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The Roots of Led Zeppelin Project


Pick an album:


Key to related song phrases:
(original) = 'original' version of the song
(previous cover) = cover of the original recorded before Led Zeppelin's version
(later cover) = cover of the original recorded after Led Zeppelin's version
(lyrics) = lyrics borrowed from this song
(music) = some musical element borrowed from this song
(reference) = small lyrical reference to this song (or possibly just a coincidental similarity)

Mission Statement: The purpose of these pages is to provide a comprehensive database of information regarding the musical influences and sources that inspired the songs of Led Zeppelin. You can find a lot of this information spread out among a number of good sites on the web, and even more by talking to those who have been fans of the band and the music scene for a long time. However, during the course of my searching for this information, I found to my disappointment that there was no definitive site where all the information and rumours were compiled, so I took it upon myself to gather all the information I could find, and organize it and verify or debunk as much of it as possible, but most importantly, to present it in complete in one localized series of pages. So, here it is, the sources of Led Zeppelin's inspiration. Now, although I intend this to be a comprehensive database, the fact of the matter is that I just don't have all the information that's out there. In order to make this site as successful as possible, I encourage you to let me know if there is any information you have on the topic of Led Zeppelin's roots that does not appear on these pages. You can email me at zharth@gmail.com. As far as the integrity of the information contained on these pages is concerned, I cannot make any claim to the truth of any statements that represent the thoughts or intentions of the bands or artists mentioned. What I have done is take information, largely from rumours that may or may not be true, and have placed it here. Some information may have come from interviews and by other means from the mouths of those involved, but in the end, there is no way to be completely sure of anything anyone says. For that reason, in determining the likeliness of various claims to Led Zeppelin's inspirations, I believe the music is the most important evidence. That is why I have spent a lot of time and effort tracking down the songs that have been claimed as inspiration to Led Zeppelin's music, so that I can listen to them with my own ears, and come to my own conclusions. Although I don't have the resources or the permission to present to you sound clips of those songs on this site, I do intend to make the effort, whenever possible, to provide enough information about the songs mentioned so that you can track them down yourself. Thank you for utilizing the information contained on these pages, and thank you for helping me to make this site a success. And special thanks to everyone who helped to provide the information contained on this site, only some of which are listed at the bottom of this page.


Sources of Information: