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James Patrick "Jimmy" Page, OBE (born 9 January 1944 ) is an English Guitarist , Composer and Record Producer . He began his career as a studio session guitarist in London and was subsequently a member of The Yardbirds , from late 1966 to 1968, before founding English rock band Led Zeppelin . Page is credited as a forefather of Heavy Metal by not only turning up the accepted volume of the electric guitar but also with his anthemic riffs and meticulous studio production. In 2003, '' Rolling Stone '' magazine ranked him #9 in their ranking of the 100 Greatest Guitarists Of All Time . 1 Page also has the distinction of having been inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame twice as a member of both The Yardbirds and Led Zeppelin.http://www.rockhall.com/hof/inductee.asp?id=141http://www.rockhall.com/hof/inductee.asp?id=216 FORMATIVE YEARS Page was born in the west London suburb of Heston , which today forms part of the London Borough Of Hounslow . His father was an industrial personnel manager and his mother was a doctor's secretary. In 1952 they moved to Miles Road, Epsom . Jimmy Page first picked up the guitar when he was 12 years old and although he took a few lessons in nearby Kingston , was largely self-taught. His early influences were Rockabilly guitarists Scotty Moore and James Burton , who both played on recordings made by Elvis Presley , and Johnny Day , who played guitar for The Everly Brothers . The Presley song "Baby Let's Play House" was an early favourite on one of his first electric guitars, a second hand 1959 Futurama Grazioso. Page's musical tastes also encompassed acoustic folk playing, particularly that of Bert Jansch and John Renbourn , and the blues sounds of Elmore James and B.B. King . At the age of 14, Page appeared on Huw Wheldon 's '' All Your Own '' talent quest programme in a Skiffle band, a popular English music genre of the time. Page said in an interview with '' Guitar Player '' magazine, "There was a lot of Busking in the early days, but as I say, I had to come to grips with it, and it was a good schooling."2 Page left school at age 14 to pursue music, and after brief stints backing Beat poet Royston Ellis and singer Red E. Lewis, Page he asked by singer Neil Christian to join his band The Crusaders. Page toured with Christian for approximately two years and later played on several of his records, including the November 1962 single, "The Road to Love". During his stint with Christian, Page fell seriously ill with Glandular Fever and couldn't continue touring. While recovering, Page decided to put his musical career on the shelf and concentrate on his other love, painting. He enrolled at Sutton Art College in Surrey . SESSION PLAYER While still a student, Page would often jam on stage at The Marquee with bands such as Cyril Davies ' All Stars, Alexis Korner 's Blues Incorporated and with guitarists Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton . He was spotted one night by John Gibb of The Silhouettes , who asked him to help record a number of singles for EMI , including "The Worrying Kind". It wasn't until an offer from Mike Leander of Decca Records that Page was to receive regular studio work. His first session for the label was the recording "Diamonds" by Jet Harris & Tony Meehan which went to Number 1 on the singles chart in early 1963. After brief stints with Carter-Lewis And The Southerners , Mike Hurst's group, and Mickey Finn And The Blue Men , Page committed himself to full-time session work. As a Session Guitarist he was known as 'Little Jim' so there was no confusion with Big Jim Sullivan i.e. 'Big Jim'. Page was the favoured session guitarist of producer Shel Talmy , and therefore he ended up doing session work on songs for The Who and The Kinks as a direct result of the Talmy connection.[http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/music_specials/s1402502.htm Australian Broadcasting Corporation website] Page's studio output in 1964 included Marianne Faithfull 's " As Tears Go By ", The Nashville Teens ' " Tobacco Road ", The Rolling Stones ' "Heart of Stone" (alternate version), Van Morrison & Them's " Baby Please Don't Go " and "Here Comes the Night", Dave Berry's " The Crying Game " and "My Baby Left Me", and Brenda Lee 's "Is It True". Under the auspices of producer Talmy, Page contributed to The Kinks ' 1964 debut album (although, despite rumours to the contrary, he did not play ''any'' of the guitar solos); and he sat in on the sessions for The Who 's first single "I Can't Explain" (although his guitar parts may not appear on the final mix), but he played on the B-side "Bald Headed Woman". In 1965, Page was hired by Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham to act as house producer and A&R man for the newly-formed Immediate Records label, which also allowed him to play on and/or produce tracks by John Mayall , Nico , Chris Farlowe and Eric Clapton . Page also formed a brief songwriting partnership with then romantic interest, Jackie DeShannon . He worked as session musician on the Al Stewart album '' Love Chronicles '' in 1969. He also played guitar on five tracks of Joe Cocker 's debut album, '' With A Little Help From My Friends ''. When questioned about which songs he played on, especially ones where some controversy as to what his exact role was, Page often points out that it is hard to remember exactly what he did given the huge amount of sessions he was playing at the time. Various estimates have him playing on anything from 50% to 90% of the records that were produced in England between 1963 and 1965.