On this day 24 July

 I knew what sound I was looking for.

~ Jimmy Page, as quoted in Dave Lewis' Led Zeppelin: The Concert File

1967 24 July The Yardbirds' Little Games album released
♪  No Excess Baggage Demo (Yardbirds 1967) Soundcloud

• 1967 The Yardbirds - Little Games album released
• 1969 Led Zeppelin receives first Gold Record Award
• 1973 Led Zeppelin - Pittsburgh, PA at Three Rivers Stadium
• 1977 Led Zeppelin - Oakland, CA at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum (day 2)
• 1979 Led Zeppelin - Copenhagen Denmark at Falkoner Theatre 

1969 Led Zeppelin receives first Gold Record Award

1969:
As Jimmy Page has said in interviews, Led Zeppelin, the original album is in a way his favorite because it is the one that started it all. Although it took just 36 hours' studio time (over the course of a few weeks) it was nevertheless a long time coming. Jimmy Page knew the sound he wanted, he knew where he wanted to go with the music, and he simply made it happen when the time was ripe.

"I wanted artistic control in a vice grip, because I knew exactly what I wanted to do with these fellows. In fact, I financed and completely recorded the first album before going to Atlantic... It wasn't your typical story where you get an advance to make an album—we arrived at Atlantic with tapes in hand... Atlantic's reaction was very positive – I mean they signed us, didn't they?"
~ Jimmy Page, Guitar World interview 1993

1977:
The belly dancer. You've seen the photos!

This was the last concert before the sudden death of Robert Plant's son, Karac. Led Zeppelin would never again perform in the United States.

1977 Jimmy Page/Led Zeppelin Oakland California

1977 Oakland Coliseum during Led Zeppelin concert

2014 On This Day for 24 July

2003

Jimmy Page joined Brian May and Dan Hawkins to judge the second Riffathon charity fundraiser. The winner was Martin Tomkins.

♪  White Summer (JimmyPage/Yardbirds 1967) 
♪  White Summer (Led Zeppelin BBC Sessions 1969) YouTube
♪  Live in Pittsburgh 8MM footage (Led Zeppelin, Pittsburgh 1973) 

♪  Led Zeppelin - Pittsburgh PA at Three Rivers Stadium, 24 July 1973) 

♪  Led Zeppelin (Oakland CA at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum day 2, 24 July 1977) 

On this day 23 July

 Things don't always go the way you think they should.

1985 23 July On This Day - but these events didn't actually happen on this day

• 1966 The Yardbirds - Buxton, England at Buxton Pavilion Gardens Ballroom 
• 1973 Led Zeppelin - Baltimore, MD at Baltimore Civic Centre
• 1977 Led Zeppelin - Oakland, CA at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
• 1979 Led Zeppelin - Copenhagen, Denmark at Falkoner Theatre
• 1985 Robert Plant with Jimmy Page encore appearance - East Rutherford, NJ 
• 1995 Page & Plant - Unledded Tour - Birmingham, England at NEC Arena (day 2)

1973:

The famous scene in The Song Remains The Same, with Peter Grant venting his rage at the venue's promoter, was taken at the Baltimore Civic Center concert on this date. 

1977:

Led Zeppelin's huge Stonehenge backdrop for the Oakland 23-24 concerts was the basis for some funny stuff later on. Black Sabbath had commissioned a Stonehenge stage set for their 1983 Born Again tour (Stonehenge is the second track on the Born  Again album).  That band couldn't use the stage set because it had been mistakenly constructed too big to haul around.  Coincidentally, at the same time the writers of This Is Spinal Tap created a scene with a Stonehenge set that turns out to be way too small to use. The two didn't copy each other (a 20-minute cut of the movie with that scene dates from before the Black Sabbath tour).  Thus, we might conclude that both were inspired by Led Zeppelin at Oakland.

