Carey’s first encounter with the drums began at the age of ten by joining the school band and taking private lessons on the snare drum.Two years later,Carey began to practice on a drum set. In his senior year of high school in Paola, Kansas, Carey joined the high school jazz band and began to study under drumming great Ben Kelso specifically for jazz drumming training. Jazz would later play a huge role in his signature approach to the drum set in a rock setting.

As Carey progressed through high school and later college at the University of Missouri–Kansas City, he began expanding his studies in percussion with theory into the principles of geometry, science, and metaphysics as well as delving into Sacred Geometry and certain hidden aspects of life and the occult.

Carey also played jazz while attending college and got to experience the jazz scene in Kansas City. After college, a friend and bandmate convinced Carey to leave Kansas for Portland, Oregon, where he played briefly in various bands before moving to Los Angeles, California, where he was able to perform as a studio drummer with Carole King and perform live sets with Pigmy Love Circus. He also played in Green Jellÿ as Danny Longlegs and recorded the album Cereal Killer. He would later find his way to Tool after coming to know singer Maynard James Keenan and guitarist Adam Jones and practicing with them in place of drummers the two had requested but had never shown up.

Danny Carey

Although Carey has not officially aligned himself with any particular school of philosophy or religion, he has projected a deep interest in and understanding for the magical arts among them various occult teachings. Enochian symbols, geometric designs, and special symbolic percussive devices are featured on and in his drum kit. He is also a collector of First Edition Aleister Crowley books as well as books by one of Crowley’s more innovative students, Kenneth Grant.

Carey has laid claim to various drumming techniques that use sacred geometric figures such as the unicursal hexagram. The final product is very recognizable, fluent drumming, although to him it is much more: the official Tool website claims that Danny uses drumming as a ritual similar to occult rituals, with purposes varying from spiritual exploration to “a gateway [which] summoned a daemon he has contained…that has been delivering short parables similar to passages within The Book of Lies”. Another geometric reference from the website was the inclusion of Nothing in This Book Is True… by Bob Frissell on the band’s recommended reading list, a book that deals with sacred geometry and the evolution of human consciousness.

Side projects and other musical endeavours

In his time away from Tool, Carey has contributed (and still regularly does) to a vast number of projects:

* Fusion band VOLTO!, which regularly plays shows in the Los Angeles area, consisting of both covers and original material
* Pigmy Love Circus, which has recorded several albums
* Electronica-oriented project ZAUM
* Green Jellÿ
* Pigface
* Drums on the track “Use Less” from the album The Greater Wrong of the Right by Skinny Puppy
* Contributed to Adrian Belew’s Side One and Side Three projects with bassist Les Claypool
* Drums on certain tracks of the Carole King album Colour of Your Dreams with Velvet Revolver guitarist Slash playing on select tracks
* Drums on the track “Somewhere” from the Collide album Some Kind of Strange and several tracks from Two Headed Monster
* Made an appearance on the 1997 album Free Mars by former Tool bassist Paul D’Amour’s band Lusk

Carey plays a Designer kit from SONOR (beech shells with inner and outer makassar ebony veneers – 1″ thick on 8″ tom and progressively thinner as the drums get larger), which he designed himself and used on Tool’s recent 10,000 Days album and tours. Carey also uses a kit composed of custom cast bronze shells (3/16″ thick and same dimensions as the SONOR) made from recycled Paiste cymbals, manufactured by master drum tech and drum maker Jeff Ocheltree (mostly on US tours as it is too heavy to readily transport elsewhere. He also uses seven electronic drum pads around his kit, which he co-designed with Vince DeFranco. These pads are high resolution position and velocity sensing drums called Synesthesia Mandala Drums, and have replaced the various Simmons SDX pads formerly in his setup. He uses a program called Battery, from Native Instruments, on a MacBook Pro to manage the samples. Additionally, he uses a Korg Wave Drum, a Roland Handsonic HPD-15 and a few electronic pedals.

On Daney Carey’s official website, he states that the toms on his drum kit are usually tuned to the key signature of the song he is playing while working with Tool. He says this isn’t as hard as it sounds as most of Tool’s songs are in the key of D.

Carey uses the wood tip version of his own signature model of drumstick made by Vic Firth. He previously had endorsed a signature model with Trueline Drumsticks.

