This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2009)

Polar Studios is one of the most famous recording studios in Scandinavia. Originally located in a former movie theater from 1934 at Sankt Eriksgatan 58-60 on Kungsholmen in Stockholm, Sweden, Polar Studios was founded by Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson of ABBA in 1977 and had its grand opening on May 18 the year after.

Led Zeppelin recorded their 1979 studio album, In Through the Out Door, at Polar Studios a few months after its grand opening. Artists such as the Ramones, Rammstein, Roxy Music, Genesis, Adam Ant, Backstreet Boys, Beastie Boys, Belinda Carlisle, Burt Bacharach, Franki, Celine Dion, Roxette, Terra Firma, Entombed, The Hellacopters and many major Swedish artists have worked at Polar Studios.

The studio was generally regarded as one of the world's finest, and its centrepiece was a Harrison mixing console, which was modified by technician Leif Mases to give it a unique sound, that in some respects resembled a Neve. ABBA's 1981 album The Visitors marked a turning point for Polar, as it was recorded on the studio's new 3M digital recorder, thus becoming one of the first digital mainstream pop records.

The interior of the studios provided the backdrop to ABBA's "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" video in 1979, more than a year after they had opened in 1978. ABBA were depicted as though they were recording the song. In reality, the recording was already complete but it provided a glimpse of what it was like to work in the Studios. It is thought that ABBA, preparing for a major tour, did not have time to film a video in a film studio so the Polar Studios were used instead. On the same day, the Spanish language video "Estoy Soñando" was also filmed there.

Michael B Tretow, born in Norkopping, Sweden on August 20, 1944, also named "Micke" was the sound engineer for ABBA at Polar Studios. He recorded all of ABBA's songs and was an important part of the "ABBA Sound". He used several recording techniques that helped shape the "ABBA Sound". He used pitch shifting by changing the speed of the taperecorder while tracking the instruments or voices for the second time. This gave a specific full spacious sound when mixed together. He met Bjorn and Benny in 1970 while working in Metronome Studios (now Atlantis Studios) in Stockholm. Michael started out as a recording artist himself and made al lot of records and recordings for Swedish Television. "Let's Boogie" is one of his records.

Polar Studios closed its doors in 2004 to reopen at a new location, King Side, Stockholm, Sweden. Today SATS, a gymnasium, is located on the studio's first floor.

Coordinates: 59°20′12″N 18°02′05″E / 59.33667°N 18.03472°E / 59.33667; 18.03472

Sweden portal

This article on a recording studio is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

Agnetha Fältskog
Agnetha Fältskog at a concert in Oslo in 1977.
Background information
Birth name	Agneta Åse Fältskog
Born	(1950-04-05) 5 April 1950 (age 62) Jönköping, Sweden
Genres	Pop, schlager, disco, folk, easy listening, rock
Occupations	Singer, songwriter, record producer
Instruments	Vocals, piano, organ
Years active	1967–1988, 2004-present
Labels	Cupol CBS Records Polar Music Warner Music Group
Associated acts	ABBA
Website	http://www.agnetha.net/

Agnetha Åse Fältskog (Swedish pronunciation: [aŋˈneː.ˈta ˈfɛlt.ˈskuːɡ]) (born 5 April 1950) is a Swedish recording artist.^[1] She achieved success in Sweden after the release of her début album Agnetha Fältskog in 1968, and reached international stardom as a member of the pop group ABBA, which has sold over 375 million records worldwide,^[2][3] making it the fourth best–selling music artist in history and the second best–selling band in history.^[4]

Life and career[link]

Early life (1950–1966)[link]

Agnetha (known as Anna in some countries^[5]) Fältskog was born on 5 April 1950 in Jönköping, Småland, Sweden.^[6][7] She was the first of two daughters of department store manager Knut Ingvar Fältskog (1922—1995) and his wife Birgit Margareta Johansson (1923—1994).^[6] Ingvar Fältskog showed much interest in music and showbusiness,^[8] whereas Birgit Fältskog was a very calm and careful woman who devoted herself to her children and household.^[9] Fältskog cites Connie Francis, Marianne Faithfull, Aretha Franklin and Lesley Gore as her strongest musical influences.^[6]

Fältskog wrote her first song at the age of six, entitled "Två små troll" ("Two Little Trolls").^[10] In 1958, she began taking piano lessons, and also sang in a local church choir.^[6] In early 1960, Fältskog formed a musical trio, The Cambers, with her friends Lena Johansson and Elisabeth Strub. They performed locally in minor venues and soon dissolved due to a lack of engagements.^[6] At age 15, Fältskog decided to leave school and pursue a career.^[6]

Career development in Sweden (1966–1971)[link]

Fältskog worked as a telephonist for a car firm while performing with a local dance band, headed by Bernt Enghardt.^[6] The band soon became so popular that she had to make a choice between her job and her musical career. She continued singing with the Bernt Enghardt band for two years.^[6] During that time, Fältskog broke up with her boyfriend Björn Lilja; this event inspired her to write a song that would soon raise her to media prominence, "Jag var så kär".^[6][9] At that time, Karl Gerhard Lundkvist, a relative of one of the band's members, retired from his successful rock and roll career and began working as a record producer at Cupol Records. Enghardt sent him a demo recording of the band, but Lundkvist showed interest in Fältskog and her song only.^[9] She was worried because he was not interested in the band and they were not to be included on the record. However, she decided to accept the offer, and signed a recording contract with CBS Records.^[6]

Her début single "Jag var så kär", written by herself, was released through Cupol Records in 1967, and topped the Swedish Chart on 28 January 1968 and sold more than 80.000 copies.^[6] She also submitted the song "Försonade" to Melodifestivalen, the Swedish heats of the Eurovision Song Contest, but it was not selected for the final.^[9] Fältskog developed a career as one of Sweden's most popular pop music artists, participating in a television special about pilots in 1968.^[11] The same year, she released the single "Zigenarvän" about a young girl attending a Gypsy wedding and falling in love with the bride's brother. Its release coincided with a heated debate about Gypsies in the Swedish media, and Fältskog was accused of deliberately trying to make money out of the situation by writing the song.^[10]

