John Bonham of Led Zeppelin: 30 Years Gone

September 25th, 2010 represents the 30th anniversary of the death of Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham and the end of the band itself. Bonham, a rampant alcoholic, died in his sleep on September 25th, 1980 at the age of 32. Bonham had been drinking heavily in the 24 hours before he died and had asphyxiated on vomit at the house of fellow bandmate, Jimmy Page, in Clewer, Windsor. Later that year, the remaining band members announced that Led Zeppelin was no more. Save for a few one-off charity concerts, that remains true even today.

John Bonham joined Led Zeppelin, originally named The New Yardbirds, in 1968 with friend and fellow musician, Robert Plant. The pair hailed from the West Midlands where they played in several local bands. Bonham's frenetic drum style inspired many famous drummers, such as Neil Peart and Dave Grohl, who attribute their talent to learning Bonham drum solos.

John Bonham's son, Jason, a drummer like his father, has played with the remaining Zeppelin members in their few and far between reunion concerts. The most recent of these was in December 2007 at the O2 Arena in London. After Robert Plant's repeated refusals to put together a full blown Zeppelin reunion tour, the younger Bonham has moved to create a tribute tour to mark the 30th anniversary of his father's death. Entitled Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience, the tour will kick on September 25th at the Key Club in Hollywood and will feature rock drummers such as Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Steven Adler of GUNS N' ROSES. The tour then takes Bonham throughout the US and Canada in October and November.

According to Bonham's website, the Led Zeppelin Experience will include live shows with guest musicians and home movies, videos and other personal mementos of his experience growing up in the shadow of his father's celebrity. Jason Bonham was only 14 years old when his father died.

The question remains whether the remaining Zep members will ever get back together with Jason in the drummer's chair. Both Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones have indicated their willingness to do so but Robert Plant, the only member to have a successful solo career post-Zep, has moved into other musical directions and has repeatedly expressed his opinion that he does not want to be a Zeppelin cover band. He has not ruled out the possibility that the band will continue to do the occasional show, however.

John Bonham is buried in the churchyard at Rushcock Parish, Worcestershire.