At Winter NAMM 2009 Sonor released a Danny Carey signature snare drum, which is a 1 mm thick bronze 14×8″ snare with laser etched talisman symbols and his signature engraved around the vent hole. It was unveiled by Carey at VOLTO!’s annual NAMM party, and since then has been used by Carey with Pigmy Love Circus.

Carey’s popularity among drummers and non-drummers alike stems from the diversity of his sound and dynamics through his years of learning jazz music, his technical ability, frequent use of odd time signatures, polyrhythms and polymeters. He has stated in interviews that he effectively treats his feet as he does his hands: he practices rudiments (used for sticking techniques) and even snare drum solos with his feet to improve his double bass drumming, hi-hat control and foot independence.

In search of new techniques, Carey has studied tabla with Aloke Dutta, who can be heard playing on the live version of the song “Pushit” (from Salival). This is especially apparent on tracks such as “Disposition” (Lateralus) or “Intension” (10,000 Days), for which Carey has recorded the tabla parts himself in studio. The tabla (and other percussive instruments) used in Tool’s music are replicated live using the Mandala pads (in fact the pads are also used when recording in the studio, a notable example being the tabla solo of “Right in Two” from 10,000 Days).

Long live Danny Carey – a true DRUM GOD in every sense!

Official website: http://www.dannycarey.com/

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Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_Carey

Image Source: http://danny-carey-facebook.seebyseeing.net/image

The latest addition to the mix is a sound pack consisting of 5 different alarm sounds. Similar to the ones you will here in movies, for example when there is an emergency and people need to evacuate the building or a computer is about to self-destruct. These audio sounds can be manipulated to form longer version if needed. Listen to/Purchase ‘Emergency Alarm Sound Pack 5′

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If you are looking for more sound packs or music to use in your projects, games or whatever the need may be, be sure to check out the ‘Royalty Free Stock Audio Library !

The Desert Dwellers are a collective of music producers spanning throughout the Southwest deserts from New Mexico to California; all sharing a passion for outdoor sonic explorations and the re-discovery of ritual beneath the vast desert skies. There they have spent many a full moon opening their inner ears to the sounds of the deep night sky, soft sandy dance floor, and the wide-open spaces that these magical realms have to offer.

Amani Friend, Rara Avis, and Treavor Moontribe all bring a lifetime of
compositional and performance experience to their current collaboration together. Their music blends elements of ambient, downtempo, dub, breaks, tek-house, progressive, electro, and trance; while also incorporating traditional world music in a way that shows a deep respect for that which has come before us, and our understanding of where we are now.

These musicians have trained in a diverse number of musical modalities from all over the globe, and are acutely aware of the great healing potential that music has to offer. It is their wish that you join them on a journey of self-discovery, and enter into a world of sound that comes from the vast expanses of inner space.

Look for Desert Dwellers music on White Swan Records, Native State Records, Ritual Sounds, System Recordings, Six Degrees, Sounds True, and their own label Desert Trax; they have remixed tracks for Karsh Kale, Deep Forest, & Jai Uttal.

Collaborative producers of Desert Dwellers include:
Jonathan Grossman, Kepi & Kat, Brian Seed, Michael Stearns, Craig Kohland of Shaman’s Dream.

@ReverbNation

@iTunes

@Website

@Facebook

@Last.fm

Visit their ReverbNation page for more links to their music.

I absolutely have to INSIST that you give this a listen if you are into serious Psychedelic and World music! HELLSYEAH!!

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An instrumental music clip/soundscape with a scary, dramatic and eerie feel. Also features wind and an old church bell dong. Use it in your flash projects, websites, video and more. Listen to/purchase ‘Wind Behind the Church Bell Soundscape‘

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Looking for more royalty free stock audio? Click here

Image Source: looplay.com

Looplay, a music marketplace environment ready to transform the current business model toward a new format tailored for the digital reality and focused on the future. We are a team of musicians, web developers and media professionals with a clear objective, to overthrow an industry outdated and unable to reinvent itself returning to the music professionals a market that belongs to them.

Looplay removes all unnecessary middlemen from the equation and provides the tools that the artists need to manage its resources freely, including an independent intellectual property record, self-manageable, easy to use and 100% legal.

Looplay will be online soon and we want to invite you to understand the project and to join a new movement which will allow thousands of musicians worldwide to professionalize his career, opening a stage for the new generation of creators.