Her success continued throughout the late 1960s. She then met German songwriter/producer Dieter Zimmerman, to whom she became engaged.^[6] Thus Fältskog's albums were reaching German charts, and Zimmerman promised Fältskog she would achieve great success in Germany.^[6] When she went there and met with record producers, she refused to meet their demands, describing their chosen material as "horrible".^[6] Fältskog soon ended her engagement to Zimmerman and returned to Sweden.^[6]

In 1970, she released "Om tårar vore guld", which was perhaps her most successful song in Sweden before ABBA.^{[citation needed]} This was in spite of a claim from a Danish composer that she had used 22 bars from his composition "Tema", even though it had been written in the 1950s and had never been recorded. The case dragged on until 1977, when a settlement was reached and Fältskog paid the Dane SEK5,000.^{[citation needed]} In 1972, Fältskog portrayed Mary Magdalene in the Swedish production of the international musical hit Jesus Christ Superstar.^[9]

Marriage to Björn Ulvaeus and years with ABBA (1971–1982)[link]

Fältskog met Björn Ulvaeus, a member of the Hootenanny Singers, in 1969.^[7][9] Her relationship with Ulvaeus, as well as her friendship with Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Benny Andersson, with whom Ulvaeus had already written songs, eventually led to the formation of ABBA. Fältskog and Ulvaeus married on 6 July 1971 in the village Verum, with Andersson playing the organ at their wedding.^[6] Their first child, Linda Elin Ulvaeus, was born on 23 February 1973, and their son Peter Christian Ulvaeus on 4 December 1977.^[7] The couple decided to separate in late 1978, and Fältskog moved out of their home on Christmas night, 25 December 1978.^{[citation needed]} In January 1979, the couple filed for divorce, which was finalised in June 1980. Both Fältskog and Ulvaeus agreed not to let their failed marriage interfere with their responsibilities with ABBA.^[6][7][9] The failure of their marriage inspired Ulvaeus to write "The Winner Takes It All", one of ABBA's greatest hits.^[6][7][9]

In 1975, during the same period as her bandmate Anni-Frid Lyngstad recorded her Swedish number one album Frida ensam, Fältskog recorded and produced her solo album Elva kvinnor i ett hus. These albums were both recorded between sessions and promotion for the ABBA albums Waterloo and ABBA.^{[citation needed]} Even though ABBA was already a number one act in Sweden by 1975, Fältskog's album failed to reach the Top 10 on the Swedish album charts, peaking at number 11.^{[citation needed]} However, Elva Kvinnor I Ett Hus did spend 53 weeks on the chart, even longer than any of ABBA's albums, and it also contained three further Svensktoppen entries for Fältskog: her Swedish language version of ABBA's "SOS" (also number 4 on the single sales chart); "Tack För En Underbar Vanlig Dag"; and "Doktorn!". Except for the version of "SOS", all the songs had lyrics by Bosse Carlgren and music by Fältskog herself. The album had been underway since 1972, when Agnetha started writing the songs, but it was delayed because of the work with ABBA and her pregnancy.^{[citation needed]} In 1974, she and Carlgren agreed on a concept for the album; it should consist of 12 songs, sung by 12 different women living in the same apartment building, each having a distinct name, identity, etc. In the end, only 11 songs were put onto the album, and the concept was never fully developed.

Between the years 1968 and 1980, Fältskog had a total of 18 entries on the Svensktoppen radio chart, starting with debut single "Jag Var Så Kär" in January 1968 (peak position number 1) and ending with "När Du Tar Mig I Din Famn" from the compilation Tio år med Agnetha twelve years later, in January 1980 (peak position number 1). The 18 entries, most of which were composed or co-written by Fältskog herself, spent a total of 139 weeks on the chart during this time, with the biggest hit being 1970's "Om Tårar Vore Guld" (number 1, 15 weeks).^{[citation needed]} Fältskog also recorded the Swedish Christmas album Nu tändas tusen juleljus with daughter Linda Ulvaeus which peaked at number 6 on the Swedish album sales chart in December 1981. Chartwise Fältskog was, therefore, by far the most successful solo artist of the four ABBA members, both before and during the band's international career.^[12][13]

Fältskog is also the only member of ABBA to have participated in Melodifestivalen again after having won Eurovision with "Waterloo" in 1974, albeit only as a composer.^{[citation needed]} In 1981, she wrote the ballad "Men Natten Är Vår" ("But the Night Is Ours") with lyrics by Ingela Forsman, but instead of performing the song in the contest herself, she chose new talent Kicki Moberg. The single, which Fältskog produced in the Polar Studios with the same musicians as on contemporary ABBA recordings, was backed with the Swedish version of "I'm Still Alive", entitled "Här Är Mitt Liv" ("Here Is My Life"), a song which she herself had sung on ABBA's 1979 world tour.^{[citation needed]} Moberg's recording of the song remains the only version to have been officially released to date.^[14]

International solo career development (1982–1990)[link]

In the 1980s, Fältskog released three English-language solo albums.^{[citation needed]} The records did well in Europe and Scandinavia.^{[citation needed]}

At the end of 1982, she duetted with Swedish singer (and former ABBA backing vocalist) Tomas Ledin on a song called "Never Again", which became a Top Five hit in Sweden, Norway, Belgium, and South America.^{[citation needed]} The song was also released in a Spanish language version, entitled "Ya Nunca Más". In the summer of the same year, Fältskog starred in the hit Swedish movie Raskenstam,^{[citation needed]} and received positive reviews for her film début. The film was also a blockbuster hit in Sweden.^{[citation needed]}

