Building My Ultimate Rock Band - DRUMMER: JOHN BONHAM

From 1971’s Led Zeppelin IV, “When The Levee Breaks” is my favorite example of raw, unadulterated power drumming. Led Zeppelin’s John Bonham is a legend. His ability to fall into the pocket in most any musical style is one of his enduring legacies, a gift made unique on this particular song. At the point it was recorded, “When the Levee…” was already a 42-year old St. Louis blues number highlighted by a poignant interplay between a harmonica and bluesy lead guitar. How to fit someone who hit a bass drum with criminal intent without overpowering the sinuous qualities of the song was the question. Bonham answered brilliantly, the dark ode given a pulse, a sentient heartbeat keeping a despondent man alive. If by what I view a virtuoso performance alone, if I’m starting a fictional, pop trending rock act? I need John Bonham to wake the echoes of rock’s memory and bring a generation pained in quiet solitude back to find a solution in the maddening fray.