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A look back at the career of the mighty Led Zeppelin

The 'Stairway To Heaven' icons defined the sound of a generation

Author: Scarlett MartinPublished 6th Oct 2021
Last updated 25th Nov 2021

Led Zeppelin are one of the most innovative and influential bands of all time and their songs are known by rock fans all over the world. The English rockers, who were formed in 1969 by Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and the late John Bonham have sold an estimated 300 million records sold worldwide, with five of their albums even reaching diamond status.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the band's all-time best-selling album 'Led Zeppelin VI'. To celebrate such an important milestone, we've taken a look back at some of Led Zeppelin's biggest career-defining moments.

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Led Zeppelin through the years: The band's career timeline

1968: Career beginnings

When Jimmy Page's band The Yardbirds decided to disband in 1968, the guitarist began his search for a new band. Before long, he had joined forces with vocalist Robert Plant, drummer John Bonham and bassist John Paul Jones to become The New Yardbirds and embarked on a tour of Scandinavia.

By October 1968, they had changed their name to Led Zeppelin, which was inspired by comments made by several musicians about their chances of going down like a lead balloon. They played their first show as Led Zeppelin later that month at the University of Surrey. Atlantic Records signed the young band in November 1968 without even seeing them, thanks to the growing hype for British bands in the US.

1969: First and second album in one year

Led Zeppelin released their self-titled debut album in early 1969, which was an overnight commercial success in both the UK and US, reaching the Top 10 in both album charts. To take advantage of the momentum from their first album, the group impressively released their second album 'Led Zeppelin II' later that same year.

Despite being predominantly recorded while the band were touring, 'Led Zeppelin II' was an even bigger hit than their first record and reached Number 1 in the UK and US. Their popularity only continued to grow upon the release of the single 'Whole Lotta Love', which sold over 1 million copies and reached Number 4 on the US Billboard chart.

1970-1972: A new folk-inspired sound

'Led Zeppelin III', the band's third and more folk-inspired album, was released in October 1970 and featured hit single 'Immigrant Song'. Even with a brand new sound, the album reached Number 1 in both the US and the UK. The following year the band released their fourth album which, despite being untitled, is often referred to as 'Led Zeppelin IV', 'IV' or 'Four Symbols'. The four symbols featured on the album cover represent each member of the band, plus being a nod to their fourth studio album.

With an estimated 37 million copies sold, 'Led Zeppelin IV' is one of the best-selling albums in rock history and raised the band's profile even higher. While it was never released as a single, album track 'Stairway to Heaven' is arguably one of the band's most popular songs.

1973: North American tour

Led Zeppelin's next album 'Houses Of The Holy' was released in March 1973 and topped charts around the world. Later that year, the band embarked on a North American tour which included three sold-out shows at Madison Square Gardens in New York. They travelled in style, roaming from city to city in The Starship (pictured), a Boeing 720 bought by singer Bobby Sherman and his manager Ward Sylvester, and leased out to touring musicians.

1974: Launch of record label Swan Song

When their contract with Atlantic Records ended in 1974, Led Zeppelin took a break from touring and launched Swan Song, their own record label. As well as using the label to promote Led Zeppelin albums, the band also started signing artists such as Bad Company and Maggie Bell.

1975-1976: 'Physical Graffiti' and tour hiatus

Led Zeppelin released the double album 'Physical Graffiti' in February 1975, the first release on their newly-established Swan Song label. The album was a massive commercial and critical success, which debuted at Number 1 in the UK and Number 3 in the US. Shortly after the release of 'Physical Graffiti, the band embarked on yet another North American tour.

The band were forced to go on a short hiatus from touring after frontman Robert Plant and his wife Maureen were both injured in a serious car crash in Greece whilst on holiday. In March 1976, the band released their seventh album, 'Presence' which reached the top of the charts in the US and UK. Still unable to tour due to Plant's injuries, Led Zeppelin completed their concert film 'The Song Remains The Same', released in October 1976.