In May 1983, Fältskog released her first post-ABBA solo album, Wrap Your Arms Around Me. The album became a moderate hit in North America and Australia, and reached the higher regions of the charts across Europe, including number 1 in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Belgium and Denmark (where it became the biggest-selling album of the year), and number 18 in the UK.^{[citation needed]} Agnetha sold 1.2 million records of her first solo album after ABBA.^{[citation needed]} Two singles from the album became hits in continental Europe. "The Heat Is On" became a number 1 hit in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and the Netherlands, but only just scraped into the UK Top 40.^{[citation needed]} The title track also peaked at number 1 in Belgium as well as the Top Five in the Netherlands, Germany and South Africa.^{[citation needed]} In North America, the album track "Can't Shake Loose" was released as the lead-off single, reaching No. 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and number 23 on the RPM Top 50 singles chart in Canada.^{[citation needed]}

The same year, Fältskog was voted by the readers of Aftonbladet as Best Female Artist of the Year, and received the Music Award Price Rockbjörnen.^{[citation needed]}

Her next studio album, Eyes of a Woman, produced by Eric Stewart of 10cc, was released in March 1985. "She is quite content to grace the works of various other lesser mortals with her immaculate, sugar-sweet voice," wrote Barry McIlheney in Melody Maker. The album sold well in parts of Europe, peaking at number 2 in Sweden and the Top 20 in Norway and Belgium, but failed to match the success of Wrap Your Arms Around Me.^{[citation needed]} Lead single "I Won't Let You Go", composed by Fältskog herself, however, enjoyed considerable chart success in both Continental Europe and Scandinavia.^{[citation needed]}

In 1986, Fältskog recorded another duet, "The Way You Are", with Swedish singer Ola Håkansson, which became another number 1 hit in Sweden.^{[citation needed]} In mid-1987, Fältskog travelled to Malibu, California to record the album I Stand Alone, produced by Peter Cetera and Bruce Gaitsch (fresh off Madonna's La Isla Bonita collaboration).^{[citation needed]} Released in November of that year, it was a minor hit in Europe, except for Sweden where it spent eight weeks at number 1 and became the best-selling album of 1988 and entering the Top 15 in Norway.^{[citation needed]} The single from the album, "I Wasn't the One (Who Said Goodbye)", on which Fältskog duetted with Peter Cetera, was released primarily in North America, and became her second solo single to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number 93.^{[citation needed]} It was also a Top 20 Billboard Adult Contemporary hit. Two tracks were also recorded in Spanish for the Latin American market; "La Ultima Véz" ("The Last Time") and "Yo No Fui Quién Dijo Adiós" ("I Wasn't the One (Who Said Goodbye)").^{[citation needed]}

After the release of I Stand Alone in mid-1988, Fältskog went on hiatus from her musical career and completely withdrew from public life.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] 1990-2004: Second marriage, a Dutch stalker and As I Am biography

This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2010)

In 1990, Fältskog married Swedish surgeon Tomas Sonnenfeld. They divorced in 1993.^[15] She also had a two year relationship with Dutchman Gert van der Graaf at the end of the 1990s during which time she invited him to live with her.^{[citation needed]} After Fältskog had decided to finish the relationship, he stalked her at her mansion, resulting in a court issuing Van der Graaf with a restraining order. He was arrested in 2003 and banned from entry into Sweden. In 2005, the deportation order from Sweden ran out, and within months Van der Graaf was again sighted near Fältskog's estate in Ekerö.^[16]

In 1996, her autobiography Som jag är was published in Swedish (in English the following year as As I Am), followed by several compilation CDs of her Swedish and English recordings, including one called My Love, My Life for which Agnetha picked out the music herself. Hardcore fans welcomed the autobiography, but critics panned it.^{[citation needed]}

2004–present: Return to music: 'My Colouring Book', uniting with B+B+A to promote 'Mamma Mia!'[link]

In April 2004, Fältskog released a new single, "If I Thought You'd Ever Change Your Mind" (a cover of the song originally recorded by Cilla Black). It peaked at number 2 in Sweden, number 11 in the UK, and became a sizable hit throughout Europe.^{[citation needed]} "It is exciting to hear her voice, utterly undimmed, delivering a tellingly-titled song," commented London's Music Week.^{[citation needed]} A few weeks later, the album My Colouring Book, a collection of Fältskog's covers of 1960s classic oldies, was released, topping the charts in Sweden, hitting the Top Five in Finland and Denmark, number 6 in Germany and peaking at number 12 in the United Kingdom.^{[citation needed]} The title song "My Colouring Book" is a cover of the song originally recorded by Dusty Springfield. "I love this record," enthused Pete Clark in London's Evening Standard, while Daily Mail pointed out that "it reveals a genuine affection for the era's forgotten pop tunes."^{[citation needed]} The Times reviewer noted that "her voice is still an impressive pop instrument,"^{[citation needed]} and The Observer shared the same sentiment suggesting that "time hasn't diminished her perfect voice."^{[citation needed]} Reviewing the release in The Guardian, Caroline Sullivan wrote: "Agnetha Fältskog has a vulnerability that gets under the skin of a song. She may be cheating a trifle by including no original material on this collection of 1960s covers, but if anyone can do justice to the likes of "Sealed with a Kiss", it's her. The soaring sentimentality evokes Cilla Black and Sandie Shaw in their mini-skirted pomp, and I don't say that lightly."^{[citation needed]} The release attracted media attention across Europe, but Fältskog staunchly refused to be involved in any extensive promotion of the album (including personal appearances), and thus limited her public exposure to several short newspaper interviews, a few videos and a Swedish-language low-key TV special.^{[citation needed]} Yet, the album managed to sell more than 500,000 copies worldwide, 50,000 of those in the United Kingdom alone. A second single release from the album, "When You Walk in the Room", peaked at number 11 in Sweden and also entered the UK Top 40.^{[citation needed]} "Sometimes When I'm Dreaming", originally recorded by Art Garfunkel, failed to be released as the third single from the album.