 

1977 Jimmy Page/Led Zeppelin at Oakland

1977 Led Zeppelin's Stonehenge backdrop at Oakland

1979:

This was Led Zeppelin's first concert in almost two years.  It was kept low-key -- tickets were actually available to purchase at the door -- because it was a warm-up for Knebworth.  

1985:

The On This Day post for 23 July 1985 is almost certainly incorrect - let's blame it on the webmaster and not Jimmy Page (why not!).  The band was on hiatus from 22 May 1985 until 14 March 1986, leaving Page free to do sets with The Beach Boys (04 July) and with Robert Plant and John Paul Jones (Live Aid, 13 July).

However, on 04 April 1986 The Firm was at Meadowlands (Brendan Byrne Arena) in East Rutherford, NJ., where Les Paul was introduced onstage. 

Robert Plant was at Meadowlands on 23 July 1985, and Jimmy Page joined him for the encores, Mean Woman Blues and Treat Her Right.  Les Paul wasn't onstage for that one.

1985 Jimmy Page & Les Paul at Meadowlands

1985 Jimmy Page, from The Firm Tourbook

♪  Led Zeppelin (Baltimore MD at Baltimore Civic Center, 23 July 1973) 

♪  Led Zeppelin (Oakland CA at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, 23 July 1977)

♪  Led Zeppelin (Copenhagen Denmark at Falkoner Theatre, 23 July 1979)

♪ Jimmy Page & Robert Plant (encore, East Rutherford NJ at The Meadowlands, 23 July 1985)

♪  Page & Plant Unledded Tour (Birmingham England at NEC Arena day 2, 23 July 1995)

On this day 22 July

"There was Keith Richards on electric guitar, myself on electric guitar ... Keith kicked it off and I began to mould a riff around his guitar part to augment the arrangement."

Scarlet, recorded in 1974 by the Rolling Stones & feat. Jimmy Page guitar released 2020

1967 22 July On This Day Jimmy Page with The Yardbirds at Santa Monica

• 1966 The Yardbirds - Gravesend, Kent England at Co-op Hall
• 1967 The Yardbirds - Santa Monica, CA at Santa Monica Civic Auditorium
• 1995 Page & Plant Unledded Tour - Birmingham, England at NEC Arena
• 2020 The Rolling Stones release "Scarlet", recorded in 1974 with Jimmy Page

In late 1967 the Dragon was hatched.

1967 March Jimmy Page's Telecaster before the Dragon

Jimmy Page's famous Dragon Telecaster started out as a generic white.  Page inherited it when Jeff Beck left the Yardbirds in 1966, and by spring 1967 the Tele sported eight reflective circle patches.

"... Jimmy Page stripped the Fender Blond paint off and handpainted a green, red and orange psychadelic dragon on the front of the ash body and replaced the pickguard with a pickguard made of clear acrylic with a sheet of diffraction grating film underneath."
~Achilles Last Stand

1995 Page & Plant at Birmingham UK

2008 July Jimmy Page backstage with The Mars Volta at the Roundhouse, London (Ross Halfin photo)

1974 - 2020
One of the three bonus cuts on the Rolling Stone's remaster of Goats Head Soup, released 04 September, 2020, was 'Scarlet', recorded in October 1974 with Jimmy Page on guitar Read about it at Ultimate Classic Rock's article, How Jimmy Page Ended Up Jamming With Keith Richards on 'Scarlet' 

♪  Over Under Sideways Down (The Yardbirds, 15 March 1967)  
♪  Scarlet (Rolling Stones feat Jimmy Page guitar 1974)  
♪ Page & Plant (Birmingham England Birmingham, England at NEC Arena, 22 July 1995)

