Jimmy Page
English guitarist (born 1944)
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- Was in a band called Coverdale/Page with singer David Coverdale.
- Led Zeppelin's name came from a quip by the late Who bassist John Entwistle. When discussing the new band's prospects with Keith Moon, Entwistle said, according to (a Zeppelin roadie), "Yeah. We'll call it Lead Zeppelin. Because it'll fucking go over like a lead balloon".
- Voted London's greatest guitarist in Total Guitar Magazine's poll of the greatest 12 British guitarists. (July 2001)
- Bought the house Aleister Crowley once owned in Scotland on the Loch Ness as a retreat. Sold it to hoteliers in the 1980s.
- December 2005: Awarded an OBE by Queen Elizabeth II for his charity work in helping street children in Brazil.
- His guitar solo on Dave Berry's 1964 UK top ten hit "The Crying Game" featured some pioneering use of the wah-wah pedal, later popularized by Jimi Hendrix on his "Electric Ladyland" album.
- Owns much of the property around Loch Ness in Scotland, UK.
- In the early 1980s Robert Plant, of Led Zeppelin, stated that he and Jimmy Page used to listen to Huelyn Duvall's "Three Months To Kill" to gain musical inspiration. Interestingly, legendary Nashville guitarist Hank Garland's guitar work was featured on this recording as well as on Duvall's "Little Boy Blue" and "Juliet".
- Son, James, born in 1988.
- Daughter Scarlet, born in March 1971 to his long-time girlfriend, Charlotte Martin (a French model), who is a photographer.
- Led Zeppelin got its name from a phrase often used by The Who's drummer Keith Moon who, when describing a disastrous gig, would invariably compare it to, "going down like a lead zeppelin".
- He was an only child. His father was an engineer and his mother worked as a secretary for a physician.
- Son named Asher born in 1999.
- Starting out as a studio session hack, his early guitar licks have featured on the recordings of artists such as Donovan, Tom Jones, P.J. Proby, Joe Cocker, Herman's Hermits, The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds and The Who, etc. As he was then unable to read music, he was given advice by fellow session guitarist Vic Flick. His work on The Kinks's "You Really Got Me" and "All Day and All of the Night", along with his indelible licks on early Van Morrison track "Baby Please Don't Go", are legendary.
- He was awarded the O.B.E. (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in 2005 for his services to charity.
- His ex-wife, Charlotte Martin, is an ex-girlfriend of Eric Clapton. Martin introduced Clapton to artist Martin Sharp. The pair co-wrote the popular Cream hit "Tales of Brave Ulysses", as well as "Anyone for Tennis?".
- Winner of the 2005 Q Icon Award.
- Played guitar on Tom Jones's hit in 1965 "It's Not Unusual". Chris Slade played drums on that track.
- Page's fearsome foursome of guitars have included: a 1958 Gibson Les Paul Standard; a 1959 Les Paul Standard; a Sixties Danelectro and the Gibson EDS-1275 6/12-string doubleneck.
- As of 1998, he ranks number 15 in the world's 100 richest rock stars with an estimated worth of £55m.
- He was the first artist to be immortalised in the British Walk of Fame in London, which honours musical artists. The ceremony took place on August 23, 2004.
- He and Vic Flick played guitar on Lulu's hit recording of "Shout" in 1964.
- When The Yardbirds broke up, Jimmy Page inherited several Scandinavian dates The Yardbirds were to fulfill. The band that Page assembled to fulfill those dates started out as "The New Yardbirds", then went on to become Led Zeppelin.
- Appears on the track "Beck's Bolero" on the first "Jeff Beck Group" album along with fellow Led Zeppelin member John Paul Jones and The Who's drummer Keith Moon. Jimmy plays 2nd guitar, John Paul Jones plays organ and Keith Moon plays drums on the track.