JOHN BONHAM REMEMBERED 30 YEARS GONE: POST YOUR COMMENTS AND THOUGHTS
The 30th anniversary of the passing of John Bonham is set to be marked this weekend by fans throughout the world. At the Key Club in Hollywood, a variety of drummers will be uniting in their affection for John at the ”Bonzo: The Groove Remains The Same” Event – this will be attended by Jason, Deborah and Zoe Bonham.
Here in the UK myself, Gary and fellow fans will be gathering in London for an informal pub meeting to toast Bonzo’s legacy and recall the memories and the music he contributed so much to.
In the Midlands our friend, life long Zeppelin fan and regular TBL contributor Gary Davies will be making a personal pilgrimage back to St.Michaels’s Church in Rushock for the first time in nearly 30 years. He will be laying a floral tribute on behalf of Tight But Loose and Led Zeppelin fans everywhere.
Talking to Jason on Monday about his thoughts of this anniversary he said to me ”It does not get any easier with the passing years. It’s still like a nightmare and I wish I could wake up from it all and be that kid again back at home. My family and I appreciate all the support from the fans for my Dad and I know the Key Club event is going to be very emotional but it will be great to be in the company of so many drummers who hold my Dad in such esteem”
30 years ago, John’s death prompted a wave of shock and grief as can be seen by these responses published in the aftermath of the tragedy in the Special Notices of the then weekly music paper Sounds
On this special anniversary we would welcome your personal comments about Bonzo. Feel free to fill in the comments link below and post your thoughts onto the TBL site.
John Bonham was the true heart and soul of Led Zeppelin and 30 years on his inspiration remains ever constant in the lives of millions of fans worldwide.
The cherished memories of his life remain the same.
Always remembered…Always loved.
Dave Lewis & Gary Foy
September 24th 2010
The following clip contains the audio of the ATV Midlands news reports from 30 years ago
(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
Loading...
As a Who fan, I’ve always identified with Keith Moon and John Entwistle as displaying the most incredible kinship where a band’s rythm section is concerned. Bonzo, however, had the ability to be able to show how much he LOVED being a drummer in a band with just a smile.
Genius is a word thrown about too quickly, but in John’s case, it’s in it’s correct place as the right adjective.
John is sadly missed by people all over the world – for his drumming, his character and his integral part in one of the most exciting bands there has ever & will ever be. His drumming has been an influence on mine for 21 years and will continue to be until i can no longer hold a pair of sticks!
As always, thanks John – inspirational isn’t even close to covering it!
25th September 1980. Never forgot. When you’re 18 years old, living in Paris under Giscard d’Estaing “règne de plomb”, catching John H. B.and the rest of the band was one of my personnal dreams. Unfortunately, the engine of the car which was supposed to bring us to Bruxelles’ National Forest during their last European tour broke as well as my teenage spirit… Since then, every september, a black cloud cross my mind.
Bonzo forever.
I LIVE IN CHICAGO AND IT IS ABOUT 915PM HERE — IT WAS ABOUT THIS TIME 30 YEARS AGO THAT THE NEWS WAS ON AT MY PARENTS HOUSE AND THE WORD THAT BONHAM HAD PASSED CAME ALONG. TICKETS FOR THE NOVEMBER 1980 SHOWS AT THE CHICAGO STADIUM WERE SET TO GO ONSALE VIA A NEWSPAPER ORDER FORM ONLY THE VERY NEXT MORNING. I WAS ONLY 12 AT THE TIME BUT MY PARENTS HAD AGREED TO HAVE MY OLDER BROTHER TAKE ME TO SEE ZEPPELIN, SADLY IT WAS NEVER TO BE. I HAD THE PLEASURE IN THE LATE 90’S OF SPENDING ALOT OF TIME WITH JASON WITH HIS THEN CURRENT BAND WHEN THEY WOULD COME TO CHICAGO, I EVEN WORKED FOR HIM ONE NIGHT HELPING SELL MERCHANDISE ETC ETC. AND GOT TO TALK TO HIM ALOT ABOUT HIS DAD. I ALSO HAD THE PLEASURE OF SPENDING SOME TIME WITH ROGER EARL OF FOGHAT AFTER A SHOW AND WE TALKED ALOT ABOUT BONHAM AND HE WENT ON TO TELL ME A STORY ABOUT HOW SAVOY BROWN AND ZEPPELIN WERE BOTH PLAYING IN CHICAGO ( I BELIEVE THIS WOULD OF BEEN AT THE KINETIC CIRCUS) AND THAT DURING SAVOY BROWN’S SOUND CHECK BONZO CAME OUT TO JAM THEN JIMMY,JOHN PAUL, ROBERT AND BOTH BANDS JUST JAMMED FOR AWHILE. ROGER DID SAY THAT HE KNOWS IT WAS RECORDED BUT HAS NO IDEA WHERE THE TAPES ARE, THAT WOULD BE SOMETHING TO HEAR. BONZO YOU WERE AND ARE THE BEST I HAVE TO WORK TONITE AND THE IPOD WILL BE SHUFFLING ZEPPELIN ALL NIGHT LONG IN TRIBUTE AND REMEMBERENCE. R.I.P. BONZO 30 YEARS GONE 🙁
John Henry Bonham – the man that drives my heartbeat….the greatest…..nuff said really
30 years since Bonzo died.
Zeppelin died at the same moment with him.
May they both rest in peace undisturbed.
Legends are best remembered not recreated.
Just raising a glass to the best.
Rip Bonzo.
On the morning of September 25, 1980 I mailed in my ticket requests and money order for Zeppelin’s upcoming November shows at Chicago Stadium. In the afternoon I heard on the radio that John Bonham had died. I will never forget the disappointment I felt on that day. Music was never the same.
