Happy Birthday John Bonham

Drummer John Bonham, often referred to by his nickname "Bonzo," was one of the most important and influential drummers of the 1960s and '70s -- as a member Led Zeppelin, he was also a bona fide superstar for the last decade of his life and, along with Ringo Starr of the Beatles, Charlie Watts of the Rolling Stones, Keith Moon of the Who, and Ginger Baker, one of the most well-known drummers in rock. John Henry Bonham was born in Redditch, England, in 1948. He was a natural drummer, sensitive to rhythm from an early age -- he beat pots and pans in his parents' kitchen, and built his first drum kit out of leftover containers and coffee cans when he was five years old. By the age of ten he had moved up to a real drum, and then later a complete used drum kit that his father bought for him. Like a lot of aspiring drummers of his generation, Bonham's musical awareness transcended rock & roll -- his idols included such percussion icons as Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich, whose careers dated from the 1930s.