Shortly after this release, for the 2004 semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest, staged in Istanbul 30 years after ABBA had won the contest in Brighton, Fältskog appeared briefly in a special comedy video made for the interval act, entitled "Our Last Video."^{[citation needed]} Each of the four members of the group appeared briefly in cameo roles, as did others such as Cher and Rik Mayall. It was billed as the first time the four had worked together since the group split. In fact, while Bjorn and Benny filmed their more extensive parts together, Frida and Agnetha were filmed for a very short appearance separately and edited to appear together.^{[citation needed]}

In 2004, Fältskog was nominated for Best Nordic Artist at the Nordic Music Awards, and at Christmas of that year (for the first time in almost 20 years), she gave an extensive interview which was filmed by Swedish TV.^{[citation needed]} Around the same time, Sony Music released a lavishly produced 6 CD boxed set comprising Fältskog's Swedish solo career before ABBA (five original solo albums - 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1975 - and an additional compilation disc with bonus tracks).^{[citation needed]}

In January 2007, Fältskog appeared at the final performance of Mamma Mia! in Stockholm (as she had at its opening in 2005). Together with ex-husband and former colleague Björn Ulvaeus, she appeared on stage at the after show party held at Stockholm's Grand Hotel.^{[citation needed]} She also sang a duet, "True Love", with Tommy Körberg of Chess.^{[citation needed]}

In October 2008, a new compilation album, My Very Best, was released in Sweden. The double CD contains both Swedish (CD 1) and English-language hits (CD 2) from her whole solo career, from 1967 to 2004. It successfully entered as number 4 on the Swedish albums chart and was certified gold within the first week of its release.^[17]

ABBA appeared together in 2008 (1st, 5th, and 6th from left and 2nd from right)

On 4 July 2008, Fältskog joined former colleagues Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Björn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson at the Swedish premiere of the film version of Mamma Mia!, held at the Rival Theatre (owned by Andersson) in Mariatorget, Stockholm. Fältskog arrived with Lyngstad and movie star Meryl Streep, the three dancing in front of thousands of fans before joining the film's other stars and Andersson and Ulvaeus on the hotel balcony for the first photograph of all four ABBA members together in 22 years.^[18]

In January 2010, Fältskog appeared onstage together with Lyngstad at Swedish Rockbjörnen Awards to receive a lifetime honorary award for ABBA, and even giving a short, lightweight interview.

In February 2010, ABBA World, an extensive multi-million pound exhibition, debuted at London's Earls Court and included an extensive interview with Agnetha filmed in Sweden the previous summer.^{[citation needed]} For the exhibition's Melbourne launch, she recorded a light-hearted opening film together with former ABBA colleague Benny Andersson, shot in Stockholm in June 2010.^{[citation needed]}

In October 2010, Fältskog was at the opening of Mamma Mia! the musical in Denmark with former husband Ulvaeus.^[19]

Discography[link]

Filmography[link]

Bibliography[link]

• 1997 — As I Am: ABBA Before & Beyond (ISBN 1-85227-654-1)

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Wille Wendt: Topplistan - The Official Swedish Single & Album Charts, Premium Förlag, ISBN 91-971894-2-1
• 1998 — Guinness Book of British Hit Singles 7th Edition

External links[link]

• Official website
• Official Website of ABBA
• Agnetha Fältskog at the Internet Movie Database

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Anne-Marie David with "Tu te reconnaîtras"	Winner of the Eurovision Song Contest 1974 (as part of ABBA)	Succeeded by Teach-In with "Ding-A-Dong"
Preceded by Nova with "You're Summer"	Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest 1974 (as part of ABBA)	Succeeded by Lars Berghagen with "Jennie, Jennie"

v t e ABBA Agnetha Fältskog Björn Ulvaeus Benny Andersson Anni-Frid Lyngstad Studio albums Ring Ring Waterloo ABBA Arrival ABBA: The Album Voulez-Vous Super Trouper The Visitors Compilations Greatest Hits Greatest Hits Vol. 2 Gracias Por La Música The Singles: The First Ten Years Thank You for the Music Gold: Greatest Hits More Gold: More Hits Oro: Grandes Éxitos Thank You for the Music The Definitive Collection 18 Hits The Complete Studio Recordings Number Ones The Albums Live albums ABBA Live Singles "People Need Love" "He Is Your Brother" "Ring Ring" "Love Isn't Easy (But It Sure Is Hard Enough)" "Waterloo" "Honey, Honey" "Hasta Mañana" "So Long" "I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do" "SOS" "Mamma Mia" "Fernando" "Dancing Queen" "Money, Money, Money" "Knowing Me, Knowing You" "The Name of the Game" "Take a Chance on Me" "Eagle" "Summer Night City" "Chiquitita" "Does Your Mother Know" "Voulez-Vous" "Angeleyes" "Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" "I Have a Dream" "The Winner Takes It All" "On and On and On" "Super Trouper" "Lay All Your Love on Me" "One of Us" "When All Is Said and Done" "Head Over Heels" "The Visitors" "The Day Before You Came" "Under Attack" "Thank You for the Music" Other songs "She's My Kind of Girl" "En Karusell" "Another Town, Another Train" "Nina, Pretty Ballerina" "Rock'n Roll Band" "King Kong Song" "Bang-A-Boomerang" "Rock Me" "I've Been Waiting for You" "My Love, My Life" "That's Me" "Arrival" "As Good as New" "Happy New Year" "Our Last Summer" "Slipping Through My Fingers" "Like an Angel Passing Through My Room" "Put On Your White Sombrero" Video games SingStar ABBA ABBA: You Can Dance Related articles Discography Songs Unreleased songs Dick Cavett Meets ABBA Eurovision Song Contest 1974 Mamma Mia! Mamma Mia! (film) (soundtrack) ABBA: The Movie Congratulations Music of Sweden Stig Anderson "Thank ABBA for the Music" A-Teens ABBA: The Tour Book:ABBA