You can find more information about the project at www.looplay.com where you will be able to ask for your VIP Pass to enter the platform at launch, as the first beta will be invitation only.

Through our profiles on Facebook, Twitter and Google + we will provide further information about new features and we will be happy to answer your questions and queries.

Looplay is actually on Crowdfunding at IndieGOGO in order to finance the first stage, this would allow us to release the first beta and give access to a thousands of artists without having to rely on external funding.

Features:

-Property Rights: Independent, self-managed and legal
-Sell your music direct-to-fan: Keep 100% of  sales
-Voting and feedback system: Grow up and get success
-Not just for musicians: Featured profiles for music business
-Simplify the process: Easily manage your resources
-Go forward to a new stage: Where you choose your own rules.

Keep in mind this site will up in beta phase soon, so I can`t recommend it at all, but for the independent music producer, I definitely recommend scoping this out. This could be the next step in digital music evolution! To ask for a VIP pass that will allow you to join Looplay before anyone else, just sign up on site by entering your e-mail address. There you have it – now go check it out

“Research has shown that music has a profound effect on your body and psyche. In fact, there’s a growing field of health care known as music therapy, which uses music to heal. Those who practice music therapy are finding a benefit in using music to help cancer patients, children with ADD, and others, and even hospitals are beginning to use music and music therapy to help with pain management, to help ward off depression, to promote movement, to calm patients, to ease muscle tension, and for many other benefits that music and music therapy can bring. This is not surprising, as music affects the body and mind in many powerful ways. The following are some of effects of music, which help to explain the effectiveness of music therapy:

• Brain Waves: Research has shown that music with a strong beat can stimulate brainwaves to resonate in sync with the beat, with faster beats bringing sharper concentration and more alert thinking, and a slower tempo promoting a calm, meditative state. Also, research has found that the change in brainwave activity levels that music can bring can also enable the brain to shift speeds more easily on its own as needed, which means that music can bring lasting benefits to your state of mind, even after you’ve stopped listening.

• Breathing and Heart Rate: With alterations in brainwaves comes changes in other bodily functions. Those governed by the autonomic nervous system, such as breathing and heart rate can also be altered by the changes music can bring. This can mean slower breathing, slower heart rate, and an activation of the relaxation response, among other things. This is why music and music therapy can help counteract or prevent the damaging effects of chronic stress, greatly promoting not only relaxation, but health.

• State of Mind: Music can also be used to bring a more positive state of mind, helping to keep depression and anxiety at bay. This can help prevent the stress response from wreaking havoc on the body, and can help keep creativity and optimism levels higher, bringing many other benefits.

• Other Benefits: Music has also been found to bring many other benefits, such as lowering blood pressure (which can also reduce the risk of stroke and other health problems over time), boost immunity, ease muscle tension, and more. With so many benefits and such profound physical effects, it’s no surprise that so many are seeing music as an important tool to help the body in staying (or becoming) healthy.

Using Music Therapy:
With all these benefits that music can carry, it’s no surprise that music therapy is growing in popularity. Many hospitals are using music therapists for pain management and other uses. Music therapists help with several other issues as well, including stress. For more information on music therapy, visit the American Music Therapy Association’s website.

Using Music On Your Own:
While music therapy is an important discipline, you can also achieve many benefits from music on your own. Music can be used in daily life for relaxation, to gain energy when feeling drained, for catharsis when dealing with emotional stress, and in other ways as well. This article on music, relaxation and stress management can explain more of how music can be an especially effective tool for stress management, and can be used in dailly life.”

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Source: http://stress.about.com/

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Image Source: http://panicawaybyjoebarry.com

“You have no doubt heard people talking about compressors and recording.  Perhaps you heard of albums or tracks being “compressed” to make the sound better.  You may have also heard about audiophile albums boasting that “no compression” was used as a positive thing.  Huh? What gives here? We’ll get to that and many other issues in this article, designed to make you fully conversant about the compression process and where to use and how much to use and when not to use.  We’ll end up with a discussion of software vs. hardware compressors and when software is appropriate.

Compression, ideally, is an “invisible” sort of effect that can bring your audio material up to spec with professional recordings.  Most audio professionals do use compressors in every piece and sometimes on nearly every track in every piece.

