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Today in Music History: Happy Birthday Bonzo!

Posted at 7:04 AM on May 31, 2011 by Jim McGuinn
Filed under: Music History

Birthdays today: Peter Yarrow of Peter Paul and Mary is 73 and still puffing the magic. Mick Ralphs of Mott the Hoople and Bad Company is 67.
Corey Hart is 49, he may or may not still wear sunglasses at night and has somehow sold 13 million records in his career.
Darryl McDaniel (DMC) is 47.
Johnny Paycheck would have been 73 but he shoved his final job in 2003.

1958: Dick Dale invents surf music performing "Let's Go Trippin'" at the Rendevouz Ballroom, Newport Beach.

1961 Chuck Berry opens Berry Park, an outdoor amusement park in Wentzville (near St. Louis)

1969 John and Yoko record Give Peace a Chance at Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal

1977 The biggest and most expensive rock tour in history begins as Emerson, Lake and Palmer embark on a worldwide tour, following the release of Works Vol. 1. 125 people begin the tour, including a 70-piece orchestra.

1980 The #1 song in America is "Funky Town" from Minneapolis' own Lips Incorporated

For the history highlight we salute on of the greatest drummers in rock history - John Bonham. Born on this day in 1948, in 1968 Bonham joined The New Yardbirds, who would soon change their name to Led Zeppelin, though this pairing almost never happened - Robert Plant sent eight telegrams to Bonham's pub, which were followed by 40 from manager Peter Grant. At the same time Bonham was also receiving lucrative offers from established artists Joe Cocker and Chris Farlowe. Eventually, Bonham accepted Grant's offer. He later recalled, "I decided I liked their music better." The rest was rock history - at least until his death in 1980 - choked on his own vomit after a day of heavy drinking (40 shots of vodka!) while Zeppelin was rehearsing for what would have been their first tour in 3 years. Bonzo was only 32.

Over 30 years after his death, Bonham continues to garner awards and praise, including a Rolling Stone readers' pick in 2011 placing him in first place of the magazine's "best drummers of all time." We'll highlight some thunderous work on the Zeppelin classic, "Black Dog."

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