John Bonham
Bonham performing with Led Zeppelin in 1973
Background information
Birth name	John Henry Bonham
Also known as	Bonzo, The Beast
Born	(1948-05-31)31 May 1948 Redditch, Worcestershire, England
Died	25 September 1980(1980-09-25) (aged 32) Clewer, Windsor, England
Genres	Hard rock, heavy metal, blues rock, folk rock
Occupations	Musician, songwriter
Instruments	Drums, percussion, timpani, bongos, vocals
Years active	1962–1980
Labels	Atlantic, Swan Song
Associated acts	Led Zeppelin, Band of Joy, Paul McCartney
Website	www.ledzeppelin.com

Led Zeppelin portal

John Henry Bonham (31 May 1948 – 25 September 1980) was an English musician and songwriter, best known as the drummer of Led Zeppelin. Bonham was esteemed for his speed, power, fast right foot, distinctive sound, and "feel" for the groove.^[1] He is widely considered to be one of the greatest drummers in the history of rock music by many drummers, other musicians, and commentators in the industry.^[2][3][4][5] Over 30 years after his death, Bonham continues to garner awards and praise, including a Rolling Stone readers' pick in 2011 placing him in first place of the magazine's "best drummers of all time".^[6]

Biography[link]

Early years[link]

Bonham was born on 31 May 1948, in Redditch, Worcestershire, England, to Joan and Jack Bonham. He began learning to play drums at the age of five, making a drum kit out of containers and coffee tins, imitating his idols Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich. His mother gave him a snare drum at the age of ten. He received his first proper drum kit from his father at fifteen, a Premier Percussion set. Bonham never took any formal drum lessons, though as a teen he would get advice from other Redditch drummers. Between 1962–63, while still at school, Bonham joined the Blue Star Trio,^[7] and Gerry Levene & the Avengers.^[8]

Bonham attended Lodge Farm Secondary Modern School, where his headmaster once wrote in his school report card that "He will either end up a dustman or a millionaire".^[9][10] After leaving school in 1964, he worked for his father as an apprentice carpenter^[11] in between drumming for different local bands. In 1964, Bonham joined his first semi-professional band, Terry Webb and the Spiders, and met his future wife Pat Phillips around the same time. He also played in other Birmingham bands such as The Nicky James Movement and The Senators, who released a moderately successful single "She's a Mod," in 1964. Bonham then took up drumming full-time. Two years later, he joined A Way of Life, but the band soon became inactive. Desperate for a regular income, he joined a blues group called Crawling King Snakes, whose lead singer was a young Robert Plant.

In 1967, A Way of Life asked Bonham to return to the group, and he agreed—though throughout this period, Plant kept in contact with Bonham. When Plant decided to form Band of Joy, Bonham was first choice as drummer. The band recorded a number of demos but no album. In 1968 American singer Tim Rose toured Britain and invited Band of Joy to open his concerts. When Rose returned for another tour months later, Bonham was formally invited by the singer to drum for his band, which gave him a regular income.

Led Zeppelin[link]

After the break-up of The Yardbirds, guitarist Jimmy Page was forming a new band when he recruited Robert Plant, who in turn suggested Bonham. Page's choices for drummer included Procol Harum's B.J. Wilson, and session drummers Clem Cattini and Aynsley Dunbar. Ginger Baker was also rumoured to be on Page's list. However, upon seeing Bonham drum for Tim Rose at a club in Hampstead, north London, in July 1968, Page and manager Peter Grant were instantly convinced that he was the perfect fit for the new project, first known as the New Yardbirds and later as Led Zeppelin.^[12]

Despite an intensive campaign to snare the drummer, Bonham was initially reluctant to join the band.^[13] Plant sent eight telegrams to Bonham's pub, the "Three Men in a Boat", in Walsall, which were followed by 40 telegrams from Grant. However, at the same time he was also receiving lucrative offers from established artists Joe Cocker and Chris Farlowe. Eventually, Bonham accepted Grant's offer. He later recalled, "I decided I liked their music better than Cocker's or Farlowe's."^[14]

John Bonham's three intersecting circles sigil for the Led Zeppelin IV album

During Led Zeppelin's first tour of the United States in December 1968, Bonham became friends with Vanilla Fudge's drummer Carmine Appice. Appice introduced him to Ludwig Drums, which he then used for the rest of his career. Bonham used the longest and heaviest sticks available, which he referred to as "trees." His hard hitting style was displayed to great effect on many Led Zeppelin songs, including "Immigrant Song" (Led Zeppelin III), "When the Levee Breaks" (Led Zeppelin IV / ), "Kashmir" (Physical Graffiti), "The Ocean" (Houses of the Holy), and "Achilles Last Stand" (Presence). In fact, Page once admitted to letting Bonham use a double bass drum in an early demo of "Communication Breakdown" but claimed he scratched the track because of Bonham's "over-use" of it. The double bass style of drumming---already influential by way of Cream drummer Ginger Baker---didn't regain popularity for another twenty years. The studio recording of "Misty Mountain Hop" perfectly captures his keen sense of dynamics, and this is similarly exhibited by his precise drumming on "No Quarter". On several cuts from later albums, Bonham rather adeptly handled funk and Latin-influenced drumming. Songs like "Royal Orleans" and "Fool in the Rain" are good examples, respectively displaying great skill with a New Orleans shuffle and a samba rhythm.

