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The author who covered the history of the Beatles takes on Led Zeppelin in a new book

By Steve Goldstein
Published: Monday, November 29, 2021 - 12:11pm
Updated: Monday, November 29, 2021 - 2:18pm

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Led Zeppelin the Biography by Bob Spitz
Penguin Press, Elena Seibert
Bob Spitz, author of “Led Zeppelin: The Biography.”

Billboard music charts in the late 1960s were dominated by R&B artists like Otis Redding and the Temptations, the so-called British Invasion bands like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones, and even the mellower, singer-songwriters like Simon & Garfunkel. In that environment, not many were ready for the sounds of Led Zeppelin.

Forming out of the ashes of the Yardbirds — which had featured guitarists like Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck — Led Zeppelin had two well-known session players in Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones and a pair of relative newcomers in Robert Plant and John Bonham. It didn’t take long for the group to take off and dominate radio stations and concert venues through the 1970s — until Bonham, the drummer, died in 1980.

Bob Spitz covers the entire history of the band in his new book, "Led Zeppelin: The Biography." The Show spoke with him to learn about the legendary band's most impactful moments.

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