How an abandoned guitar changed Jimmy Page’s life
Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page knew from a young age that his destiny was to play the guitar professionally and therefore happily dedicate his life to music. The instrument wasn’t always in his plans, but it mysteriously found a way into his life, which Page felt was destiny, and from that moment, he’s never looked back after it stumbled into his possession.
Despite his musical prowess, Page didn’t come from a household where this was particularly common. His first eye-opening exposure to the power of music came at a neighbour’s house as a child, which blew him away. During an interview with Louder Sound, the Led Zeppelin guitarist revealed he “felt the depth of” the classical music that played on the stereo and admitted, “there’s absolutely no doubt that had a serious effect on me.”
However, when he returned home, no musical devices were there to stimulate his newfound obsession. Shortly after his epiphany, Page’s family moved to a new address, and much to his delight, when he arrived at his new abode in Epsom, there was an abandoned guitar waiting for him, which the previous owners had left behind.
Page recalled: “What is interesting in the equation is that there wasn’t anybody in my family who played guitar. I had an uncle who played pub piano. He could play various songs, but he never taught me anything. He wasn’t willing to teach, but when we moved from Feltham to Miles Road, in Epsom, there was a guitar left behind in our new house by the previous owners. And that was like a really weird intervention, where the guitar sort of found me.”
When asked if this was his Excalibur moment, Page likened himself to King Arthur and said: “It honestly is. It’s like, whether I wanted to be a musician or not, I was going to be one. But yes, I was fascinated by the whole process of being enveloped by sound and being part of it. And also, being in a choir, there’s the whole ambience of it. It’s funny how I was picking it up as a kid. And once it came to the point of hearing rock’n’roll coming from America, it was just a youth explosion of music.”
Not only does Page feel lucky to have stumbled upon this mythical instrument, which lit up his life, but he also believes it was perfect timing due to the cultural happenings of the day. He explained: “I’m so fortunate to have been born at that time, to witness that moment. It was like a line: on one side of it everything is very quaint and old-fashioned, and suddenly there’s this whole explosion of adrenaline, music and attitude.
“So you’re listening to all this stuff, and it’s like it came from another planet. And I had a guitar sitting in the house – untuned; nobody had ever played it. And then there was a connection I made with this friend Rod at school, who showed me a few chords. And that was it. Once I heard rock’ n’ roll I was infected by it, really, and there wasn’t going to be a cure. I didn’t wanna be cured.”
Of his first guitar, Page added: “I don’t know where it ever went, but that original guitar wasn’t the easiest to play. The strings were miles away from the fingerboard. Not too far away that they would inhibit one from wanting to play it.”
After showcasing his desire to be a guitarist with the abandoned instrument, his parents understood how serious Page was about his new hobby. As a result, they bought him a brand new guitar for his next birthday, allowing him to advance his musicianship.
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