[http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/music_specials/s1402502.htm Australian Broadcasting Corporation website] Although Page recorded with many notable musicians, many of these early tracks are only available through Bootlegged copies, several of which were released by the Led Zeppelin fan club in the late 1970s. The records released by the fan club include many otherwise Unreleased Live Led Zeppelin Recordings . One of the rarest of these is the early jam session featuring Jimmy Page playing with Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards , featuring a cover of "Little Queen of Spades" by the Blues legend Robert Johnson . THE YARDBIRDS In late 1964 Page was approached about the possibility of replacing Eric Clapton in The Yardbirds , but he declined the offer out of loyalty to his friend, Clapton. In February 1965 Clapton quit the Yardbirds, and Page was formally offered Clapton's spot, but because he was unwilling to give up his lucrative career as a session musician, and because he was still worried about his health under touring conditions, he suggested his friend, Jeff Beck , fill the position. On May 16 , 1966 , drummer Keith Moon , bass player John Paul Jones , keyboardist Nicky Hopkins , Jeff Beck and Page recorded "Beck's Bolero" in London's IBC Studios . The experience gave Page an idea to form a new Supergroup featuring Beck, along with The Who 's John Entwistle on bass and Keith Moon on drums, however the lack of a quality vocalist and contractual problems brought the project to a halt. Within weeks, Page was again offered a spot in the Yardbirds and at first played Bass Guitar with the group after the departure of Paul Samwell-Smith , before finally switching to twin Lead Guitar with Beck when Chris Dreja moved to bass. The musical potential of the line-up however was scuttled by interpersonal conflicts caused by constant touring and a lack of commercial success, although they released one single, " Happenings Ten Years Time Ago ". (While Page and Jeff Beck played together in The Yardbirds , the trio of Page, Beck and Eric Clapton never played in the original group all at the same time. The three guitarists did appear on stage together at the ARMS Charity Concerts in 1983.) After Beck's departure, the Yardbirds remained a quartet. They recorded one album with Page on lead guitar, '' Little Games ''. The album received indifferent reviews and was not a commercial success, peaking at only number 80 on the Billboard Music Charts . Though their studio sound was fairly commercial at the time, the band's live performances were in total contrast with this, becoming heavier and more experimental. These concerts featured musical aspects that Page would later perfect with Led Zeppelin, most notably performances of Jake Holmes ' version of " Dazed And Confused ". Despite the departure of Keith Relf and Jim McCarty in 1968, Page wished to continue the group with a new line-up to fulfill unfinished tour dates in Scandinavia . He recruited vocalist Robert Plant and drummer John Bonham , and was contacted by John Paul Jones who asked to join, to which Page agreed. During the Scandinavian tour the new group appeared as "The New Yardbirds", but Keith Moon, the drummer of The Who , suggested that Jimmy Page's new band would go over like a "Lead Zeppelin." Jimmy Page stuck with that name to use for his new band. The band later changed it to "Led Zeppelin," to avoid a mispronounciation of ''"Leed Zeppelin."'' LED ZEPPELIN Influence Page's past experiences both in the studio and with the Yardbirds were very influential in contributing to the success of Led Zeppelin in the 1970s. As a Producer , composer, and guitarist he helped make Led Zeppelin a prototype for many future rock bands, and was one of the major driving forces behind the rock sound of that era, influencing a host of other guitarists. For example, his speeded up, downstroke guitar riff in " Communication Breakdown " is cited as guitarist Johnny Ramone 's inspiration for his punk-defining, strictly downstroke guitar strumming, while Page's landmark Guitar Solo from the song " Heartbreaker " has been credited by Eddie Van Halen as the inspiration for his two-hand Tapping technique after he saw Led Zeppelin perform in 1972. Page's solo in the famous epic " Stairway To Heaven " has been voted by readers of various guitar magazines, including '' Guitar World '' and '' Total Guitar '' as the greatest guitar solo of all time, and he was named 'Guitarist of the Year' five years straight during the 1970s by '' Creem '' magazine. Music composition For the composition of the bulk of Led Zeppelin songs, Page adopted his trademark Gibson Les Paul guitar and Marshall amplification, although he also often used a Supro Amplifier and a Telecaster guitar in the Recording Studio . His use of the Sola Sound Tone Bender Professional MKII Fuzzbox (" How Many More Times "), Slide Guitar (" You Shook