him."
There you have it, folks. His band mates have said it all.
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