John Bonham 1977

John Bonham 1977, hand-drawn on stage at the Day On The Green Led Zeppelin performance at the Alameda County Coliseum in Oakland, CA on July 23, 1977, age 29.

After the show, the band cancelled the last 7 shows of their American Tour after Robert Plant learned that his 6 year old son died of a respiratory virus.
The show in Oakland proved to be their last show in America.

John Henry Bonham was an English musician who was the drummer of the rock band Led Zeppelin.
Noted for his speed, power, fast single-footed kick drumming, distinctive sound, and feel for groove, he is regarded as one of the greatest and most influential drummers in music history.

His nickname “Bonzo” was given to Bonham as a teenager in Birmingham, England, in reference to a long-running British cartoon character created by George Studdy.
The fictional Bonzo was a lovable puppy pictured in a variety of innocent misadventures.

Receiving a snare drum at age 10, a mostly self-taught drummer, Bonham was influenced by Max Roach, Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich.
He was close with Vanilla Fudge drummer Carmine Appice, who introduced him to Ludwig drums.

Following the demise of the Yardbirds in 1968, Bonham joined Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page and bass guitarist John Paul Jones to form Led Zeppelin.
With the band, Bonham mostly showcased a hard-hitting hard rock style, but also handled funk and Latin-influenced grooves in later releases. Like Keith Moon of the Who, Bonham’s drum set grew in size following the band’s 1969 concert tours, including congas or timpani and a gong.
His drum solo “Moby Dick” was featured on the group’s second album and was a staple of their concerts, often lasting over 20 minutes.

Bonham may have played on the April 1968 recording of Donovan’s “Hurdy Gurdy Man” although this is disputed…

On September 24, 1980, Bonham was picked up by Led Zeppelin assistant Rex King to attend rehearsals at Bray Studios for a tour of North America, to begin October 17, in Montreal; it was the band’s first tour since 1977.

During the journey, Bonham asked to stop for breakfast, where he drank four quadruple vodka screwdrivers (16 shots). He then continued to drink heavily after arriving at rehearsals.
The band stopped rehearsing late in the evening and then went to Page’s house, the Old Mill House in Clewer, Windsor.
After midnight on September 25th, Bonham fell asleep; someone took him to bed and placed him on his side.
Led Zeppelin tour manager Benji LeFevre and Jones found him unresponsive the next afternoon.
Bonham was later pronounced dead at 32 years old.

The inquest on October 27, 1980 showed that in 24 hours, Bonham had consumed around 40 shots (1–1.4 liters) of 40% ABV vodka, after which he vomited and choked, a condition known as pulmonary aspiration.

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