On this day 21 July

Jimmy Page, a man of many talents and interests

1961 21 July On This Day Jimmy Page accompanies Royston Ellis

• 1961 Jimmy Page guitar fusion with poet Royston Ellis at The Mermaid Festival
• 1966 The Yardbirds - Worthing, England at Worthing Assembly Rooms 
• 1967 The Yardbirds - Santa Rosa, CA at Santa Rosa Fairgrounds 
• 1969 Led Zeppelin - New York NY at Central Park Schaefer Music Festival
• 1973 Led Zeppelin - Providence, RI at Providence Civic Center
• 2011 Jimmy Page presents MOJO Maverick Award to Donovan

1961:

Royston Ellis was born in England in 1941 and now lives in Sri Lanka.  He is a novelist, travel writer and beat poet. As a young man seeking a name for himself he performed his poetry on stage and TV to backing by a number of Liverpool musicians, including Jimmy Page and by John Lennon's skiffle band (Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Stuart Sutcliff - no drummer at that point).  Ellis has published over 60 books; in 2013 he published a retrospective book of poetry, Gone Man Squared, with a forward by Jimmy Page. 

1969:
The Schaefer Music Festival was a recurring music festival held in summer between 1968 and 1976 at the Wollman Skating Rink in New York City's Central Park. The series was sponsored by F. & M. Schaefer Brewing Company, brewer of Schaefer Beer.  It began as a one day event but quickly expanded to an annual summer-long exposition.  B.B. King and Led Zeppelin performed two shows on July 21, 1969.

1969 Jimmy Page/Led Zeppelin at Schaeffer Music Festival, Central Park NY

1969 Jimmy Page/Led Zeppelin at Schaeffer Music Festival, Central Park NY (N Fields photo)

2011:
MOJO awards are voted for by readers of the monthly MOJO Magazine and MOJO's website as well as by music critics.  The awards celebrate the musical achievements of the last 12 months as well as career-long accomplishments.  Donovan was presented with the 2011 MOJO Maverick Award from Jimmy Page.

In 2004 Jimmy Page received the MOJO Maestro Award and in 2010 he was inducted into the MOJO Hall of Fame.

2011 Roy Harper, Jimmy Page and Donovan at MOJO Honors, London (Ross Halfin photo)

♪ Led Zeppelin (New York NY at Central Park Schaefer Music Festival, 21 July 1969) 
♪ Led Zeppelin (Providence RI at Providence Civic Center, 21 July 1973) 

On this day 20 July

 Once upon a time, a long time ago, Jimmy Page first discovered that Robert Plant could sing

1966 20 July The Yardbirds Stourbridge, England at Town Hall
♪ Happenings Ten Years Time Ago (Yardbirds) Soundcloud

2010 20 July On This Day Jimmy Page interview for Guitar Aficionado Magazine

• 1966 The Yardbirds-Stourbridge, England at Town Hall
• 1967 The Yardbirds - Denver, CO at Lakeside Amusement Park
• 1969 Led Zeppelin - Warrensville Heights, OH at MusiCarnival
• 1973 Led Zeppelin - Boston, MA at Boston Garden
• 1977 Led Zeppelin - Tempe, AZ at A.S.U. Activities Center Arena
• 1995 Page & Plant Unledded Tour - Dublin, Ireland at The Point Theatre
• 2010 Guitar Afficionado Magazine interview with Brad Tolinski

1969 Led Zeppelin, Warrensville Heights (Cleveland) at MusiCarnival (Photo K Katzan)

1968:

Jimmy Page and Peter Grant checked out Robert Plant performing with a band called Hobstweedle (a.k.a. Obs-tweedle) at a teachers training college near Birmingham.  Chris Dreja was with Page and Grant.

1973:
The Boston Garden was one of the venues for Led Zeppelin's North American Tour after the release of Houses of the Holy. The crowd was rowdy and Plant's voice was strained. He tried to quiet things down several times but nothing helped so several songs were cut from the setlist and there were no encores. Again.

1977:
"Shambolic" is a word I learned from Jimmy Page, and it is a word that applies to the Tempe show, which also had several songs cut from the setlist.

