Terry Reid might have turned down Led Zeppelin at the time, but it seems that he secured the drummer John Bonham’s place in the band.
In a new interview with Backstage Pass, Reid talked about their relationship with the Led Zeppelin members and how the band was formed. During the chat, he claimed himself to be the one person to keep their drummer in the band:
“I’d say the chemistry, having the chemistry of a band, right? You got to have everything fit. Like I said to [Jimmy Page], I said ‘Look, you get Robert singing But for God’s sake do not not listen to the drummer John Bonham. John Bonham is going to be the anchor of the group. Whoever else is in it I don’t care.’”
And apparently, Bonham was the reason all of them loved about drummers:
“I said to Jimmy, ‘Do you have a keyboard player?’ That was a funny one, he goes, ‘No.’ I [go], ‘Oh all right then, I just only asked.’ Sometimes you put your foot in it, but I said, ‘No, get Robert but you got to get the drummer Bonham. He’s an animal he’s everything that we love about drummers.”
Why Reid Turned Down Led Zeppelin
Terry Reid made a big decision when he said no to being the frontman of Led Zeppelin. Jimmy Page asked him first, but Reid had already promised to work on something else and didn’t want to back out. Instead, he suggested Robert Plant to Jimmy Page. That’s how Robert Plant ended up joining Led Zeppelin.
But what caused him to turn down the band? The singer explained shortly in a 2016 interview:
“It’s a waste of time to talk about it. They did really well. End of story.”
You can watch the interview below.