Jimmy Page names the band that defined “what rock ‘n’ roll is all about”
If anyone were to attempt to define the ethos of rock ‘n’ roll, Jimmy Page’s assertion would be among the most authentic.
“‘Rock and Roll’ was something that came purely out of the ether,” Page once proclaimed, as quoted by Daniel Rachel in the 2014 book The Art of Noise: Conversations with Great Songwriters. Page’s complete reinvention of how a guitar could be approached and played, disruptive and endlessly thrilling, defined Led Zeppelin’s sound and ushered in a blistering wave of hard rock and heavy metal. However, while they remain, as a collective, starkly unlike anything that had been heard before, it was itself inspired by the forebearers of American blues music.
The artistry of musicians including Muddy Waters, Skip James and Howlin’ Wolf is heard distinctly in Led Zeppelin’s songbook, particularly their earliest albums. The “12-bar blues” chord progression was utilised on all but one Led Zeppelin album, and Page himself had come to Led Zeppelin from his blues-inspired band, The Yardbirds, as well as a reputation as a prolific session guitarist, in his own right. For as electrifying as Led Zeppelin was in their prime, their entire output, from song lyrics to vocal stylings to chord progressions and more, is indebted to the blues, as were many bands that emerged around the same time.
One band, in Page’s view, would determine the true meaning of rock ‘n’ roll: ZZ Top. Forming the year after Led Zeppelin in 1969, the Texas band’s signature sound was largely grounded in vocalist/guitarist Billy Gibbons’ blues style of playing, creating a guitar-driven sound with additional elements of their Southern rock roots. Visually, Gibbons and late bassist/vocalist Dusty Hill’s mirrored sunglasses, hats and long beards made ZZ Top an instantly recognisable force. With drummer Frank Beard, the trio earned a fan in Page, who remarked that they were “damn fine,” expressing his admiration of their artistry.
“I think that’s what rock ‘n’ roll is all about,” Page said of the band to Guitar World in 1986. “They really are incredible. They have great music, really fine playing, really solid, and they have a sense of humour as well. They’re damn fine. And everyone is enjoying it and enjoying themselves.”
Page was also intrigued by ZZ Top’s visuals, not in their iconic bearded looks, but in their music videos. At the time, in the mid-1980s, with MTV as the dominant force in music consumption, a music video could make or break any band, even those with a solidified legendary status such as Led Zeppelin. In the same conversation with Guitar World, Page expressed that he had little interest in appearing in a music video of his own.
“I like the idea of it, I don’t know how to explain the techniques of it. I can’t even mime the bastards properly, and that is a drag,” he said with a laugh. But, he was fascinated with ZZ Top’s video for their 1986 hit ‘Rough Boy’.
“But all I can say to you is, if you’ve seen ZZ Top’s latest one, then you could see how I’d say to somebody, ‘I have this idea, but I don’t know how it’s done,’” Page expanded. “There are techniques which I’ve been away from for a long time, and I wouldn’t know. I’m determined to find out how some of that video was done.”
Gibbons has shared his mutual admiration for Page, as well. Speaking to Music Radar in 2018, he called the guitarist “one of the greatest,” citing the 1966 film Blow-Up in which Page appears playing guitar with bandmate Jeff Beck in The Yardbirds. “Listening to the band doing ‘Train Kept A-Rollin’… It’s just ferocious,” Gibbons exclaimed. “Both of those guys had tone for days.”
