Get the Led Out - Ep2501 Wk of 3jan

Carol Miller's 'Get The Led Out' Explores The Incredible History Of The Rock Band Led Zeppelin!

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hi, this is Carol Miller. Welcome to our Get the
Leadout calendar. On December thirtieth, nineteen sixty six, Jimmy Page's
winter tour of North America was not going according to plan.
Both shows the band he was with, the Yardbirds, had
intended to play in Canada, were canceled, and so was
the show in Upstate New York. At their gag in Peoria, Illinois,

(00:21):
Keith Ralph could not sing due to an illness, and
he was the lead vocalist, but he could play harmonica
while drummer Jim McCarty assumed the lead vocals. Guitarist Jimmy
Page actually handled backing vocals. Jimmy's time in the Yardbirds
trained him for the backup singing bowls everybody assumed in
led Zeppelin. On December thirty first, nineteen sixty eight, a

(00:52):
blizzard slamming the Pacific Northwest changed the course of led
Zeppelin's first American tour. After a gig got guns in
Zaga University in Spokane, Washington, the entire region was hit
with snow on top of ice, making travel not advisable.
Once their New Year's Day gig was canceled in Salem Oregon,
led Zeppelin headed for the nearest airport. They would fly

(01:14):
to Los Angeles, where it was sunny and warm. On
the other hand, led Zeppelin members were doing all this
traveling with the flu. Jimmy Page had a fever when
he arrived in West Hollywood, but he was on a
mission forty nine years ago. On January first, nineteen seventy six,

(01:42):
Robert Plant reached a milestone in his five month recovery
from injuries sustained in an auto accident. He started walking
again without the aid of crutches. However, Robert was not
ready to jump onto any live stage just yet. Instead
of preparing for a tour, led Zeppelin spent the bulk
of that year readying their first feature film, The song

(02:03):
Remain's the Same. Releasing a future film is now something
led Zeppelin does about every forty nine years or so.
Their second is coming out next month. That's right in
February twenty twenty five. The new film is called Becoming
led Zeppelin and the chronicles led Zeppelin's beginnings right on
through their first year. It's distributed by Sony Pictures Classics.

(02:25):
On January second, nineteen seventy three, led Zeppelin resumed the
UK tour they had been playing all throughout December seventy two.
Their first day of gigging in the new year had
its share of trouble. The car carrying Robert Plant broke
down on its way to Sheffield City Hall, so he
hitchhike to the gig. Unfortunately for those who gave him

(02:46):
a ride, Robert had just gone down with the flu.
While Robert's vocal abilities were severely limited, that night, the
three instrumentalists stepped up their game. That's kind of the
yin and yang of led Zeppelin.

Speaker 2 (02:58):
At work.

Speaker 1 (03:10):
On January third, nineteen forty six, John Baldwin was born.
Once he had become a professional musician, he started going
by the name John Paul Jones. No matter what you
call him. He turned seventy nine years young today. John
Paul Jones was a founding member of led Zeppelin in
nineteen sixty eight, but he and Jimmy Page had heard
led Zeppelin suggested as a band name two years earlier,

(03:34):
in nineteen sixty six. Take it away, John Paul Jones.

Speaker 2 (03:38):
The name led Zeppelin was coined by Keith Moon, which
was originally going to be for a band that recorded XPILLERA,
which was Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Nicky Hopkins, myself and
Keith Moone and then the thought had all going on
the road. It was very horrific and so that never
came about, but we remember the name.

Speaker 1 (04:00):
This is Carol Miller. Thanks for Getting the let Out.
Check back next week for another Get the Letout Calendar
podcast