What a tragic loss ,, the best of them all and the drummer I most try to sound like.
The wife and i visited his grave in October 1999 and the guest book had several thousand signatures from all over the world.
What an amazing impact in music!!
I will hoist a few pints in his honor today as I have for many years.
If i were a kid again, and wanted to be a drummer, i would want to base myself on one of these two people – John Bohnam and Ginger Baker. No one else would get a look-in.The best.
I play drums a bit myself.
Bonham’s drumming was years, indeed decades, ahead of its time.
For example, he was playing hip-hop grooves in 1976! Hots On For Nowhere.
All of the big name drummers now name and revere him as ‘the greatest’ ever rock drummer.
Young drummers, not even born in 1980, are continually turned on to his playing.
Gone far too soon. Hero. Legend. Giant. Inspiration. 30 Years Gone…
30 years gone…but alive and kicking…
will be raising a glass or two to bonzo down at the local. the pub owner has agreed to play Led Zep 06/21/1977 from my collection straight thru as a tribute to the engine that drove zeppelin. can’t think of a more fitting tribute….
RIP Bonzo 30 years on…
brian
I wish I could make it to Hollywood-sounds like it will be a fitting tribute to Bonzo. Jason, hope somehwere, your dad is watching. Make him proud. It does not feel like thirty years ago to the day, when the shocking news broke of Johns passing. I walked in to High School and saw my best mate and fellow Zeppelin fan, the one who got me listening to Zep, crying on the shoulder of a girl, and instantly knew that something was wrong.
Like many before me- I will be making the annual trip to Rushock to pay my respects to John.
Jonny B
The Caird Hall Dundee, November 13th 1971. The night that changed my life for ever. This was the first of four times I had the pleasure to witness the greatest band of all time live on stage. I was still on a high while I waited outside the Caird Hall for my ride back to St.Andrews. Then to my amazement, the four members of THE band walked past me to get to their waiting limo. Bonzo stopped to talk to me. I asked him for his autograph. He took my concert ticket and graciously signed the back of it for me. To this day it is most treasured possession. 30 years ago I was devastated by the great mans death, I still am. 30 years ago I put a special notice in Sounds music paper. John Bonham – May you ascend the stairway peacefully, Raymond, St.Andrews. 30 years on, I hope he did.
I had finally arranged to see Led Zeppelin in Chicago I was counting down the days until the US tour kicked off. I heard the news that John had died while listening to the radio at work. I was so upset that I couldn’t stop crying; my boss finally let me go home. I felt like I had lost a family member; and just knew at that moment, that Led Zeppelin would not go on without him. He may have been on this earth for only a short time but what he accomplished; his gift of music will never die.
THERE WILL ONLY EVER BE ONE BONZO
HOPE EVERYONE RAISES A GLASS OR 2 TO HIM
i miss zeppelin being around it was a sad day thirty years ago, he was the best, still the greatest band in the world and always will be………..paul.
Broke the mold…
Made the template…
Raised the bar…
Still never bettered and still the best…
whole lotta zeppelin to be played tomorrow
bonzo,people will still be talking about your drumming for the next 30 years.never to be surpassed.R.I.P.thank you.
wow !! Just watching the clip of Bonzo playig Moby Dick at the Albert Hall says it all really, A TRUE TRUE LEGEND RIP – JHB
A legendary drummer, manic at times (Achilles last stand) which is why he was a legend. The world became a little blacker when he died.
John Bonham, not just a legend but, a phenomenon. I’m amazed to this day how so many drummers and musicians alike still regard John as one of the best rock drummers of all time.
It’s with honour that I sit behind my own amber vistalite drum kit and try to mimmick the man who inspired me to play.
John, you are sadly missed but, greatly appreciated for your contribution to the world of music and the art of drumming.
On behalf of myself, your fans, friends and family.
Thank you.
I still vividly remember the day I Heard he passed…I immediately locked myself in my room and played all 9 albums in a row and cried like I had lost a member of my family… Thank you, Bonzo, for being the best timekeeper ever and I know that you are proud of your son, he is a chip off the old block and keeping your name and the name of LED ZEPPELIN alive…no one is or will be the drummer you were, you can be proud of that…my thoughts and love go to your family on this day and every day… Peace, Bonzo…
Come down to The Railway Tavern in Coltishall, near Norwich on Saturday to watch local band Egypt (All ex-groundhog members)play an extended set of only Led Zepplin stuff. Should be a great crowd with people showing interest from all over the country and also Europe.
Special note to Alan Fish-Egypt Bass Player. thanks for everthing -Keep on Rockin in a free world!!
John Bonham is an absolutely unique icon in the rock world. His unbelievable drumming achievements have set a seemingly perpetual all-time standard, by which every other drummer, in sheer awe of the man, is happy to be measured against. Take away John Henry Bonham’s contribution and there is no Led Zeppelin. Quite literally the Hammer of the Gods. Not only the most outstanding musician of his generation, but quite possibly the single most gifted there has ever been. Loved and respected in every corner of the world. Here was a life well lived and a legacy of such high stature that it will be celebrated for as long as people love music.
Thank You Bonzo.
Bonzo – just the best drummer ever. Even now, the hairs on the back of my neck stand up when I see the footage of him playing at Earls Court in 1975, still one of the greatest events in my life.
Leave your response!
TBL Products
About TBL
Tight But Loose Website edited by Dave Lewis and Gary Foy.
Tight But Loose Magazine created by Dave Lewis 1978. TBL/Web launched by Dave Linwood 1995. TBL logo by Mike Warry.
All written material and photographs are copyright © Tight But Loose. Not to be reproduced without prior permission.
Tight But Loose welcomes input / info / tour reports / CD reviews / CDR’s & Tapes on any Zep related topic past and present.
Archives
Recent Posts
Recent Comments
Tags
Views