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John Bonham: curiosities you may not know about Led Zeppelin's historic drummer

John Henry Bonham, also known as Bonzo, is considered one of the greatest and most influential drummers in the history of rock music for his unique and overwhelming style of playing. 

His artistry helped to make Led Zeppelin's sound unique: on each of the nine albums in the band's discography, the unmistakable talent and style of its drummer can be seen. 

John Bonham was born on 31 May 1948 and would have been 75 years old today. Sadly, Bonham died at the age of only 31 on 25 September 1980, suffocated by his own vomit after abusing alcohol.

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John Bonham would have been 75 years old today
John Henry Bonham, also known as Bonzo, is considered one of the greatest and most influential drummers in the history of rock music for his unique and overwhelming style of playing. His artistry helped to make Led Zeppelin's sound unique: on each of the nine albums in the band's discography, the unmistakable talent and style of its drummer can be seen. John Bonham was born on 31 May 1948 and would have been 75 years old today. Sadly, Bonham died at the age of only 31 on 25 September 1980, suffocated by his own vomit after abusing alcohol.
Dina Regine, Wikimedia Commons
John Bonham was voted best drummer of all time by Rolling Stone
In 2011, following a readers' poll, 'Rolling Stone Magazine' awarded him the title of 'best drummer of all time', placing him first on the Best drummers of all time list.
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John Bonham's "too much noise"
Bonham faced many complications in his early career as a drummer, as he was inevitably regarded as too noisy, and for a time, clubs in his area even went so far as to not allow 'bands with John Bonham on drums' to play.
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Early career and alcoholism
Bonham quickly developed, already during his first tours with Led Zeppelin, a very strong addiction to alcohol, with implications straddling the tragic and the comical: roadies and band members themselves recount that, once drunk, the drummer was prey to violent personality changes to the point of earning the nickname 'The Beast'.
Di Ebbskihare - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Sept07.JPG, Pubblico dominio, https://commons.wik
His passion for motors
He loved cars and motorbikes: his garage could boast dozens of unique or rare pieces, bought around America and England during the group's tours.
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Bonham's death was the end of Led Zeppelin.
Upon John's death, the Led Zeppelin experience was put to an unceremonious end with this eloquent press release: 'We wish to make it known that the loss of our dear friend and our deep sense of respect for his family have led us to decide - in complete harmony between ourselves and our manager - that we can no longer continue as we were.
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His version of "Beware my love"
The drummer played on a version of Wings' 'Beware my love', which remained unreleased until 2014. Bonham participated in an early demo of the song, which only received official release when McCartney collected some rarities for the bonus disc of the album's expanded reissue in 2014.
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The death of genius
On 25 September 1980, the band was planning a return to the stage after a short break. Bonzo turned up at Page's villa to record and was already quite tipsy, and during rehearsals he continued to drink to the extent that he was no longer able to play. The other band members took him to another room to let him sleep. The next morning they found him lifeless, choking on his own vomit at the age of 32.
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