And sometimes compressors are overused.  Ever listen to a radio broadcast talk show and notice that when no one is talking you hear noise and hiss coming through until someone talks?  That’s a compressor doing that.  Radio stations, especially those with weak transmitters, pump the gain so they can get every ounce of volume out of FM radio’s limited bandwidth. They know that the loudest channel will attract and keep more listeners than the ones at lower levels.

And the same is somewhat true of the music we buy and listen to.  Top 40 music is always compressed, polished and buffed so when it comes across the radio or TV, even on tiny speakers, it’s fully listenable and accessible.

3 Ways to Use a Compressor in your Studio

Image source: http://audio-issues.com

There are 3 places in the audio chain where compression can be used to enhance your work of art.  They are the recording chain, the tracking chain and finally the mixdown chain. We’ll spend a little time on each one.

1: The Recording Chain

Here the compressor is put on a direct out or insert of the mixer which takes the microphone signal after it is boosted by the preamp. Other methods are to place the compressor “in between” a mic preamp and an audio interface, or on the inserts of an audio interface or preamp.

The purpose here is to optimize the material for the recorder.  You want to make sure all low volume passages actually do have a strong enough level where they won’t bring in noise later, and you also want to stop and loud “peaks” from overloading the recorder’s input, which will ruin the track.  That is compressor theory 101.

However, there is a strong bias among those recording to computer sequencers not to record with with compression, but to record at 24 bits.  The idea is that 24 bit audio offers such a significantly lower noise floor it is best to simply record at at full dynamics (louds and softs) at a level so low that the highest peak will never approach 0db fs.   When you have the audio recorded as pristinely as possible, then you apply compression in the digital domain, usually, with a plugin.

Even recording to analog tape, or 16 bit files, you can decide to avoid compression while recording, if you are good at riding the gain or you have performers that understand how to position themselves with the mic. (That is, they back off a few feet before letting out the loud, and eat the mic when they whisper).  However, the more out-of-control your performers are, the more likely you will need compression as you record.  Its also true that some people like to record through compressors because they want to work that way.  Finally, if you are recording live audio direct to a 2 track stereo feed, say, for live TV, you may simply have to have a whole lot of compressors working for you, particularly on the vocal channels.

There are many products specifically designed for the task of compression.  If you see a mic preamp on a single channel compressor, these are designed for this part of the chain. Sometimes these are called vocal compressors.  But like any other gear, you can use it for other uses too, such as guitars, acoustic instruments, etc.

 
2: The Tracking Chain

Once you have your audio tracks recorded on your computer or multi-track, you will be in the process of tweaking each track to make it sound the best it can, in reference to all the other tracks.  Here the compressor is added as an insert on a mixer.  That is, the signal goes out of the fader, goes through the compressor, then goes back to the fader’s channel.  If you recorded your vocals and acoustic instruments without compression, and you are mixing on an analog board, you almost certainly have to use one here to get the track up to spec.  This can be done in the computer sequencer’s mixer with a plugin, in the multi track if it has onboard compressors, or you do at at an analog board on inserts or busses.  No matter how you mix, the idea is to get the tracks uniform, so you don’t have instruments or vocals suddenly dropping out because they went soft on you.

You may also need to clamp down on those pesky peaks. Compression helps.  If you have a single guitar note that peaks 15 db higher than the rest of the material, for example, your whole track will have to be mixed 15db down which will definitely put it in the background. The compressor, by clamping down on that peak, allows the whole guitar track to be boosted higher in the mix, where it can, at least, be heard.

A classic compressor such as the UA LA2A is a nice choice for a vocal track.  it helps keep the vocal above the band in a very pleasing way.  But let me tell you you won’t be finding too many of these at your local pawn shop. That’s to software modeling you can have an authentic replica of the LA2A on your sequencer track. Or you can get it in hardware

Compressors can also be used as effects in their own right on drum tracks.  Drums are “peaky” by nature and by clamping down on the peaks, you can make the drums louder and fuller sounding.  If you have ever heard any strong rock drums on the radio, you are hearing drums squashed down with compression and then boosted with volume.  Drums without compression cannot hold up next to screaming vocals and distorted guitars.  The same is true even for light jazz, where the engineer might only compress enough to tame the peaks, but not affect the transparency of the audio.

 
3: The Mixdown Chain

In the mix, a variety of compression techniques may be used.  Compressors can be put on busses or even on sends and returns to affect (and effect!) certain parts of the mix.

