Jason Bonham’s last name is legendary. It’s synonymous with rock royalty, starting, of course, with his father—the late Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, considered one of the most transformative drummers in rock ‘n’ roll history.
But Jason is no lesser carbon copy of his father. He’s a Grammy winner who has carved a different, yet highly influential path for himself, playing legendary shows with the living members of Led Zeppelin, performing in supergroups Black Country Communion (BCC) and Sammy Hagar and the Circle, leading his own band—Bonham—and playing with Foreigner and UFO among others.
“I used to have an opinion about people who moved from band to band, maybe just because my dad founded that band and was with them until his death,” he said. “Now I’m 58, and I go, you know, it’s not too bad at all. You don’t get too bored playing other people’s songs.”
Despite having immense talent at a young age, his early career benefited from having the Bonham surname. He appeared with his father in the film The Song Remains the Same, and at 15, joined his first band, Airrace. In 1985, he made two albums and toured the U.S. with Virginia Wolf, supporting the band The Firm featuring Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page and Paul Rodgers of Bad Company.
“I went from the van, loading gear, to the tour bus, to the private jet and straight back to the van again,” Bonham said with a laugh about his career ups and downs. “I remember the beginning, when it wasn’t about a paycheck. It was about playing a gig—in front of people.”
There was also the quick stint in the “legendary” Steel Dragon—actually, an acting role in a fictional band alongside actor Mark Wahlberg in the film Rock Star. His most notable speaking line, Bonham reminisces, was getting to tell Marky Mark who wrote the songs in the band when he says that he and lead singer Ace wrote, “Not most of the songs—all of the songs”
All along, the inevitable comparisons to his father were somewhat challenging, yet emotionally positive.
“He was on such a pedestal to me,” Bonham noted. “At first, any kind of comparison was good.”
But those comparisons also included living the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle with the over-the-top drinking and partying—something Page tried to sway him away from. He’s detailed these excesses with Led Zeppelin at a young age before in conversations with Howard Stern.
Ultimately, however, Bonham found his path.
“He died because of his abuse at 32,” Bonham said, reflecting on learning from his father’s mistakes.
In 1988, Bonham joined Page for an album and tour, and in May of the same year, appeared with the three surviving members of Led Zeppelin for a performance at the Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary concert in New York City—receiving a Grammy award for the performance.
Two often-raised questions about Zeppelin lore Bonham addressed during our conversation on The Load Out Music Podcast:
#1. Why won’t Robert Plant reunite the band?
“Robert gets the wrath, but he doesn’t tell you all the details, and I’ll leave it at that.”
#2. Did John Bonham really destroy his hotel room with a samurai sword while on tour?
No, Jason confesses. It was Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones pranking him—making him think he had done it—when he actually took the sword out of Bonham’s hand once he fell asleep and sliced and diced the hotel room into pieces.
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Since 2010, Bonham has found himself in the throws of playing in supergroups. He helped found Black Country Communion with former Load Out guest Joe Bonamassa, Glen Hughes and Derek Sherinan. In 2014, Bonham teamed up with Hagar as well and remains part of that all-star lineup.
Most recently, Bonham and Black Country Communion released a blazing hot rock ‘n’ roll album that has received rave reviews.
“We started Black Country Communion back in 2010 as kind of a one-time thing,” Bonham said. “We never really thought past that first album. So, when we did the second album, we said we should go on tour. Then the third album, Joe’s career kind of blew up and then it kind of became kind of a side project.”
But Bonham said Bonamassa in particular recognized there was something there beyond just a side project. Indeed, the band has enough potential to nurture through more time on the road. Thus, the band has a longer, more formal tour scheduled for next year.
In the end, Jason Bonham’s excellence has never been overlooked. His name continues to get dropped as one of the greatest drummers today, despite his “journeyman” career.
“My name gets brought into a group of people,” he said. “I’m guilty by association, I guess.”
We look at it all—from growing up in the shadow of Led Zeppelin to building a career outside of his father’s shadow and his immense work with Black Country Communion—in a great interview on the Load Out Music Podcast. Enjoy!