40 years ago tomorrow, Jimmy Page strapped on a newly acquired Gibson double neck guitar and played the first chords of a new lengthy composition in front of an audience for the first time.
The occasion was Led Zeppelin’s opening date on their UK tour at the Ulster Hall Belfast.
The song was Stairway To Heaven
Today we begin a two day celebration of this special anniversary of a special song.
This TBL Archive feature looks back to the events that took place on the 30th anniversary of that first airing of Stairway To …

The first fruits of John Paul Jones’ involvement with avant-garde composer Gerald Thomas can be heard in a new stage play.
Throats by Gerald Thomas, features a piano solo composition by John. The play is currently running at Pleasence Theatre, Islington in London and ends on March 27th.
For further detail check  London Dry Opera and Pleasance Islington
For more on John Paul Jones and Gerald Thomas plans to work together see Gerald Thomas Blog  
John is currently appearing in the Anna Nicole opera at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden.  The opera …

Photo Credit: © Christie Goodwin
Black Country Communion have joined forces with Planet Rock, the UK’s leading classic rock radio station, to offer rock fans the opportunity to download two exclusive freelive Black Country Communion tracks.
The tracks, “Black Country” and “One Last Soul,” were originally recorded live in front of a specially invited audience at John Henry’s, London on  September 20th2010.  The live recordings have been exclusively mixed for Planet Rock by BCC’s producer, Kevin Shirley.
To be eligible to download the live tracks, rock fans are being asked to become VIP …

Led Zeppelin performing Achilles Last Stand -Mannheim, July 3rd 1980. Photo by Tom Locke. Taken from the forthcoming book Feather In The Wind – Led Zeppelin Over Europe 1980.
Another couple of intensive weeks spent in the year 1980 and on tour with Led Zeppelin.
No bad place to be of course but that’s how it’s been here recently as I wade on with the Over Europe book. Progress is good and there has been a lot to cram in. Recent highlights have been an interview with an important player in the …

Many thanks for the great response to the TBL Stairway To Heaven 40th Anniversary Poll. Ahead of the March 5th anniversary, there is still time to cast your vote for the all time greatest live versions of the song.
All you need to do is list in order of preference  up to five  favourite LIVE versions of Stairway To Heaven.
The criteria is as follows: Any live version by Led Zeppelin is eligible plus post Zep versions ie Arms or Outrider tour, Live Aid, Page & Plant Japan TV, O2 reunion.
From these …

Robert Plant was the co host on the Chris Evans Radio 2 Breakfast Show this morning between 8 and 9am.
In a hugely enjoyable rapport with Chris Evans, he talked about the legacy of Zeppelin, the Band Of Joy album, Wolverhampton Wanderers and more –as well as reading out various news items. The playlist for the hour included Zep’s Rock And Roll and D’yer Mak’er plus the Band Of Joy’s Cental Two-O-Nine, Angel Dance and the new single Harm’s Swift Way.
A couple of effective loop pieces of Over The Hills And …

The new opera Anna Nicole with John Paul Jones’ on stage involvement, begins it’s run of six performances at the Royal Opera House London tonight. Written by Mark-Anthony Turnage and librettist Richard Thoms (whose previous credits include Jerry Springer: The Opera, and Shoes), it charts the eventful life of Anna Nicole Smith, the Playboy model who married an elderly billionaire and died of  an overdose of sleeping pills.
John Paul Jones will be performing as part of the onstage trio along with guitarist John Parricelli and drummer Pete Erskine.
John Parricelli was …

Them Crooked Vultures, Band Of Joy’s Patty Griffin and Jeff Beck triumphed in the 53rd Grammy Awards staged last night at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
New Fang from the Them Crooked Vultures album featuring John Paul Jones, Dave Grohl and Josh Homme, won the Grammy for Best Hard Rock Performance.
In their nominated categories, Robert Plant & The Band Of Joy lost out to Paul McCartney’s Helter Skelter in the Best Solo Rock Performance category and to Mavis Staples album You Are Not Alone in the Best Americana Album category. …

It is with immense sadness that we have learned of the death of Joan Bonham.
Joan had been unwell in the past few weeks and died in the early hours of yesterday morning.
Joan was the wife of the late John Henry Snr and mother of Deborah and the late John and Michael.  Her zest for life and in particular her family, was admired and loved by so many.
Myself and Gary will personally never forget the enthusiasm and empathy the whole Bonham family brought to the 1992 Led Zeppelin Convention we co …

Bob Harris with Robert 2008
The bearded man I was sat across from last Tuesday lunchtime at the Heights bar in London, was directly responsible for enlightening myself and thousands of other Led Zeppelin fans, via his announcements from the TV screen on Tuesday and Friday nights back in the 1970s.
He was the man who introduced the stunning sequence that accompanied the premier of a new Led Zeppelin track on the evening of Tuesday, March 20th 1973. ‘’It’s the band’s use of dynamics’’, he said in that calm whispering tone, ‘’And …