A lot of talented children have probably been asked by a parent to entertain family and friends, maybe in the living room, maybe sing a little, play an instrument. No big deal and a good way to get used to performing for others. But when
Jason Bonham was a small child and got called in to entertain, the family friends he played his drums for could be anyone from
Jimmy Page to some of the guys from the group
Bad Company. That's what happens when your father is drummer
John Bonham, one of the original members of the legendary rock band
Led Zeppelin.
At the age of only five,
Jason could play the drums, at least a scaled-down set of them, with skill. When he was 17 he was a member of the band Air Race. The group signed a record contract with Atlantic, recorded one album, and opened for big names like
Queen,
Meat Loaf,
Ted Nugent, and
AC/DC.
John Bonham died in 1980, but
Jason, who has marked a few places in music history himself, has stepped in from time to time to help keep his father's memory alive. In 1988,
Jason took his father's spot in the televised, first-ever
Led Zeppelin reunion, which included
Robert Plant,
Jimmy Page, and
John Paul Jones. He went on to tour with
Page and to record the album
Outrider with him.
By 1990,
Bonham completed a solo debut album called
The Disregard of Timekeeping. One of the tracks from this first effort, "Wait for You," earned him a gold record. By 1992, with partners like vocalist Daniel MacMaster, guitarist
Ian Hatton, and bassist and keyboardist John Smithson,
Bonham finished another album,
Mad Hatter. The album carries pop/rock tracks like "Change of a Season," "The Storm," "Backdoor," and "Ride on a Dream."
Bonham teamed up with greats like
Paul Rodgers,
Slash,
David Gilmour,
Jeff Beck, and others in 1993 to work on a tribute to
Muddy Waters. The album's success brought a nomination for a Grammy Award. A year later,
Bonham, along with
Rodgers and
Slash, appeared at the memorable Woodstock II. That same year,
Bonham helped form a group known as
Motherland and released another album, Peace 4 Me. In 1995, when the members of
Led Zeppelin were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame,
Bonham, standing in his father's place, once again performed with
Jones,
Page, and
Plant.
In between session gigs,
Bonham put time and effort into another band of his own, the Jason Bonham Band. Other members are bassist and keyboardist John Smithson, guitarist Tony Catania, and vocalist Chas West. The band has toured nationwide, playing a lot of old
Zeppelin numbers, along with new works. In 1997, the Jason Bonham Band album
When You See the Sun was released under the Sony Records label.
In the Name of My Father: The Zepset Live from Electric Lady Land was released the same year. The tracks on this album are flavored just right for
Led Zeppelin fans. Profits made from the release go to the
John Bonham Memorial Motorcycle Camp for Kids. ~ Charlotte Dillon