John Henry Bonham’s life was short and explosive. Bonzo, as he was affectionately known, died in Windsor, England, with more than a litre of vodka in him. He was just 32 years old, and in the prime of a phenomenal drumming career with the biggest band in the world, Led Zeppelin. On his 70th birth anniversary, his legacy endures as an iconic drummer who changed the face of rock and roll.
John was born to Joan and Jack Bonham in the small town of Redditch, Worcestershire, in the summer of 1948. He started drumming at the age of five, making a makeshift kit out of tin cans and containers. When he was 10, his mother got him his first snare drum, and just five years later he received his first drum kit from his father.
Bonham never received any professional training; he grew up imitating his heroes Gene Krupa, Buddy Rich and Max Roach, whose influence became evident in the unique style that Bonzo eventually created. He wasn’t an exceptional student, but something in his nature led his headmaster to remark, “He will either end up a dustman or a millionaire.”
After leaving school, Bonzo started working with his father as a carpenter, while also playing with local bands. His drumming was fine-tuned by the advice he received from fellow musicians in the early years of his career.
In 1964, he started playing semi-professionally. A year later he joined a blues group called the ‘Crawling King Snakes’ where he met lead singer Robert Plant. Even though they went their separate ways, they kept in touch. He also met the love of his life, Patricia Philips, during this time. He married her at the age of 17.
In 1968, guitarist Jimmy Page found himself trying to put together a new band after his earlier project The Yardbirds had collapsed. After much deliberation, the unlikely group of musicians came together; Page himself as the guitarist, Robert Plant as the lead singer, John Paul Jones as the bassist, and John Bonham as the drummer. Led Zeppelin was finally born, the band that would change the world of music.
Musician John Bonham | Wikimedia Commons
The first track of the band’s debut album, Led Zeppelin I, introduced listeners to John Bonham’s hard hitting, yet technically sound drumming. Despite the experimental nature of his performance, Bonzo became the solid base on which Zeppelin could truly unfurl their genius; he was dubbed ‘The Beast’.
Within a few years, Led Zeppelin had toppled the Beatles as the most popular band on earth. The band released brilliant albums, one after another, with Bonham binding them together. The fourth album, which was released without a title, came to be recognised as one of the best albums the world has ever seen.
He could not deal well with his success. During his career, Bonzo developed an alcohol problem as well as a heroin addiction. His behaviour was often erratic and he was involved in outrageous backstage behaviour. He also started suffering from panic attacks before live shows, and would show up drunk to the recording studios. His jolly nature gave way to a darker attitude; he became prone to aggressive fits of anger and fistfights.
In the September of 1980, the band was rehearsing for an upcoming tour in North America. They had been through personal tragedies in the last few years, but things were finally looking up. On the 24th of the same month, they all met at Jimmy Page’s home and reportedly rehearsed for about twelve hours straight. John was already drunk before the rehearsal, but that didn’t stop him. He continued drinking through the session, consuming close to 40 measures of vodka.
They found him the next morning, lying on the ground, unresponsive. He had vomitted the alcohol in his sleep and choked to death. Bonham’s children and his wife had lost a loving father and husband, and his fellow band members had lost a close friend.
Rock had lost its greatest drummer.
Led Zeppelin disbanded immediately; they had decided that Bonzo was irreplaceable. The surviving members later worked on their own projects and occasionally played together in ‘reunions’ with John Bonham’s son taking his father’s place.
Although he died early, his name as the greatest rock and roll drummer had already been cemented. In 1995, he was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His work became the basis for the rock and metal drumming that was to follow, and he remains an inspiration to countless aspiring drummers across the world.
Nirvana’s drummer Dave Grohl once remarked, “John Bonham played the drums like someone who didn't know what was going to happen next—like he was teetering on the edge of a cliff. No one has come close to that since, and I don't think anybody ever will. I think he will forever be the greatest drummer of all time.”
John Bonham’s gravestone stands in the Rushock Parish churchyard in Worcestershire, accompanied by the flowers and the drumsticks his fans leave behind. Goodnight my love, God Bless, it reads.