James Patrick
"Jimmy" Page, OBE (born 9 January 1944) is an English guitarist and producer. He
began his career as a studio session guitarist in London and was
subsequently a member of The
Yardbirds, from late 1966 to 1968, before founding English rock band Led Zeppelin.
Page is credited as a
forefather of heavy metal by not only turning up the accepted volume of the
electric guitar but also with his anthemic riffs and meticulous studio
production. Page is widely considered to be the first producer to truly
create the "heavy" sound of rock music with the combination of
new drum recording methods and revolutionary room.
In 2003, Rolling Stone
magazine ranked him #9 in their ranking of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of
All Time.Page also has the distinction of having
been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame two times as a member of
both The Yardbirds and Led Zeppelin.
In 1984, Page recorded with,
former Zeppelin vocalist, Robert Plant as The Honeydrippers. He also teamed up with Paul Rodgers of Bad
Company and Free fame to record two albums under the name The Firm
In 2005, Page was awarded the
Order of the British Empire in recognition of his Brazilian charity work,
made an honourary citizen of Rio de Janeiro later that year, and was
awarded a Grammy award.
On 6 January 2007, Jimmy was featured
at #19 on Channel 4's The Ultimate Hellraiser, a countdown of music's top
25 who "lived the rock 'n' roll lifestyle". The show's reason for
featuring Page was almost exclusively attributed to the groupies who toured
with Led Zeppelin.
