Ralph Hulett

In September 1968, four English lads gathered together for the first time in a small, stuffy London rehearsal room in a basement filled with wall-to-wall amplifiers. It was their first big tryout as musicians, and each of them was nervous. Would they come together as a band? Or would they crash and burn, becoming nothing but a rock footnote? Then the room exploded, with wailing chords, howling vocals, and a locked-tight rhythm section—a sonic assault of heretofore unknown power. Here for the first time was Led Zeppelin: the screaming rock guitar of Jimmy Page, the scorching blues vocals of Robert Plant, the driving jazz bass of John Paul Jones, and the power drumming of John Bonham. The session was amazing, electrifying, and stunning. The Zepp had arrived. There was no turning back. And rock entertainment would never be the same again.

Told by the band, the musicians, the groupies, and the fans themselves, this chronicle of one of rock's greatest and most innovative bands comes alive with the hiss of turntables, the sweat of the crowd at the Fillmore East, the hustle and bustle of backstage life, and the electricity of small clubs where rock history was about to be made. It's a story about a band's influence on two impressionable guys, and the countless others who came to get the Led out and stayed to become part of rock 'n' roll legend.

With exclusive and rare photos