1977 Jimmy Page/Led Zeppelin, Tempe, AZ

♪  Led Zeppelin (Warrensville Heights/Cleveland OH at MusiCarnival, 20 July 1969) 

♪  Led Zeppelin(Boston MA at Boston Garden, 20 July 1973) 
♪ Led Zeppelin (Tempe AZ at A.S.U. Activities Center Arena, 20 July 1977) 
♫  Jimmy Page interview in Guitar Aficionado Magazine by Brad Tolinski

On this day 19 July

 Bring it...

1998 19 July On This Day Page & Plant at Jones Beach

• 1967 The Yardbirds-Colorado Springs, CO at Colorado Springs City Auditorium
• 1969 Led Zeppelin - Chicago, IL at Kinetic Playgound
• 1970 Led Zeppelin - Berlin, Germany at Deutschlandhalle
• 1995 Page & Plant Unledded Tour - Dublin, Ireland at The Point Theatre
• 1998 Page & Plant - Wantagh, NY at Jones Beach Amphitheatre

1998 Ray Gun Magazine interview (L-R: unknown, possibly Steve Albini), Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, Dave Grohl)

1998:

Robert Plant on Michael Lee: "Michael's ...got a contemporary vision on how to present the drums in a non-hard-rock fashion. The way that he approaches the drums in the studio is different to on stage. Where I'm convinced he's building a small shed."
~ Robert Plant interview by Dave Grohl for Ray Gun Magazine

Michael Lee (1969-2008) was an English drummer who some thought might work out for a reincarnation of Led Zeppelin.  A tall man, Lee used large drum sizes like John Bonham did, and had an aggressive and dynamic drumming style. He once hit himself on his own head with a drumstick during a drum solo at the end of Rock and Roll.

Lee started out with the British band, Little Angels, toured with The Cult and a later version of Thin Lizzy. He drummed for Robert Plant starting with the 1993 album Fate of Nations.  When Page and Plant began their collaboration Lee was hired on to record and tour, and received writing credits on Walking into Clarksdale.

Lee stayed with Jimmy Page for a few additional projects, including Net Aid in October 1999 when Domino was performed for the first time.

Lee died on 24 November 2008 from an epileptic seizure.

♪ Led Zeppelin (Berlin Germany at Deutschlandhalle, 19 July 1970) 
♫  Chris Welsh footage of Led Zeppelin in  Berlin, 19 July 1970 
♪  Bring It On Home/Ramble On (Page & Plant, Dublin 1995) 
♪ Page & Plant (Wantagh NY at Jones Beach Amphitheatre, 19 July 1998)  
♫  Dave Grohl interview of Page & Plant for Ray Gun Magazine 1998 

On this day 18 July

 IN PERSON!

1970 18 July On This Day Led Zeppelin in Frankfurt
♪ Frankfurt Special (SoundCloud)

• 1969 Led Zeppelin - Chicago, IL at Kinetic Playground (day 1/2)
• 1970 Led Zeppelin - Frankfurt, Germany at Festhalle Frankfurt 
• 1973 Led Zeppelin - Vancouver, British Columbia at Pacific Coliseum 
• 1998 Page & Plant - East Rutherford, NJ at Continental Airlines Arena

1970

Chris Welsh onstage playing timbales for "Whole Lotta Love". Bonham said of that show that the audience was great - they were quiet and they listened hard.

1970 Jimmy Page/Led Zeppelin Frankfurt

1970 review of Led Zeppelin at Frankfurt

1970 Led Zeppelin in Frankfurt

1973 

No encores in Vancouver BC because Robert Plant was ill and was taken to the hospital, where he was treated for exhaustion. He was cleared to continue the North American tour, though.

1985 Guitar Pulp Magazine - John Paul Jones, Les Paul, Jimmy Page

♪ Led Zeppelin (Vancouver British Columbia at Pacific Coliseum, 18 July 1973)

♪ Page & Plant (East Rutherford NJ at Continental Airlines Arena, 18 July 1998)