An advanced mix technique is often called Parallel Compression, where the uncompressed source tracks are mixed in with the compressed signal coming back on a return or on a bus.  The advantage here is that the compressor fattens the overall sound yet the peaks (which come from the source signal) remain clear and “on top” of the compressed signal.  Parallel compression can work for drums and vocals, or anything really.  It can also be done with groups of tracks.

But sometimes there is a temptation to put the compressor on the master bus (the main outs) particularly among newbies.

OK, a compressor may be added here too, and can have a dramatic affect, for better or worse.  Some professionals advise against using compression here.  Particularly if you are sending the mix to a mastering house for cd replication, let them use their gear.  However, if this is a home cd production, you will have to master it yourself.  But again, more cautions.  See if your mastering software has any software tools for the finalizing task.  Mix to wave without compression and use a mastering processor there.  But if you are mixing down direct to a cd recorder or DAT and this is the last stop, then go ahead, compress the mix. If done properly, the whole thing will come out louder and stronger.

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Dynamic Range at Mixdown

This is a good thing, right?  Not if you want to be loud.  Dynamic range is the difference between the softest passage and the loudest passage in a song.  Compression shrinks dynamic range.  it makes the soft part louder and the loud part the loudest it can be.  So.  Got to be Loud?  It’s at this point where you would consider multi-band compressors, like the TC electronics Finalizer and brick wall limiters, like the Waves L2, or the UAD Precision limiter. These will let you use every bit of space in the audio bandwidth and you will be able to maintain consistent loudness.  Because those writing top 40 hits all seem to do this, you may need to go this route if that’s your bag.  Want to be soft and loud? You might consider not using compression or just extremely light limiting at all at this stage and preserve the dynamics of the material.  Orchestral and ambient works benefit from this approach as it makes for great dramatic passages when the orchestra does get loud. This is where some producers boast, “no compression was used”.  Of course, they are not aiming to get played on car radios around the globe.

 
Hardware vs. Software Compressors

Just a few notes here. Most modern sequencers have software compressors these days. These come in many different styles and types and many of them sound quite good. However, these are mainly for post-recording. You apply them to an audio track or soft synth as a plugin, after the recording has been made. Software compressors do not help as you record, so they cannot limit the peaks coming off the microphone through the preamp and into the converter. Hardware compressors, on the other hand, when setup correctly, modify the signal before it is recorded, thus preventing the overloads that can ruin a take. If you don’t want to use a hardware compressor here you simply have to be careful about overloads. With 24 bit recording you can record at a lower level to avoid overloads, however, it is a great idea to have the protection of a hardware compressor all the same.”

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The legendary John Bonham, or John Henry Bonham was born 31 May 1948 in Redditch, Worcestershire, England and sadly passed away on 25 September 1980.He was an English musician and songwriter, best known as the drummer of Led Zeppelin.

Bonham was esteemed for his speed, power, fast right foot, distinctive sound, and “feel” for the groove.He is widely considered to be one of the greatest drummers in the history of rock music by many drummers, other musicians, and commentators in the industry.Over 30 years after his death, Bonham continues to garner awards and praise, including a Rolling Stone readers’ pick in 2011 placing him in first place of the magazine’s “best drummers of all time”.

Learning to play drums at the age of five, making a drum kit out of containers and coffee tins,he imitated his idols Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich.He received his first proper drum kit,a Premier Percussion set from his father at fifteen.

Bonham never took any formal drum lessons, though as a teen he would get advice from other Redditch drummers. Between 1962–63, while John was still at school,he joined  the Blue Star Trio as well as Gerry Levene & the Avengers.

After leaving school in 1964, he worked for his father as an apprentice carpenter while drumming for different local bands. In this year Bonham joined his first semi-professional band, Terry Webb and the Spiders and met his future wife Pat Phillips around the same time. Other Birmingham bands featuring Bonham includes The Nicky James Movement and The Senators.After that he took up drumming full-time. Later projects include A Way of Life and a blues group called Crawling King Snakes, whose lead singer was Robert Plant.

When Plant decided to form Band of Joy, Bonham was first choice as drummer.In 1968 Band of Joy was invited by American singer Tim Rose who was touring Britain to open his concerts. As Rose returned for another tour months later, Bonham was formally invited by the singer to drum for his band.

