During a new episode of Talkin’ Rock with Meltdown, Myles Kennedy reflected on his studio session with Led Zeppelin.
The vocalist talked about how he met Jason Bonham during the ‘Rock Star’ movie:
“I’ll never forget. We were rehearsing for the ‘Rock Star’ scene that I was in. Jason Bonham and everybody were there and Mark Wahlberg and… So we took a little break and I sat down and Jason was there and we just started talking. And I said, ‘Hey man, I just want you to know like your father’s legacy and how much it meant to me. It’s most of the reason all of us do this.’”
Jason Bonham Wanted To Jam With Kennedy
He shared how Bonham contacted him years later:
“He’s so proud of his father’s legacy. That’s what’s so beautiful about it and he really appreciated it. And so yeah fast forward, about I don’t know seven years later or whatever, I get this text out of the blue. It’s Jason and I was touring with Alter Bridge. We just played one of the German festivals and so it’s like June, and I’m thinking, ‘Oh, he’s got a friend that wants some tickets or something to a festival.’”
Kennedy recalled how the drummer invited him to jam:
“The bus stops and we take a break and I call him up. He’s like, ‘Hey man, I have a huge favor.’ I’m like, ‘Okay.’ I was thinking what’s their name, we’ll write it down. The paper is ready and he’s like, ‘I’m in London and I’m jamming with some friends and we are interested if you’d be down with coming over this weekend and jamming some songs.’ And I was like, ‘Who are your friends?’ [laughs] And, ‘Yeah, okay that sounds good. Let’s do it.’”
Kennedy Was Impressed By Jimmy Page And John Paul Jones
In the later part of the conversation, the singer opened up about how it felt when Jimmy Page walked in:
“I’ll never forget. I can still see it all so vividly. He just has a presence obviously, no pun intended. It was amazing and the other thing also was just John Paul Jones. Because when I got to that little studio. It wasn’t like a full-on recording studio if I remember correctly.”
Myles heard John Paul Jones playing piano:
“It was kind of a rehearsal studio and I just remember walking in after Jason got us there and I hear somebody playing just awesome piano somewhere. Actually, I thought it was a record and I was like, ‘Oh, it sounds almost like Bill Evans or some fancy jazz stuff.’ And then I walk in this room and there’s John Paul Jones at the piano and he gets up and he’s just the nicest guy.”
Kennedy received significant media attention in late 2008 amid rumors that he might join Led Zeppelin. Kennedy denied the rumors in January 2009, confirming he wasn’t joining Zeppelin but had collaborated with Page, Jones, and Bonham.
You can watch Kennedy’s entire chat below.