1968, a young guitarist named Jimmy Page was left with the name of a band called the Yardbirds and the obligation of fulfilling an upcomming fall tour. The only member to stay with Jimmy was the bassist Chris Dreja. With hopes of fulfilling he planned to rebuild the band and call it the 'New Yardbirds'. While searching for a new vocalist Terry Reid, Procol Harum's vocalist, suggested a young singer named Robert Plant who was currently looking for a break. Jimmy went up to Birmingham to see him sing. Impressed, Jimmy asked him to join." His vocal range was unbelieveable. I thought, 'Wait a minute. There's something wrong here. He's not known. I couldn't figure it out. I thought, 'he must be a strange guy or something.' Then he came over to my place and I could see that he was a really good guy. I still don't know why he hadn't made it yet..." recalls Jimmy.
That same month the bassist, Dreja left the band. Jones, who had heard of the bands need of a new bassist called Jimmy up and was immediately accepted as the bands bassist. He had done previous work with Jimmy in the Yardbirds last album. Still needing a drummer Plant suggested his friend John Bonham, who had been the drummer for his previous band, The Band of Joy. After contacting Bonham he had to be persuaded to join. He was being asked by a few other bands to join and being offered much more money than the New Yardbirds was able, since it was being funded by the little money Jimmy had left over from the Yardbirds.
"Joe Cocker was interested and so was Chris Farlowe, along with Robert and Jimmy. It was baffling. I had so much to consider... When I first got offered the job, I thought The Yardbirds were finished because in England they had been forgotten. Still, I thought 'Well, I've got nothing anyway, so anything is really better than nothing'. I knew that Jimmy was a good guitarist and Robert was a good vocalist, so even if we didn't have any success it would at least be a pleasure to play in a good group. I already knew what Robert liked and Jimmy told me what he was into, and I decided I liked their music better than either Farlowe's or Cocker's." Explains Bonham.
Still, it took no less than 40 telegrams for Bonham to finally begin work with the band because his home had no phone.
This "rounded the lineup with a gratifying thud." The bands first get-together was in a tiny room below a record store on London's Gerard Street. "The room was about 18 x 30, very small. We just played once number, 'Train Kept aRollin' and it was there immediately. An indescribable feeling..." Jimmy remembers.
Their first British show took place October 15th, 1968, at Surrey University. Performing under a new name, Led Zeppelin, allegedly coined by the Who's drummer Kieth Moon. (As in "You'll go over like a...)