Becoming John Bonham

“There were times when I blundered and got the dreaded look from the lads. But that was a good sign. It showed I’d attempted something I’d not tried before.” – John Bonham

Like many fans, I recently saw the documentary Becoming Led Zeppelin and was once again stunned by the individual genius of each group member.  Yes, Jimmy Page created the band and drove the vision, but without Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, and – especially – John Bonham, it would’ve likely just been another loud 70s band with some pretty cool guitar riffs. Led Zeppelin was a once-in-a-generation miracle of talent and alchemy.

For all of his thunderous drumming and (later on) wild partying, John Bonham was at heart, a self-described shy man. He married his wife Pat at 18 years old, and a few months later, their son Jason was born. He became as much of a family man as he could be: his school headmaster once noted that Bonham would either “become a dustman or a millionaire.” Bonham himself admitted, “Drumming was the only thing I was ever good at.”

Bonzo’s love of drums began at age 5 when he built his kit from coffee cans and various containers to imitate his heroes Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich. At 10, he got a proper drum set. While working as an apprentice carpenter, he played in local bands (where he met Robert Plant).

After kicking around the Midlands together, Bonham and Plant joined Led Zeppelin in 1968. The connection between John Paul Jones and Bonham was instant. Jones described him as “loud from the bottom up,” adding nuance and variety to anything he played.  In Becoming Led Zeppelin, Jones sweetly notes that he “fell in love” with Bonham’s right foot; he instinctively left space on his end to highlight a certain kick or fill from his rhythm partner.

Yes, Bonham had speed, power, and precision, but it’s acknowledged that he took drumming to an entirely new level of musicianship. Just ask his fans Roger Taylor, Dave Grohl, or Neil Peart. Or Jimmy Page for that matter: “He would have a natural balance to everything he was playing. And then he’d give a bass-drum accent that you’d feel it go into your stomach.” Case in point: ahead of Zeppelin’s controversial appearance at the 1969 Newport Jazz Festival, several members of James Brown’s band stood open-mouthed at the side of the stage as he wailed away during sound check.

As Physical Graffiti celebrates its 50^th anniversary, I’ve been revisiting that album. Listening to “In My Time of Dying” the other night, I heard something different in Bonham’s drum work: this isn’t just some showy time-keeping, it’s as rhythmically complex and stirring as anything composed by Stravinsky.

Jones noted that Bonham always struggled with the stress of touring and he hated flying. The punishing schedule the band was on (e.g. six American tours in fifteen months) didn’t fit his nature, so it’s no surprise he turned to booze to cope. When he died in 1980, the band called it quits.

Over the years, Page has tried to explain to persistent reporters and talk show hosts that the complex improvisational ability the group had developed together – especially Bonham’s talent for mixing things up on the fly – could never be replicated with another drummer. With the loss of Bonzo, Zeppelin – quite literally – had lost their right arm…and right foot.

Since Becoming Led Zeppelin hit theaters (it will stream on Netflix this summer), sales of their back catalog have soared. In February 2025, “Whole Lotta Love” rejoined the Top 10 on Billboard’s Hard Rock Digital Songs chart.

The loss of John Bonham still stings. As each member of his former band has gone on to explore and develop new things, you can’t help but wonder what this powerhouse musician would’ve achieved in his later years.

-Cindy Grogan

Photo: Getty Images