**John Henry "Bonzo" Bonham** (31 May, 1948 – 25 September, 1980) was an English rock drummer. He was best known for being a member of London hard rock band Led Zeppelin. Bonham is considered one of the greatest rock drummers of all time.

John Bonham's career started in 1967, when he joined the Band of Joy with singer Robert Plant. After having some success, the band broke up. At around the same time, another band called The Yardbirds also broke up. Soon after this, Jimmy Page, the lead guitarist for the Yardbirds, decided to start a new band. This new band, called Led Zeppelin, had Plant on vocals, John Paul Jones on bass and keyboards, Bonham on drums and Page playing guitar.

Bonham died after choking on his own vomit in his sleep after drinking forty shots of vodka, and bassist John Paul Jones found him the next morning.

Led Zeppelin
------------

After playing some small gigs throughout England, the band came out with their first album, named *Led Zeppelin I*. John Bonham's talents can be heard on such songs as "Good Times, Bad Times", featuring his single bass drum skip throughout the song. Soon after this, the band left for a tour of America, on Boxing Day (26 December 1969). After a rather successful tour, Zeppelin came out with their second album, naming it *Led Zeppelin II*. This album included the song "Moby Dick", which had a famous drum solo by Bonham. Throughout the solo, Bonham showed off his talents by playing hand drums while continuing to use his right foot.

By this time, Led Zeppelin was becoming more well known. With the release of their third album (not surprisingly named *Led Zeppelin III*), they became one of the biggest bands in the world. Bonham's featured song on this album, which he wrote, was "Out On The Tiles". 

Led Zeppelin later released the albums *Led Zeppelin IV* (which was originally unnamed), *Houses of the Holy*, and *Physical Graffiti*. During this time, Zeppelin was touring non-stop. In addition to still playing "Moby Dick", Bonham also received attention for his work on songs such as "Four Sticks", "The Ocean", and "In My Time Of Dying". 

Soon after *Physical Graffiti*, the band took time off because Robert Plant was injured in a car crash. In this time off, besides spending time with his family and tinkering with cars, Bonham was working on their next album, *Presence*.

Death
-----

On 24 September 1980, Bonham was picked up by his personal assistant, Rex King. They were going to a rehearsal for the upcoming tour. During the day, Bonham drank many alcoholic beverages. After the rehearsal the band left and went to Page's house. The next day, Benji LeFevre, Led Zeppelin's new tour manager, and John Paul Jones found Bonham dead.

The coroner ruled that Bonham had drank forty shots of vodka, and his cause of death was pulmonary edema. Bonham had vomited in his sleep, and suffocated on his own vomit.

After Bonham died, Led Zeppelin decided to quit because they felt that Bonham was too good to be replaced.

Other websites
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* Led Zeppelin Official Site
* John Bonham Dedicated Site
* Drummerworld John Bonham Page
* The 23 John Henry Bonham Drum Outtakes

| * v
* t
* e
Led Zeppelin |
| --- |
| 
**John Bonham** **·**  **John Paul Jones** **·**  **Jimmy Page** **·**  **Robert Plant** |
| Studio albums | 
*Led Zeppelin* **·**  *Led Zeppelin II* **·**  *Led Zeppelin III* **·**  *Led Zeppelin IV* **·**  *Houses of the Holy* **·**  *Physical Graffiti* **·**  *Presence* **·**  *In Through the Out Door* **·**  *Mothership* |
| Live albums | 
*The Song Remains the Same* **·**  *BBC Sessions* **·**  *How the West Was Won* |
| Compilations | 
*Led Zeppelin* **·** *Profiled* **·**  *Remasters* **·**  *Boxed Set 2* **·**  *Complete Studio Recordings* **·**  *Best of Led Zeppelin* **·**  *Mothership* **·**  *Definitive Collection* |
| Singles | 
"Good Times Bad Times" / "Communication Breakdown" **·**  "Whole Lotta Love" / "Living Loving Maid (She's Just a Woman)" **·**  "Immigrant Song" / "Hey Hey What Can I Do" **·**  "Black Dog" / "Misty Mountain Hop" **·**  "Rock and Roll" / "Four Sticks" **·**  "Over the Hills and Far Away" / "Dancing Days" **·**  "D'yer Mak'er" / "The Crunge" **·**  "Trampled Under Foot" / "Black Country Woman" **·**  "Candy Store Rock" / "Royal Orleans" **·**  "Fool in the Rain" / "Hot Dog" |
| Movies | 
*The Song Remains the Same* **·**  *Led Zeppelin* |
| Tours | 
Scandinavia 1968 **·** U.K. 1968 **·** North America 1968/1969 **·** U.K. & Scandinavia 1969 **·** North America Spring 1969 **·** U.K. Summer 1969 **·** North America Summer 1969 **·** Europe Autumn 1969 **·** North America Autumn 1969 **·** U.K. 1970 **·** Europe 1970 **·** North America Spring 1970 **·** Iceland, Bath & Germany 1970 **·** North America Summer 1970 **·** U.K. Spring 1971 **·** Europe 1971 **·** North America 1971 **·** Japan 1971 **·** U.K. Winter 1971 **·** Australasia 1972 **·** North America 1972 **·** Japan 1972 **·** U.K. 1972/1973 **·** Europe 1973 **·** North America 1973 **·** North America 1975 **·** Earls Court 1975 **·** North America 1977 **·** Knebworth 1979 **·** Over Europe 1980 **·** Ahmet Ertegün Tribute Concert 2007 |
| Related articles | 
Discography (Bootlegs) **·**  Peter Grant **·**  Richard Cole **·**  Jason Bonham **·**  Swan Song **·**  The Yardbirds **·**  XYZ **·**  The Firm **·**  Coverdale-Page **·**  Page and Plant **·**  Them Crooked Vultures **·**  Bron-Yr-Aur **·**  Strange Sensation **·**  The Starship **·**  Caesar's Chariot **·**  Shark episode **·**  *Hammer of the Gods: The Led Zeppelin Saga* **·**  *Stairway to Heaven: Led Zeppelin Uncensored* **·**  *When Giants Walked the Earth: A Biography of Led Zeppelin* |