Like most great musicians, Bonzo took inspiration from many artists. And when it was time to write Led Zeppelin IV, he took a dull and uninspired session into one of the greatest songs in rock history.
Writer's block
Early 1971. A cold and muddy winter in Headley Grange, Hampshire. Led Zeppelin are working on their fourth album - which would be commonly referred to as “Led Zeppelin IV”, but is officially untitled-, to be released later that year.
They are working on "Four Sticks", a song by Page and Plant, but they are not making much progress, and begin to get a little frustrated.
Led Zeppelin IV, recorded between December 1970 and February 1971, released November 1971
"If the track isn't happening and it starts creating a psychological barrier, even after an hour or two, then you should stop and do something else - go to the pub or a restaurant or something," guitarist Jimmy Page said in his 2012 book Light & Shade: Conversations With Jimmy Page. "Or play another song."
Let’s go back to the 50’s
That’s what Bonham did. He started to fool around, trying to get out of the rut they got into. He spontaneously started to play the opening drum bit of Little Richard's "Keep A-Knockin' (But You Can't Come In)" from 1957.
Little Richard's "Keep a Knocking (But You Can't Come In), 1957
Page got into the groove on his 1959 Les Paul, playing an old-school, Chuck Berry-style riff. "Stop" Page recalled saying. "Let's work on this." The tapes were rolling and thirty minutes later the basis of the song was completed.
Page adds, "If something felt right, we didn't question it. If something really magical is coming through, then you follow it. It was all part of the process. We had to explore, we had to delve. We tried to take advantage of everything that was being offered to us."
So, who’s the drummer who came up with the original drum beat that inspired Bonzo? Charles Connor.
Charles Connor
Connor is, like many others from his time, a drumming hero that most people don’t know by name. He’s not only the driving force behind Little Richard’s “Lucille”, but also played for James Brown. According to Brown “[Charles] was the first [drummer] to put funk into the rhythm.”
If there’s a drummer to whom we owe a lot, that would be Charles Connor.
The recording trail goes back 20 years further back in time
But this story doesn’t end here. Although "Keep A-Knockin' (But You Can't Come In)" is credited to Pennyman (Richard’s real name), listen to this:
Louis Jordan’s "Keep A-Knockin' (But You Can't Come In)", 1939
That’s Louis Jordan’s "Keep A-Knockin' (But You Can't Come In)" from 1939. Of course, it doesn’t have the famous drum intro, but there’s the song. Did he write it? Probably not, because listen to this:
''Boodle It'' Wiggins “Keep A Knockin' (An You Can't Get In)”, 1928
That’s ''Boodle It'' Wiggins “Keep A Knockin' (An You Can't Get In)” from… 1928!
Who wrote it?
There really isn’t a clear paper trail out there for the song. In most cases, Little Richard gets the writing credit, but the song also has been credited to Milton Brown, Clifton Chernier, “Traditional,” Perry Bradford and Bill Mays, D. Bragg, the Rev. D.C. Williams and combinations of Little Richard, Mays and Williams.
The intro for Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll” links the history of the Blues and the evolution Rock and Roll. Filled with twists and turns, and with a lot of unsung heroes.
What’s some other overlooked stories in drumming history?
