Sonic Boom: The Impact of Led Zeppelin. Volume 1 - Break & Enter. Frank Reddon
Sonic Boom: The Impact of Led Zeppelin
Volume 1: Break & Enter
Frank Reddon, Author Lou Anne Reddon, Editor
Enzepplopedia Publishing, Inc.
Version 1.0, September 2011
This is an electronic (e-book) version of Sonic Boom: The Impact of Led Zeppelin. Volume 1: Break & Enter, a hardcover book that was originally published on September 7, 2008
ISBN#978-0-0784446-0-0 by Enzepplopedia Publishing, Inc.
Published in eBook format by Enzepplopedia Publishing, Inc.
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ISBN-13: 978-0-9784-4465-5
Photographs, illustrations, some interviews and other textual elements which appear in the hardcover book have been deleted from this e-book for legal reasons including, but not limited to, licensing agreements, copyright and other intellectual property issues.
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ISBN-13: 978-0-9784-4465-5
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Front cover photo as it appears on the hardcover version,
©Jørgen Angel, http://www.angel.dk used under licence and with permission.
Copyright © 2011. Enzepplopedia Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.
On September 7, 2008 (the 40th anniversary of Led Zeppelin’s first-ever performance) author Frank Reddon and his editor/sister, Lou Anne Reddon, launched the first of three (planned) printed books about the legendary British rock band.
Sonic Boom: The Impact of Led Zeppelin. Volume 1 – Break & Enter has since been received with critical and popular acclaim worldwide.
Music has always been Frank’s passion. He plays piano, cello, trombone and guitar. Since 1980, he has been an avid collector of Led Zeppelin’s music. As a result of his collection, he contributed valuable research materials to Luis Rey’s landmark book, Led Zeppelin Live: An Exploration of the Underground Tapes (Final Edition. The Hot Wacks Press, 1997).
As an undergrad at the University of Guelph, Ontario, he took a course in popular music culture. He drew on his record collection to write a research paper entitled The Musical Evolution of Led Zeppelin: 1968-1980. His professor was so impressed with his revolutionary approach to music analysis, he urged him to write a book about it one day.
Frank still hopes to publish that book one day. But the Sonic Boom series of three books focuses on the first year of Led Zeppelin’s existence, in celebration of that 40th anniversary milestone.
Sonic Boom Volume 1 is the first oral history ever written about Led Zeppelin. Frank interviewed more than fifty people – from deejays, concert promoters, musicians and audience members to published Led Zeppelin authors, educators and people involved with the group’s ongoing legacy, to discover WHY and HOW the band’s music has endured for over four decades.
His work encompasses more than just Led Zeppelin and the band’s music; it provides an overview of the hippie subculture and the popular music scene of the late 1960s.
This e-book is an abridged version of Frank Reddon’s hardcover book, Sonic Boom: The Impact of Led Zeppelin. Volume 1 – Break & Enter. Photographs, illustrations, some interviews and other textual elements which appear in the hardcover book have been deleted here for legal reasons including, but not limited to, licensing agreements, copyright and other intellectual property issues.
Frank is employed as a Class A Gardener for the City of Welland Department of Parks and Cemeteries. He is a tournament-level tennis player and ultra-marathoner, having completed distances ranging from 5km to 106 miles. He has qualified and participated in the prestigious Boston Marathon several times.
Author photo ©Robert Nowell, used with permission. Enzepplopedia Publishing, Inc.
FOREWORD
by Dave Lewis
Every story has a beginning and an end. This book is about a beginning.
A remarkable beginning.
It chronicles the formative days of Led Zeppelin. Jimmy Page formed the band out of the demise of The Yardbirds in the autumn of 1968, recruiting seasoned session player and arranger John Paul Jones on bass and keyboards and two relative unknowns from the UK Midlands area: Robert Plant on vocals and John Bonham on drums.
Their impact in America was nothing short of astonishing.
In a matter of months, from initially arriving in the country on December 26, 1968 to support Vanilla Fudge and Spirit in Denver Colorado, Led Zeppelin was elevated from playing second on the bill in the clubs and ballroom venues across the US to headlining at New York’s highly prestigious Carnegie Hall. From there, they never looked back.
Over the next decade, Led Zeppelin reigned supreme as the number one rock attraction in all corners of the world –right up until their forced disbandment after the tragic death of John Bonham in September 1980.
That enduring success was moulded during their first tumultuous year together. During 1969 they toured the US on no fewer than three separate occasions, alongside frequent dates in the UK and Europe.
This book gets right to the heart of the evolution of Led Zeppelin via a series of key interviews from those lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time to watch their development first hand. They include various promoters, DJs, journalists, musicians and fans who attended appearances