The Rocker Chronicles

Led Zeppelin started life in 1968 out of the ashes of the Yardbirds, and in fact began by calling themselves “The New Yardbirds.” Aside from the Beatles and Rolling Stones, they were the most important band to come out of the British Invasion. I was an immediate Yardbirds fan.
After performing more than 700 concerts, selling over 200 million records, being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995, and having the most requested rock song of all time, we still revere them.  We share their music with the next generations. To this date, Led Zeppelin has neither burned out nor faded away. 

As the twentieth century became the twenty first, I knew that the band’s influence on music, style and personal expression had crossed the divide – that Led Zeppelin’s appeal is not only contemporary and global, but multigenerational as well. The sheer number of today’s top recording artists who cite them as a key influence on their music testifies to the band’s enduring importance. Many told me their stories.We are now in the 2020’s and the world has not seen the last of books on the mighty Led Zeppelin. I’ve thought to myself, what’s left to say? Most of the existing books were written by people who never actually met the band. Some have never even seen them play. Many have been written by people who weren’t even born when Led Zeppelin formed, let alone when they disbanded in 1980. And, there still hasn’t been an authorized version of the band’s story. 

I wrote a book called Get the Led Out: How Led Zeppelin Became the Biggest Band in the World. It was a best-seller, and, finally, I’ve decided to update it. How will it add to the Zeppelin legacy? The first version of the book allowed me to tell their story as told to me, by the members of the band themselves – in rare, unguarded interviews – and by those who witnessed it all. I have always wanted facts, not myths; eyewitness accounts, not critiques. I have always wanted information from credible sources, not gossip from the usual suspects.

In the time since I’ve written that book, I’ve gotten even more of the kind of information I like. And, superfan that I am, I want to share it.

I’m going to include something for the casual fan as well as the hardcore devotee. Because, in the end, Led Zeppelin is still the biggest band in the world. And with Led Zeppelin streaming in my ears, every day is still Celebration Day!