On this day 06 August

 

1998 06 August Jimmy Page and Robert Plant at Tom Kenny wedding in Ireland
♪  Roisin Dubh by Innisfree Ceoil

• 1966 The Yardbirds - Chicago, IL at Chicago Civic Opera House
• 1969 - Led Zeppelin - Sacramento, CA at Sacramento Memorial Auditorium
• 1998 - Page & Plant - County Kerry, Ireland at Tom Kenny's wedding reception

1998:

Tom Kenny, an Irish lighting designer, has worked with many bands over the years including Led Zeppelin. In 1994, Bill Curbishley, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant's manager, asked Kenny to do the lighting for the Page and Plant tour.

In Tom Kenny's words:  “This was the first time Jimmy and Robert had worked together in years and both were jaded with the typical concert. ... My ever-changing live lighting approach really suited the band's emotionally inspired, fiery performances every night. We did another amazing tour in 1998 and I've worked with both Jimmy and Robert on solo projects since. 

Later that year Jimmy Page and Robert Plant performed at Tom Kenny's wedding.  

2012:

Adidas Underground was a series of events "popping up" in varying London locations.  They combined art, music, fashion and other unique experiences.  In 2012, twelve different evenings were put on to celebrate the London 2012 Games.  One of them was held on this day, with the Stone Roses performing in front of celebrities, VIPs, competition winners and Olympic medalists - not to mention Jimmy Page.  And, as so often happens when JP is around, everybody had to get their photo taken with him.

2012 06 August Jimmy Page at Adidas Underground for a surprise one-off Stone Roses performance

Olympic rower Pete Reed & Jimmy Page

Jimmy Page & fashion designer Pam Hogg

Here's some Robert Johnson for you because why not.

♪  Sweet Home Chicago (Robert Johnson) YouTube
♪  Crossroad (Robert Johnson) YouTube
♪  Kind Hearted Woman Blues (Robert Johnson) YouTube
♪  Travelling Riverside Blues (Robert Johnson) YouTube
♪  Travelling Riverside Blues (Led Zeppelin) YouTube

On This Day 06 August

Private events

1998 06 August Jimmy Page and Robert Plant at Tom Kenny wedding in Ireland
♪  Roisin Dubh by Innisfree Ceoil

• 1966 The Yardbirds - Chicago, IL at Chicago Civic Opera House
• 1969 - Led Zeppelin - Sacramento, CA at Sacramento Memorial Auditorium
• 1998 - Page & Plant - County Kerry, Ireland at Tom Kenny's wedding reception

1998:

Tom Kenny, an Irish lighting designer, has worked with many bands over the years including Led Zeppelin. In 1994, Bill Curbishley, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant's manager, asked Kenny to do the lighting for the Page and Plant tour.

In Tom Kenny's words:  “This was the first time Jimmy and Robert had worked together in years and both were jaded with the typical concert. ... My ever-changing live lighting approach really suited the band's emotionally inspired, fiery performances every night. We did another amazing tour in 1998 and I've worked with both Jimmy and Robert on solo projects since. 

Later that year Jimmy Page and Robert Plant performed at Tom Kenny's wedding.  

2012:

 Adidas Underground is a series of events "popping up" in varying London locations.  They combine art, music, fashion and other unique experiences.  In 2012, twelve different evenings were put on to celebrate the London 2012 Games.  One of them was held on this day, with the Stone Roses performing in front of celebrities, VIPs, competition winners and Olympic medalists - not to mention Jimmy Page. 

2012 06 August Jimmy Page at Adidas Underground for a surprise one-off Stone Roses performance

I'm out of town right now, so I've got limited time to research music for you on this and the next few days.  So here's some Robert Johnson for you because why not.

♪  Sweet Home Chicago (Robert Johnson) YouTube
♪  Crossroad (Robert Johnson) YouTube
♪  Kind Hearted Woman Blues (Robert Johnson) YouTube
♪  Travelling Riverside Blues (Robert Johnson) YouTube
♪  Travelling Riverside Blues (Led Zeppelin) YouTube

On This Day 05 June

The musicians who play at tribute concerts generally have a connection with the person being honored. Here's the Jimmy Page - Alexis Korner connection.

1984 05 June On This Day Alexis Korner Tribute Concert, Nottingham,England at Nottingham Palais Ballroom.
Note incorrect year in text of this On This Day post - 1984, not 1988

Alexis Korner Tribute Concert setlist

London was a hotbed of music in the 1960s. Today's biggest names in music experienced an artistic cross-pollination the likes of which begs comparison to that of Italy in the 1400s. British (and American) musicians intermingled, sampled, absorbed and reconfigured each others' music, forming the backbone of what we have listened to and loved ever since.

Alexis Korner (1928 – 1984) was one of these core artists of the times. He was a blues musician and a radio broadcaster, and was one of the founders of Blues Incorporated, a loose-knit group of electric blues and R&B musicians. The members of Blues Incorporated changed over time, but you'll recognize Charlie Watts, Jack Bruce and Ginger Baker, for instance.

Blues Incorporated had drop-in musicians who occasionally performed , including Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Brian Jones, Rod Stewart, John Mayall and yes, our very own Jimmy Page, not to mention Robert Plant. In fact, Robert Plant and Alexis Korner were in the process of recording a full album with Plant on vocals when Jimmy Page asked him to join in Page's own new musical project, the one that would become Led Zeppelin.

In 1981, Korner joined another supergroup, Rocket 88, a project led by Ian Stewart (the Stu of Led Zeppelin's Boogie With Stu) that featured a rhythm section including Jack Bruce and Charlie Watts. The name of the band came from Rocket 88, a song first recorded in Memphis in 1951. Rocket 88 was credited to Jackie Brenston and his Delta Cats, which was actually Ike Turner's Kings of Rhythm (the band of the Ike & Tina Turner Revue).

A 1949 Oldsmobile Rocket 88

The Alexis Light Orchestra was put together by Ian Stewart for the two tribute concerts for Alexis Korner. The ALO included Charlie Watts, Ian Stewart, Jack Bruce, Jimmy Page, Paul Jones, Ruby Turner.  The  two concerts raised funds to benefit cancer research, one on this date in June in 1984 and the second in July 1984 at the Pistoia Blues Festival in Italy.

• 1968 The Yardbirds - Montgomery, AL at International Speedway Fairgrounds
• 1970 Led Zeppelin records Poor Tom at Olympic Studios, Barnes, England
• 1984 05 June On This Day Jimmy Page - Alexis Korner Tribute Concert, Nottingham,England at Nottingham Palais Ballroom

1968 Yardbirds at Montgomery Speedway, 4-5 June Photo Carolyn May Jordan Wright

1968 Yardbirds at Montgomery Speedway, 4-5 June Photo Carolyn May Jordan Wright

♪  Poor Tom (Led Zeppelin 1970) YouTube
♪  Sweet Home Chicago (Alexis Korner Tribute Concert, 1984) SoundCloud

♪  Hoochie Coochie Man  (Alexis Korner Tribute Concert, 1984) YouTube

♪  Jimmy Page Instrumental (Alexis Korner Tribute Concert, 1984) YouTube