Led Zeppelin was an English rock band formed in 1968. The group was created by guitarist Jimmy Page and consisted of three others, Robert Plant, Paul Jones, and John Bonham. Bonham died in 1980 at the age of 32– his death signaled the dissolution of Led Zeppelin after twelve years as a group.
“We wish it to be known that the loss of our dear friend and the deep respect we have for his family, together with the deep sense of undivided harmony felt by ourselves and our manager, have led us to decide that we could not continue as we were,” the rest of the group stated, announcing the end of the band. The group was famous for not only their music but also some excesses, socially unacceptable behaviors, and even alleged abuse. After the split, each went their separate ways career-wise and would occasionally reunite as old friends. Now, they are in their late 70s and still kicking it. Read on to find out more about the living members of Led Zeppelin.
Paul Jones had a good solo career run
London. 12/10/2012 Picture by: Henry Harris / Featureflash
Jones moved back to Devon with his family after the band split and continued a solo career as a performer, producer, and arranger. He worked with Jimmy Page on two music tracks for the movie, Scream For Help in the early ’80s. He also produced albums and arranged music for Cinderella, Peter Gabriel, and R.E.M.
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He released his first two solo albums, Zooma and Thunderthief, in 1999 and 2001, respectively. He also formed a group, Them Crooked Vultures, with Dave Grohl and Josh Homme from Queens of the Stone Age. The supergroup released an album and toured in 2010. In 2019, Jones, who now resides in West London, formed a new group named Sons of Chipotle with Cellist Anssi Karttunen.
Jimmy Page collaborated with some Led Zeppelin members
Led Zeppelin was Jimmy Page’s brainchild, and after the twelve-year run together, he continued to make music. Page actively collaborated with artists like David Coverdale, Diddy, and Jones too. He had a brief stint as a member of rock supergroups X.Y.Z. and The Firm in the early ’80s.
In 1988, Page released his solo album Outrider and teamed up with David Coverdale to release their platinum album Coverdale–Page. He also worked with P. Diddy, also known as Puff Daddy, on the Godzilla soundtrack song “Come with Me.”
Page also works with his long-time girlfriend, Scarlett Sabet, on her spoken word releases, including her album Catalyst in 2019. Outside of music and running Sundragon— his guitar amp line, Page is involved in charity as a founding patron for his ex-wife, Jimena’s Action for Brazil’s Children.
Robert Plant’s career as a solo musician and collaborator
After Led Zeppelin, Plant audaciously charted his course in music, telling the Rolling Stones in 1988 that he wanted to “establish an identity that was far removed from the howling and the mud sharks of the ’70s.” He released two solo albums, Pictures at Eleven and The Principle of Moments, consecutively in 1982 and 1983. He also released the hit single “Big Log,” which was part of his 1983 album.
Also, he worked alongside Page with the nostalgia project The Honeydrippers and revisited his project, Band Of Joy, with his girlfriend at the time, Patty Griffin, who recorded and toured with him. Plant co-won six Grammys for Raising Sand with singer Alison Krauss in 2009. He launched a podcast in 2019 to “delve into his back catalogue, revisit a track from this remarkable history,” and “tell stories of inspiration, collaboration, and intervention.”