Eric Clapton Encyclopedia

Page, Jimmy

Page, Jimmy

Entry published in Biographies - Other Musicians / Last modified on 26 August 2005

Jimmy Page was born 9 January 1944 in Heston, Middlesex, England. Unquestionably, along with Clapton, he is one of the most influential guitarists of the 20th Century. Page picked up the guitar at age 13 and was mostly self-taught. After high school, he toured England with Neil Christian and The Crusaders. Forced to quit due to a serious illness, he returned home and decided to focus on art. With the emergence of the blues-rock scene in the early 60s, he decided to re-enter the music business. He became one of England’s top session guitarists and producers. During this time, he worked with The Who, Them, Donovan, The Kinks and The Rolling Stones. In 1966, he recorded several tracks with Eric Clapton, Steve Winwood and others as The Powerhouse. That same year, he joined The Yardbirds as their bassist. When Jeff Beck left the band, Page took over on guitar. By now, The Yardbirds were on the downside of their career. The band called it quits in 1968, but a number of dates were scheduled for Europe. Page put together the “New Yardbirds” including longtime session bassist, John Paul Jones and newcomers Robert Plant and John Bonham. After the tour, they changed their name to Led Zeppelin. By the mid-70s, Led Zeppelin was the biggest rock band in the world. After the band broke up in late 1980, Page disappeared from sight. In 1983, he appeared with Clapton and Beck for the star-studded ARMS Tour with dates in England and America. Since then, Page has recorded with The Honeydrippers (a band fronted by Robert Plant), The Firm, and Coverdale / Page.