Led Zeppelin got their name from a rock legend from another iconic band

Irish Daily Mirror

30-04-2025

Before they became rock icons and cemented their status in music history, Led Zeppelin were just four musicians searching for a band name.
The story begins with Jimmy Page. Back in 1966, he stepped into The Yardbirds as a replacement for bassist Paul Samwell-Smith, swiftly transitioning to lead guitar duties. However, after some turbulent line-up changes Jimmy found himself the sole remaining member as The Yardbirds disbanded by 1968.
Obliged to perform some remaining gigs, he quickly got to work putting together a fresh group. He first brought on board vocalist Robert Plant, who then recommended drummer John Bonham. John Paul Jones, adept at bass and keys, completed the quartet after learning about the project from his wife, who'd spotted an ad in a newspaper, reports the Mirror US.
They briefly toured Scandinavia using the moniker 'The New Yardbirds' to meet previous obligations - however, the usage of that title was short-lived. Former Yardbirds mate Chris Dreja apparently served up a cease-and-desist notice, saying the original name was sanctioned solely for finishing up the tour dates.
A swiftly needed alternative name would come from an unlikely anecdote. Jimmy had once considered forming a 'supergroup' with Jeff Beck, Keith Moon, and John Entwistle. During discussions, Jimmy remembered, legendary drummer Keith joked such a band would "go down like a lead balloon".
In a chat with the Academy of Achievement in 2017, Jimmy said: "It was a name that Keith Moon had mentioned back then. He was talking, 'Wouldn't it be fun to have a band called Led Zeppelin?' And I asked him if we could use the name because I was gonna be in this band Led Zeppelin with Keith Moon, so was Jeff Beck."
When the time came to christen his new band in 1968, Jimmy recalled the earlier conversation. Dropping the 'a' from 'lead' to avoid mispronunciation by American fans as 'leed', and swapping 'balloon' for 'zeppelin', Led Zeppelin was born.
Before fully committing to their legendary identity, Led Zeppelin took a discreet intermediate step. As they laid down tracks for their debut album in late 1968, they covertly labelled the tapes 'New Yardbirds' to conceal their actual name for a little while longer.
Jimmy said: "Even on the first recordings, it said 'New Yardbirds' on the box because I didn't want anybody to know what the name of the band was until we really officially unveiled it." By the end of 1968, they emerged triumphantly as Led Zeppelin.
Just months later, their seminal first album hit record store shelves, with the 1969 record astonishing listeners with its fusion of blues, hard rock, and cutting-edge production techniques.
Clearly, the tale of how the iconic name came about has its variations. There are some who insist it was John Entwistle, not Keith Moon, who made the "lead balloon" remark, while another camp credits Chris Dreja's legal warning as the true impetus for the switch.
Nevertheless, Jimmy Page has always attributed the inspiration for the band's name to Keith Moon — and that's the account the legendary guitarist firmly upholds.