His famous drum solo, first entitled "Pat's Delight," later renamed "Moby Dick", would often last for 30 minutes and regularly featured his use of bare hands to achieve different sound effects. Bonham's action sequence for the film, The Song Remains the Same, featured him in a drag race at Santa Pod Raceway to the sound of his signature drum solo, "Moby Dick". In Led Zeppelin concert tours after 1969, Bonham would expand his basic kit to include congas, orchestral timpani, and a symphonic gong. Bonham is also credited (by the Dallas Times Herald) with the first in-concert use of electronic timpani drum synthesisers (most likely made by Syndrum) during a performance of the song "Kashmir" in Dallas, Texas in 1977. Many modern rappers would later heavily sample his drumming and incorporate it into their compositions, such as Beastie Boys, who sampled "Moby Dick," "The Ocean," and "When the Levee Breaks."^[15]

During his time with Led Zeppelin, Bonham was also an avid collector of antique sports cars and motorcycles, which he kept on his family's farm called The Old Hyde. He bought The Plough pub in the nearby village of Shenstone, which shows signs of conversion work to allow him to drive his bikes or cars right behind the bar. This was not the pub featured in the film The Song Remains the Same. It was the New Inn, which is currently boarded up, the only clue to its famous past being a picture hanging close to the bar.^{[citation needed]}

Work outside Led Zeppelin[link]

As well as recording with Led Zeppelin, Bonham also found time to play on sessions for other artists. In 1969 Bonham appeared on The Family Dogg's A Way of Life, with Page and Jones. Bonham also sessioned for Screaming Lord Sutch on his album Lord Sutch and Heavy Friends in 1970. He played drums on Lulu's 1971 song "Everybody Clap," written by Maurice Gibb and Billy Lawrie. In 1972 he played drums on a Maurice Gibb produced album by Jimmy Stevens called Don't Freak Me Out in the UK and Paid My Dues in the US, credited as Gemini (given his star sign). Later in his career, Bonham drummed for his Birmingham friend, Roy Wood, on his 1979 album, On the Road Again, and on Wings' album Back to the Egg on the tracks "Rockestra Theme" and "So Glad to See You Here". Bonham was the best man of Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi at his wedding ceremony.^[16]

In 1974, Bonham appeared in the film Son of Dracula, playing drums in Count Downe's (Harry Nilsson) backing band. This was an Apple film directed by Freddie Francis. Bonham appeared in an overcrowded drum line-up including Keith Moon and Ringo Starr on the soundtrack album.^{[citation needed]}

Death[link]

On 24 September 1980, Bonham was picked up by Led Zeppelin assistant Rex King to attend rehearsals at Bray Studios for an upcoming tour of the United States—the band's first since 1977. During the journey, Bonham asked to stop for breakfast, where he drank four quadruple vodkas (sixteen shots, between 400–560 ml). He then continued to drink heavily after arriving at the rehearsals. A halt was called to the rehearsals late in the evening and the band retired to Page's house, the Old Mill House in Clewer, Windsor. After midnight on the 25th, Bonham fell asleep and was taken to bed and placed on his side. Benji LeFevre (who had replaced Richard Cole as Led Zeppelin's tour manager) and John Paul Jones found him dead the next afternoon.^[17] Bonham was 32 years old.

Weeks later at the coroner's inquest, it emerged that in the twenty-four hours before he died, John Bonham had consumed forty shots of vodka which resulted in him vomiting and subsequently inhaling his vomit causing asphyxiation. A verdict of accidental death was returned at an inquest held on 27 October 1980.^[17] An autopsy found no other drugs in Bonham's body.^[18] John Bonham's body was cremated and his ashes were interred on 12 October 1980, at Rushock Parish Church, Worcestershire. His headstone reads:

John Bonham's gravestone at Rushock Parish churchyard, Worcestershire, with drumsticks left in tribute by fans.

Despite media rumours that drummers including Cozy Powell, Phil Collins, Carmine Appice, Barriemore Barlow, Roger Taylor, Simon Kirke or Bev Bevan, among others, would join the group as his replacement, the remaining members decided to disband Led Zeppelin after Bonham's death. They issued a press statement on 4 December 1980, confirming that the band would not continue without their drummer. "We wish it to be known that the loss of our dear friend and the deep respect we have for his family, together with the sense of undivided harmony felt by ourselves and our manager, have led us to decide that we could not continue as we were." It was simply signed "Led Zeppelin".^[19]

Family[link]

John Bonham had two siblings; his younger brother, Mick Bonham (1951–2000), was a disc jockey, author and photographer and his younger sister, Deborah Bonham (born in 1962) is a singer-songwriter.

Bonham was married to Pat Phillips, and the couple had two children; his daughter Zoë Bonham (born July 1975), who is a singer-songwriter and also appears regularly at Led Zeppelin conventions and awards, and his son Jason Bonham (born 1966), a rock drummer who has gained success with various bands including UFO, Foreigner, and Bonham. He currently plays in a band called Black Country Communion which includes Glenn Hughes, Derek Sherinian, and Joe Bonamassa. They recorded an album called Black Country in 2010. On 10 December 2007, he played with Led Zeppelin on the Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert, as well as their previous reunion at the Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary show on 15 May 1988. A 1970 film clip of a four-year-old Jason playing drums appears in the Led Zeppelin film The Song Remains the Same. Zoë and Jason appeared at the induction ceremony for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 along with the surviving members of Led Zeppelin.

John's mother, Joan Bonham, died aged 81 on 10 February 2011.^[20] She was one of the lead vocalists for The Zimmers,^[21] a 40-member band set up as a result of a BBC documentary on the treatment of the elderly.^[22]

Bonham's cousin Billy Bonham (born 1950), also played keyboards for Terry Reid and Ace Kefford.^[23]

Legacy[link]

Awards and accolades[link]

