Led Zeppelin biography

Led Zeppelin, a band considered the most successful and influential pioneer of heavy metal, was made up of Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, Jason Plant, and John Bonham. They formed in the late 1960's and quickly gained popularity. Jimmy Page had a keen understanding of the guitar, which was hugely beneficial to the group. He was also skilled in recording-- he did not over-do distortion, but instead used it to play up the band's talents. Their predecessors, the Yardbirds, paved the way with a guitar style consisting of a hint of Blues and they added their own twists of British folk music and mythology.
Their biggest hit, "Stairway to Heaven," was never released as a single. Even so, the band sold over 100 million records in the United States alone throughout their career. Led Zeppelin II became #1 on the Billboard charts within two months of release; since then, every release of new material has gone platinum. In 1973, their U.S. tour actually broke box office records in many states, a feat which showed their popularity was equal to (if not greater than) that of the Beatles. By 1975, they were considered the most popular rock and roll group in the world.
Sadly, in 1975, there was a car crash which involved Plant and his family. This event made tours less frequent, which only increased their popularity as the world saw them as more mysterious and mystical. In 1976, they released their cd Prescence, which sold more than four million copies, and began their U.S. tour. More tragedy hit Plant's family as his six year-old son died unexpectedly of a viral infection. They cancelled the rest of the tour. Grief-stricken, he took the next year and a half off. Luck did not pick up speed for the group. On September 25, 1980 the group had just finished a short British tour and was auditioning for another U.S. tour when Bonham died of asphyxiation; while passed out from drinking one night, he inhaled his own vomit and died. After this, the group broke up. They all attempted solo projects, but never formed new bands. Since then, various Greatest Hits cds have been released and the three remaining members made their first appearance again in 2007.



http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/ledzeppelin/biography