How 4 Boys from London Found the Stairway to Heaven
In the 1953 London suburbs, four young boys were growing up within a 200-mile radius of one another. Little did they know they were honing their skills to one day meet and become one of the most iconic rock bands in history.
An 8-year-old boy in the small village of Heston sat at the piano with his mother. She was impressed by his natural ability to compose his own music and original lyrics. They would soon move into a new home, where he would find an acoustic guitar abandoned by a previous occupant—a lucky find that would change the trajectory of his entire life.
Obsessed with guitarists like Les Paul and Chuck Berry, he asked a schoolmate to teach him a few chords. Mostly self-taught, his fascination with the guitar led him to practice six to seven hours a day. He imitated the licks of his favorite rockabilly pickers and blues players, and his guitar would often be confiscated at school. As a teen, he would go to as many local concerts as possible, fully immersing himself in the growing rock scene of the time. By his late teens, he would make quite a name for himself as a session guitarist and work with many popular artists and bands.
His journey would lead him to assemble his own band with some of the most talented musicians he had ever met. His friend Keith Moon, the drummer of The Who, would joke about the band “going down like a lead balloon.” That boy would laugh at the suggestion, use the joke to name his band, and go down in history as one of the most iconic guitarists the world has ever known.
170 miles away in Sidcup, Kent, a 7-year-old boy hopped down from the piano bench in his family living room. With a father who was a classical musician and a mother who was a music teacher, he would become proficient at playing nearly twenty-two different instruments. By age 14, he would become the choirmaster and church organist at his local parish. That same year, he would pick up his first bass guitar and never put it down.
As a teen, he would absorb the sounds of the emerging rock scene— inspired by artists like The Beatles. He would begin performing in local bands and study music theory and composition, which would later influence his work as a celebrated songwriter, arranger and record producer.
100 miles away, a 5-year-old boy stood on tiptoes to reach inside the kitchen cupboard for a nearly empty coffee can. It was the perfect shape and size to place alongside the bath salt containers and copper pot lids. As he cleaned the final piece needed to complete his project, the boy began tapping out a rhythm with his bare foot. Grabbing a fork and a butter knife from the silverware drawer, he imagined recreating a snare-like sound and rushed back to the living room to finish building his very own drum kit.
His parents politely apologized to neighbors for the noise and stepped aside to let him tap out beats and develop his natural sense of rhythm. His father, a keen drummer, often played in local bands in their hometown, Redditch, England. He was a hyperactive child, known for his energetic personality. He loved sports but his true passion was music. By his teenage years, he had already begun playing in local bands, gaining experience that would lay the foundation for an extraordinary career and lead him to be named the most legendary drummer of all time.
20 miles away in a West Bromwich living room, the drummer's future best friend sat on the floor surrounded by Elvis, Muddy Waters, and Little Richard records. Nearly 6-years-old, he squeezed his little eyes closed to focus on the powerful stories behind the lyrics. He sang along, trying to match their vocals. Stopping the needle on the turntable, he paused to jot down a few lines of poetry, finding a story and a melody, and experimenting with his voice as he wrote.
He often performed in school and community events, showcasing his natural vocal talents and passion for performance. His determination and love for music kept him focused on his dreams. By his late teens, he would begin to make a name for himself in the Birmingham music scene, ultimately leading him up a stairway to heaven –
like the name of one of the most iconic songs he would ever write – a track that would become bigger than himself.
That boy's name was Robert Plant. In 1968 he joined forces with John Bonham, Jimmy Page, and John Paul Jones to form the legendary rock band we all know and love—
Led Zeppelin.
“Yes, there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run there’s still time to change the road you’re on.”
— LED ZEPPELIN
Are your raising a future bandmate? Our BORN TO ROCK youth tee and baby onesie was inspired by legends like the members of Led Zeppelin — whose musical journeys began as young children.