1977-1979: Guinness World Record win

Once Plant had made a full recovery, Led Zeppelin went back on tour in 1977 and made it into the Guinness Book of Records for playing to an audience of over 76,000; the largest attendance for a single act show at that time. In late 1978, the band released 'In Through The Out Door', which, like the majority of their previous albums, reached Number 1 in the UK, US, Canada and New Zealand. The following year, Led Zeppelin headlined two shows at Knebworth Music Festival.

1980: John Bonham's death

On 25th September 1980, John Bonham sadly passed away from asphyxiation in his sleep after drinking heavily the day before. He was just 32 years old. He has since been hailed as one of the greatest drummers of all time. Led Zeppelin cancelled their upcoming North American tour and in December, the remaining members of the band released a statement stating that they would be disbanding.

1982-1988: Reunion at Live Aid

In November 1982, a collection of Led Zeppelin outtakes and unused tracks known as 'Coda' was released. It included tracks from the band's performances at the Royal Albert Hall in 1970 and from the sessions for 'Led Zeppelin III', 'Houses Of The Holy' and 'In Through the Out Door'.

Plant, Page and Jones reunited to play two one-off shows. The first was at the Live Aid concert in Philadelphia in 1985 and the second was for Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary concert in 1988, where they played with Bonham's son Jason on drums.

1990s: Plant and Page

After reuniting once again for a 90-minute 'UnLedded' MTV project in 1994, Robert Plant and Jimmy Page formed the duo Plant and Page, releasing an album called 'Walking into Clarksdale' in 1998. Led Zeppelin were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995 by Aerosmith's Steven Tyler and Joe Perry. The event was attended by Plant, Page and Jones along with Bonham's children, Jason and Zoë Bonham, who were there to represent their late father.

2000s: Another Guinness World Record

In 2003, the triple live album 'How the West Was Won' and the Led Zeppelin DVD were released. The DVD, which features six hours of live footage, became the best-selling music DVD in history. Led Zeppelin, along with Jason Bonham, reunited again to headline the Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert at London's O2 Arena in December 2007. This was the band's first show in 27 years, setting a Guinness World Record in 2009 for the highest demand of tickets for one music concert, after 20 million ticket requests were submitted online.

2010s: Anniversaries, commemorations and honours

'Celebration Day', a Led Zeppelin concert film, was released in October 2012. The film showcased the band's 2007 performance at London's O2 Arena and grossed $2 million in one night. The accompanying live album sold an estimated 1.8 million copies.

The surviving members of Led Zeppelin - Plant, Page and Jones - were all awarded The Kennedy Center Honors by President Barack Obama in December 2012. This is the US' highest award for "lifetime contributions to American culture through the performing arts." In 2015, Led Zeppelin re-released their 2007 'Mothership' compilation album which featured remastered versions of the band's songs. The album was a commercial success and went on to go double Platinum. The band also released a book called 'Led Zeppelin by Led Zeppelin in 2018 to commemorate the band's 50th anniversary.

2020-2021: Tour and documentary news

Despite fans keeping their fingers crossed for another Led Zeppelin reunion, Jimmy Page stated in an interview in 2020: "It seems really unlikely that there would be a tour in the future. Unlike The Rolling Stones, they do sort of know that the fans love that – I know that with Led Zeppelin fans too. But it doesn't look as though there's anything in the future, unfortunately."

After being delayed due to the pandemic, the first official trailer for the Led Zeppelin documentary, Becoming Led Zeppelin, was released in September 2021. The documentary, set for release this year, features brand new interviews with Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones, as well as never before seen interviews with the late John Bonham. The band's website describes the documentary as "the definitive telling of the birth of Led Zeppelin."

2021: 50 years of 'Stairway to Heaven'

In November 2021, Led Zeppelin celebrates the 50th anniversary of their legendary track 'Stairway to Heaven'. The song was first released on 8th November 1971, and is now often regarded as 'one of the greatest and most iconic rock songs of all time'.