While Bonham is widely considered to be one of the greatest and most influential rock drummers by other musicians and commentators in the industry, he continues to receive the greatest acclaim from fans, and several opinion polls and critic lists continue to list him in first place before any other drummer in rock history. In 2007, Stylus magazine rated Bonham number 1 on its list of the 50 greatest rock drummers,^[2] as did the online music magazine Gigwise.com in 2008,^[4] and a Rolling Stone reader's poll where he "led the list by a significant margin" in 2011.^[24] Bonham was ranked at no. 1 on Classic Rock's 2005 list of "50 Greatest Drummers in Rock",^[25] and Modern Drummer magazine describes him as "the greatest rock 'n' roll drummer in history."^[3] In September 2008, Bonham topped the Blabbermouth.net's list of "Rockers fans want brought back to life", ahead of Elvis Presley and Freddie Mercury.^[26] Rhythm magazine voted him the greatest drummer ever, topping their reader's poll to determine the "50 greatest drummers of all time" for its October 2009 issue.^[27] At the end of the BBC Two series I'm in a Rock 'n' Roll Band! on 5 June 2010, John Bonham was named the best drummer of all time.^[28]

John Bonham has been described by Allmusic as one of the most important, well-known and influential drummers in rock.^[1] Adam Budofsky, managing editor of Modern Drummer magazine, writes "If the king of rock 'n' roll was Elvis Presley, then the king of rock drumming was certainly John Bonham."^[29]

Influence on notable musicians and tributes[link]

Many rock drummers were influenced by John Bonham's work with Led Zeppelin. A few of them include Joey Kramer,^[30] Lee Kerslake,^[31] Tony Thompson,^[32] Dave Grohl,^[33] Tommy Lee,^[34] Peter Criss,^[35] Stewart Copeland,^[36] Chad Smith^[37], Dave Lombardo^[38] and Brad Wilk. ^[39]

Several of these drummers have testified to Bonham's influence, such as Roger Taylor of Queen, who stated:

The greatest rock 'n' roll drummer of all time was John Bonham who did things that nobody had ever even thought possible before with the drum kit. And also the greatest sound out of his drums—they sounded enormous, and just one bass drum. So fast on it that he did more with one bass drum than most people could do with three, if they could manage them. And he had technique to burn and fantastic power and tremendous feel for rock`n`roll.^[40]

Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters, Nirvana and Them Crooked Vultures has said:

John Bonham played the drums like someone who didn't know what was going to happen next—like he was teetering on the edge of a cliff. No one has come close to that since, and I don't think anybody ever will. I think he will forever be the greatest drummer of all time.^[41]

Similarly, Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers has remarked:

To me, hands down, John Bonham was the best rock drummer ever. The style and the sound was so identifiable to one person. Any drum set that he would play, it sounded like him.^[42]

Charlie Watts of The Rolling Stones told Guitar Player's Jas Obrecht:

John Bonham is the best at being John Bonham and doing what he does. Or did—unfortunately, he's dead. He was the best. There wasn't anyone better than John Bonham at doing that, and thank goodness we've got some records so that you can hear it.^[43]

Eric Carr, former drummer of Kiss, stated:

At least 85% of all of the rock drummers today have gotten influences from Bonham, and all have recognised how great he was. Every band in the business – guaranteed – has tried to do something with that Bonham sound, which shows that everyone from A to Z has listened to him.^[44]

Musicians other than drummers have also paid tribute to Bonham. John Paul Jones, who formed a very tight musical partnership with him as Led Zeppelin's power rhythm section, stated that Bonham was a "bass player's dream".^[45] Jimmy Page has also commented:

One of the marvelous things about John Bonham which made things very easy [for a producer] was the fact that he really knew how to tune his drums, and I tell you what, that was pretty rare in drummers in those days. He really knew how to make the instrument sing, and because of that, he could just get so much volume out of it by just playing with his wrists. It was just an astonishing technique that was sort of pretty holistic if you know what I mean.^[46]

A major tribute for John Bonham entitled "Bonzo: The Groove Remains the Same—A Night In Honor of John Henry Bonham" was performed on 25 September 2010—the 30th anniversary of his death. Notable drummers that appeared at the tribute included Steven Adler, Vinny Appice, Kenny Aronoff, Frankie Banali, Fred Coury, Jimmy D'Anda, James Kottak, Chris Slade, Chad Smith, Brian Tichy, Joe Travers, Simon Wright, and John's son, Jason Bonham. Carmine Appice performed via video.^[47]

Bonham is also admired outside of rock music. In 1988, for example, the Pulitzer laureate Christopher Rouse composed Bonham in tribute to the drummer.

Equipment[link]

Drums[link]

Bonham performing in Madison Square Garden with Led Zeppelin, in 1973

Bonham initially used Premier drums, but in the late 1960s was introduced to Ludwig drums by Carmine Appice of Vanilla Fudge.^[48] Throughout the remainder of his career, Bonham was a major endorser of Ludwig Drums. In concert, he used a wide range of different drum kits, but mostly of the same sizes. From 1970 onwards, he used a 14×26ʺ bass drum, which was the most identifiable part of his setup. He used 16×16ʺ, 16×18ʺ and (on certain live performances) a 18×20ʺ floor tom, while occasionally changing his tom sizes, which included sizes 12×14ʺ, 10×14ʺ, and 12×15ʺ.

Studio and touring kit (1969–1970)

• 12×15ʺ Tom (mounted on snare stand, and later a Rogers mount was added)
• 16×16ʺ Floor Tom
• 16×18ʺ Floor Tom
• 14×26ʺ Bass Drum

(Bonham did have a second bass drum that can be seen in the "Communication Breakdown" promo; however, it was never used in any recordings. This double bass drum set-up was once used live during a tour with Vanilla Fudge. Also included a 20ʺ floor tom which were rarely used due to their size.)

Studio and touring kit (1970–1973)

• Drums—Ludwig Green Sparkle
  • 10×14ʺ Tom (mounted on a rail consolette mount)
  • 16×16ʺ Floor Tom
  • 16×18ʺ Floor Tom
  • 14×26ʺ Bass Drum
  • 6.5×14ʺ Ludwig Chrome Supraphonic 402 Snare
  • 29ʺ Machine Timpani (1972+)
  • 29ʺ 32ʺ Universal Timpani (1972+)
  • Ludwig Speed King Bass pedal
• John was known for telling the band that the Green Sparkle kit was his favourite and best sounding kit, and it was used on all recordings from IV onwards, excluding Presence where he used the Silver Sparkle kit.

