30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Led Zeppelin fans only just realising where iconic band name came from
Before they were Led Zeppelin, they were The New Yardbirds - but things took a disastrous turn when a former bandmate threatened to sue, forcing the four musicians to think of a new name
Before Led Zeppelin soared to rock immortality, they were simply four musicians on the hunt for the perfect band name.
The journey began with guitarist Jimmy Page. Back in 1966, Jimmy stepped into The Yardbirds as a replacement for bassist Paul Samwell-Smith, but he soon took over lead guitar duties.
Following a whirlwind of line-up changes, Jimmy was the last man standing when The Yardbirds disbanded in 1968. Obliged to play out the remaining gigs, he set about putting together a new band.
He first brought on board vocalist Robert Plant, who then recommended drummer John Bonham. Bassist and keyboardist John Paul Jones was the final piece of the puzzle, having learnt of the opportunity from his wife, who'd spotted it in the newspaper, reports the Mirror US.
They hit the road in Scandinavia as The New Yardbirds to honour those commitments, but that moniker was destined for trouble. Chris Dreja, an ex-Yardbirds member, sent a cease-and-desist their way, insisting the old name was only meant for the concluding tour dates.
A fresh identity was urgently required, and it would come from a conversation years prior. Jimmy had once mused about starting a supergroup with Jeff Beck, Keith Moon, and John Entwistle. Jimmy recalls that during those chats, Keith quipped that such a band would "go down like a lead balloon".
In a chat with the Academy of Achievement back 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."
As he was brainstorming names for his new band in 1968, Jimmy remembered that previous suggestion. However, rather than going with 'lead balloon', they aimed for something more imposing.
The spelling of 'lead' was tweaked to avoid mispronunciation by American fans as 'leed', and 'balloon' was switched out for 'zeppelin'.
Before making their debut as Led Zeppelin, the group took a cautious step. During the recording sessions of their inaugural album in late 1968, tapes were labelled 'New Yardbirds' to maintain secrecy about their actual moniker.
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, the band made its emergence into the music world as Led Zeppelin.
Merely months after that, their first self-titled album graced the record stores, and Led Zeppelin's groundbreaking merge of blues, rock and state-of-the-art production took 1969 by storm.
But the true story remains a bit of a mystery. Some have said John Entwistle coined the term "lead balloon" rather than Keith Moon, while others reckon it was Chris Dreja's legal warning that really sparked the change.
Yet, it's Jimmy Page's account that often hits the headlines, as he unwaveringly attributes the inspiration to Keith Moon – a story the legendary guitarist staunchly supports to this day.