Me ", " Dancing Days ", " In My Time Of Dying "), Pedal Steel Guitar (" Your Time Is Gonna Come ", " Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You ", " Tangerine ", " That's The Way " and for effect at the very end of " Over The Hills And Far Away "), and acoustic guitar (" Gallows Pole ", " Ramble On ") also demonstrated his versatility and creativity as a composer. Page is famous for playing his guitar with a 's Led Zeppelin Rockumentary , Page said that he obtained the idea of playing the guitar with a bow from David McCallum, Sr. who was also a session musician. Page used his Fender Telecaster and later his Gibson Les Paul for his bow solos. On a number of Led Zeppelin songs Page experimented with feedback devices and a Theremin . He used a Wah-wah Pedal but not always in the traditional way of rocking it back and forth as done by Jimi Hendrix and other contemporaries; instead, he put it fully forward in the treble position to get a sharper tone. Music production techniques Page is widely credited for the innovations in sound recording he brought to the studio during the years he was a member of Led Zeppelin. During the late 1960s, most British music producers placed producers to record a band's "ambient sound" - the distance of a note's time-lag from one end of the room to the other. This technique was constantly adapted and developed, to the point where he placed microphones in hallways, which is how he achieved the distinctive drum sound for " When The Levee Breaks ". For the recording of several Led Zeppelin tracks, such as " Whole Lotta Love " and " You Shook Me ", Page additionally utilised " Backward Echo " - a technique which he is widely believed to have invented himself whilst with The Yardbirds (he had originally developed the method when recording the 1967 single " Ten Little Indians "). This production technique involved hearing the echo before the main sound instead of after it, achieved by turning the tape over and employing the echo on a spare track, then turning the tape back over again to get the echo preceding the signal. Page has stated that, as producer, he deliberately changed the Audio Engineer s on Led Zeppelin albums, from Glyn Johns for the first album, to Eddie Kramer for '' Led Zeppelin II '', to Andy Johns for '' Led Zeppelin III '' and later albums. He explained that "I consciously kept changing engineers because I didn't want people to think that they were responsible for our sound. I wanted people to know it was me."Tolinski, Brad, and Di Bendetto, Greg, "Light and Shade", ''Guitar World'', January 1998. POST-LED ZEPPELIN CAREER Led Zeppelin disbanded in 1980 following the death of drummer John Bonham at Page's home, The Old Mill House at Clewer in Berkshire . Page made a successful return to the stage with the A.R.M.S. (Action Research for Multiple Sclerosis ) charity series of concerts in 1983 which honoured Small Faces bass player Ronnie Lane , who suffered from the disease. A 1984 video of a London A.R.M.S. concert was released featuring two songs from Page's work on the '' Death Wish II '' soundtrack, featuring Steve Winwood on vocals, and an onstage jam of " Layla " reunited Page with Yardbirds guitarists Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton . During the tour Page looked extremely thin and frail. According to the book ''Hammer of the Gods'', Page reportedly told friends that he'd just given up Heroin after seven years of use. Page next linked up with Roy Harper for an album ('' Whatever Happened To Jugula? '') and occasional concerts, performing a predominantly acoustic set at folk festivals under various guises such as the MacGregors, and Themselves. In 1984, Page recorded with former Zeppelin vocalist, Robert Plant as The Honeydrippers . He also teamed up with Paul Rodgers of Bad Company and Free fame to record two albums under the name The Firm . The first album was the self-titled '' The Firm '', followed by '' Mean Business '' in 1986. Popular songs included the commercially successful "Radioactive", and "Closer", which employs a horn section to subtle effect. The cover version of " You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling " featured vocals by Paul Rodgers but was never released as a single. The album peaked at #17 on the Billboard's Pop Albums chart. Various other projects soon followed such as session work for Graham Nash , Box Of Frogs , The Rolling Stones (on their 1986 single " One Hit (to The Body) "), and Robert Plant , a solo album '' Outrider '', a collaboration with David Coverdale in '' Coverdale-Page ''. In addition, he also collaborated with director Michael Winner to record the '' Death Wish II '' and subsequent '' Death Wish 3 '' soundtrack, released in 1982 and 1985 respectively. The surviving members of Led Zeppelin re-formed in 1985 for the Live Aid concert with both Phil Collins and Tony Thompson filling drum duties. However, the band considered their performance to be sub-standard, and were one of the few Live Aid acts to refuse permission for their segment to be included in the 20th anniversary DVD release of the concert. In 1986, Page reunited temporarily with his Yardbirds bandmates to play on several tracks of the Box Of Frogs album '' Strange Land ''. The band also re-formed for the Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary show on 14 May, 1988. Page, Plant and Jones, as well as John Bonham 's son Jason Bonham closed the 12-hour show. The band have also played together at various private family functions. In 1990, a Knebworth concert to aid the Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Centre and the British School for Performing Arts and Technolog saw Plant unexpectedly joined by Page to perform " Misty Mountain Hop ", " Wearing And Tearing " and " Rock And Roll ". In 1994, Page reunited with Plant for the penultimate performance in '''', and in 2004 as the DVD '' No Quarter Unledded ''. Following a highly successful mid-90s tour to support ''No Quarter'', Page and Plant recorded 1998's '' Walking Into Clarksdale ''. Since 1990, Page has been heavily involved in Remastering the entire Led Zeppelin back catalogue and is currently participating in various charity concerts and charity work, particularly the ''Action for Brazil's Children Trust'' (ABC Trust), founded by his wife Jimena Gomez-Paratcha in 1998. In the same year, Page played guitar for Rap singer/producer Puff Daddy 's song " Come With Me ," which heavily samples Led Zeppelin's " Kashmir " and was included in the soundtrack of '' Godzilla ''. The two later performed the song on '' Saturday Night Live ''. A live album and tour with The Black Crowes follow in 1999. In 2001 he made an appearance on stage with Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst and Wes Scantlin of Puddle Of Mudd at the MTV Europe Video Music Awards in Frankfurt , where they performed a version of Led Zeppelin's " Thank You ".3 In 2005, Page was awarded the Order Of The British Empire in recognition of his Brazil ian charity work,4 made an honorary citizen of Rio De Janeiro later that year, and was awarded a Grammy award.5 In November 2006, Led Zeppelin were inducted into the UK Music Hall Of Fame . The Television broadcasting of the event consisted of an introduction to the band by various famous admirers, a presentation of an award to Jimmy Page and then a short speech by the guitarist. After this, rock group Wolfmother played a tribute to Led Zeppelin, playing the song " Communication Breakdown ".67 On 6 January 2007 , Page was featured at #19 on Channel 4 's The Ultimate Hellraiser, a countdown of music's top 25 who "lived the rock 'n' roll lifestyle". The show's reason for featuring Page was almost exclusively attributed to the groupies who toured with Led Zeppelin. In addition, many of John Bonham's shenanigans (for example driving a motorcycle down a hotel corridor) were blamed on Page. NEW ALBUM In 2006, Page attended the induction of Led Zeppelin to the UK Music Hall Of Fame . During an interview for the BBC for said event, he expressed plans to record new material in 2007, saying "It's an album that I really need to get out of my system... there's a good album in there and it's ready to come out" and "Also there will be some Zeppelin things on the horizon".8 PERSONAL LIFE In 1972 Page bought, from Richard Harris , the home which William Burges designed for himself in London, The Tower House . "I had an interest going back to my teens in the pre-Raphaelite movement and the architecture of Burges," he said. "What a wonderful world to discover." The reputation of William Burges (1827-1881) rests on his extravagant designs and his contribution to the Gothic revival in architecture in the nineteenth century.9 From the mid 1970s to 2004 Jimmy owned 'The Mill House', Mill Lane, Windsor, UK - formerly the home of actor Michael Caine . Fellow Led Zeppelin band member John Bonham died at the house in 1980. Page is a fan of Chelsea FC .10 Page's daughter, Scarlet Page , is a respected photographer. Her mother, Charlotte Martin, is an ex-girlfriend of Eric Clapton . Cocaine and heroin abuse Page himself has admitted to heavy use of drugs throughout the 1970s. In an interview he gave to '' Guitar World '' magazine in 2003, he stated that: In 1973 Led Zeppelin's main choice of drug was of the United States in that year, Page told Nick Kent : In in the same year in attempts to curb cravings for his developing drug addiction. By 1977, Page's heroin addiction was beginning to hamper his guitar playing performances as exhibited on a number of Led Zeppelin Bootleg Recordings from their 1977 tour of the United States . By this time the guitarist had lost a noticeable amount of weight. His onstage appearance was not the only noticable change, his addiction caused Page to become so inward and isolated it altered the dynamic between him and Plant considerably. 12 During the recording sessions for '' In Through The Out Door '' in 1978, Page's diminished influence on the album (relative to bassist John Paul Jones) is partly attributed to his ongoing heroin addiction, which resulted in his absence from the studio for large periods of time.Aizelwood, John, "Closing Time", ''Q Magazine'' Special Led Zeppelin edition, 2003, p. 94. Page reportedly kicked his heroin habit in the early 1980s. 13 In a 1988 interview with '' Musician '' magazine, Page took offence when the interviewer noted that heroin had been associated with his name, and insisted that "I'm not an addict, thank you very much." TRIBUTES
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