Touring kit (1973–1975) ^[49]

• Drums—Ludwig Amber Vistalite
  • 10×14ʺ Tom
  • 16×16ʺ Floor Tom
  • 16×18ʺ Floor Tom
  • 14×26ʺ Bass Drum
  • 6.5×14ʺ Ludwig Chrome Supraphonic 402 Snare
  • 29ʺ Machine Timpani
  • 32ʺ Universal Timpani
  • Ludwig speed king bass pedal

Touring kit (1977–1980)

• Drums—Ludwig Stainless Steel
  • 12×15ʺ Tom (mounted on a rail consolette mount)
  • 16×16ʺ Floor Tom
  • 16×18ʺ Floor Tom
  • 14×26ʺ Bass Drum
  • 6.5×14ʺ Ludwig Chrome Supraphonic 402 Snare—42 Strand Snare (vs. the standard 20)^[50]
  • 29ʺ Machine Timpani (1972+)
  • 32ʺ Universal Timpani (1972+)
  • Ludwig Speed King Bass pedal

Cymbals[link]

Bonham used Paiste Cymbals exclusively. His cymbal setup included Paiste Giant Beat cymbals until 1970. The Paiste Endorsement Agreement shows he experimented with cymbals including the 602 series before changing to a complete set of what is now the 2002 series in '71, which he used for the rest of his career.

His Paiste "Giant Beat" series cymbal setup (1969–1970):

• 15" Giant Beat Hi-Hats (w/ hi-hat tambourine)
• 18" Giant Beat Multi
• 20" Giant Beat Multi
• 24" Giant Beat Ride

His Paiste "2002" series cymbal setup (1970–1980):

• 15" 2002 Sound Edge Hi-Hats (w/ hi-hat tambourine)
• 24" 2002 Ride
• 18" 2002 Medium Crash
• 20" 2002 Medium Crash
• 18" 2002 Medium Crash (occasionally)
• 38" Paiste Symphonic Gong
• Ludwig Cowbell (made by Paiste)

Drum heads[link]

Bonham played Remo drum heads throughout his career. For his wood drums, he always used Remo Coated Emperors (or Ludwig equivalent) on his batter sides, while using coated ambassadors on the resonant side of his toms, and a Diplomat or clear Ambassador on the resonant side of his snare drum. The bass drums front head was always a medium weight head, for instance a Remo Coated Ambassador. The batter head was always tuned medium-tight, (almost jazz-like) and the resonant head was always tuned way up, for a full, round sound. He never put anything inside his bass drum (although his band members have said that he would sometimes fill it with crumpled tin foil, so that it would project). He only used a felt strip on the batter side occasionally. The bass drum heads were also tuned a lot higher than normal.

On the Vistalites he used Remo CS black dots on the batter side of the toms and the bass drum and clear Ambassadors on the resonant side. The snare always had a coated Emperor on the batter side and an Ambassador or a Diplomat on the snare side. He sometimes used a Gretsch 42-strand snare wires to fatten the snare sound.

Bass drum pedal[link]

Bonham used Ludwig Speed King Pedal (with tight spring tension) throughout his career. His trademark bass drum "triplets",—played interchangeably with doubles and singles—which are most notable in "Good Times Bad Times", were played on a single bass pedal, and not a double bass pedal. Unlike some contemporary drummers, Bonham did not use a double-bass drum kit. He did once own one (it was featured in the demo "Communication Breakdown"), but it was removed from his kit by the rest of the band. John Bonham did play double bass drums while the band was touring with the band Vanilla Fudge.^{[citation needed]}

It is possible to hear the squeak of the pedal in several recordings, including "Since I've Been Loving You", "The Ocean", "The Rain Song", "Over the Hills and Far Away", "Dancing Days", "The Crunge", "Houses of the Holy", "Ten Years Gone", "Bonzo's Montreux" and the live version of "I Can't Quit You Baby" on Coda and "All My Love" on In Through The Out Door. Jimmy Page later commented:

The only real problem I can remember encountering was when we were putting the first boxed set together. There was an awfully squeaky bass drum pedal on "Since I've Been Loving You". It sounds louder and louder every time I hear it! [laughs]. That was something that was obviously sadly overlooked at the time.^[51]

Tribute kits[link]

In 2005, Ludwig began issuing Bonham reissue kits in green sparkle maple and amber Vistalite. Ludwig currently offers "Zep Kits" in their Vistalite and Classic lines, with a 26" bass drum, a 14" tom mounted on a snare stand, and 16" and 18" floor toms. In 2007 they issued a limited edition stainless steel kit similar to the ones Bonham used on the last Led Zeppelin tours in the 1970s. The stainless steel shells were manufactured by Ronn Dunnett of Dunnett Classic Drums.

References[link]

Sources[link]

Constructs such as ibid., loc. cit. and idem are discouraged by Wikipedia's style guide for footnotes, as they are easily broken. Please improve this article by replacing them with named references (quick guide), or an abbreviated title. (May 2010)

• Bonham, Mick (2005). John Bonham: The Powerhouse Behind Led Zeppelin. Southbank Publishing. ISBN 1-904915-11-6
• Bonham, Mick (2003). Bonham by Bonham: My Brother John. Solihull: Icarus Publications. ISBN 0-9545717-0-3
• Welch, Chris & Nicholls, Geoff (2001). John Bonham: A Thunder of Drums. San Francisco: Backbeat Books. ISBN 0-87930-658-0

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: John Bonham

• Led Zeppelin official site
• JohnBonham.co.uk
• Drummerworld John Bonham page
• John Bonham videos, pictures, and quotes at TotalDrumsets.com
• The 23 John Henry Bonham Drum Outtakes
• John Bonham – Obituary and Public Tributes
• John Bonham at the Internet Movie Database
• John Bonham at Find-A-Grave