After seeing Bonham drum for Tim Rose at a club in Hampstead, north London, in July 1968, Page and manager Peter Grant were instantly convinced that he was the perfect fit for the new project, first known as the New Yardbirds and later as Led Zeppelin.Bonham was initially reluctant to join the band.At the same time he was also receiving lucrative offers from established artists Joe Cocker and Chris Farlowe. Eventually, Bonham accepted Grant’s offer. He later recalled, “I decided I liked their music better than Cocker’s or Farlowe’s.”

During Led Zeppelin’s first tour of the United States in December 1968, Bonham became friends with Vanilla Fudge’s drummer Carmine Appice who introduced him to Ludwig Drums, which he then used for the rest of his career. Bonham used the longest and heaviest sticks available, which he referred to as “trees.” His hard hitting style was displayed to great effect on many Led Zeppelin songs, including “Immigrant Song” (Led Zeppelin III), “When the Levee Breaks” (Led Zeppelin IV / Zoso.svg), “Kashmir” (Physical Graffiti), “The Ocean” (Houses of the Holy), and “Achilles Last Stand” (Presence). In fact, Page once admitted to letting Bonham use a double bass drum in an early demo of “Communication Breakdown” but claimed he scratched the track because of Bonham’s “over-use” of it. The double bass style of drumming didn’t become popular for another twenty years.

The studio recording of “Misty Mountain Hop” perfectly captures his keen sense of dynamics, and this is similarly exhibited by his precise drumming on “No Quarter”. On several cuts from later albums, Bonham rather adeptly handled funk and Latin-influenced drumming. Songs like “Royal Orleans” and “Fool in the Rain” are good examples, respectively displaying great skill with a New Orleans shuffle and a samba rhythm.

John Bonham

His famous drum solo, first entitled “Pat’s Delight,” later renamed “Moby Dick”, would often last for 30 minutes and regularly featured his use of bare hands to achieve different sound effects. Bonham’s action sequence for the film, The Song Remains the Same, featured him in a drag race at Santa Pod Raceway to the sound of his signature drum solo, “Moby Dick”. In Led Zeppelin concert tours after 1969, Bonham would expand his basic kit to include congas, orchestral timpani, and a symphonic gong. Bonham is also credited (by the Dallas Times Herald) with the first in-concert use of electronic timpani drum synthesisers (most likely made by Syndrum) during a performance of the song “Kashmir” in Dallas, Texas in 1977. Many modern rappers would later heavily sample his drumming and incorporate it into their compositions, such as Beastie Boys, who sampled “Moby Dick,” “The Ocean,” and “When the Levee Breaks.”

While recording with Led Zeppelin, Bonham also found time to do sessions for other artists. In 1969 he appeared on The Family Dogg’s A Way of Life, with Page and Jones. Bonham also sessioned for Screaming Lord Sutch on his album Lord Sutch and Heavy Friends in 1970. He played drums on Lulu’s 1971 song “Everybody Clap,” originally written by Maurice Gibb and Billy Lawrie. In 1972 he played drums on a Maurice Gibb produced album by Jimmy Stevens called Don’t Freak Me Out in the UK and Paid My Dues in the US, credited as Gemini (given his star sign). Later in his career, Bonham drummed for his Birmingham friend, Roy Wood, on his 1979 album, On the Road Again, and on Wings’ album Back to the Egg on the tracks “Rockestra Theme” and “So Glad to See You Here”. Bonham was the best man of Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi at his wedding ceremony.

In 1974, Bonham appeared in the film Son of Dracula, playing drums in Count Downe’s (Harry Nilsson) backing band. This was an Apple film directed by Freddie Francis. John Bonham appeared in an overcrowded drum line-up including Keith Moon and Ringo Starr on the soundtrack album.

On 24 September 1980, Bonham was picked up by Led Zeppelin assistant Rex King to attend rehearsals at Bray Studios for an upcoming tour of the United States—the band’s first since 1977. During the journey, Bonham asked to stop for breakfast, where he drank four quadruple vodkas (sixteen shots, between 400–560 ml). He then continued to drink heavily after arriving at the rehearsals. A halt was called to the rehearsals late in the evening and the band retired to Page’s house, the Old Mill House in Clewer, Windsor. After midnight on the 25th, Bonham fell asleep and was taken to bed and placed on his side. Benji LeFevre (who had replaced Richard Cole as Led Zeppelin’s tour manager) and John Paul Jones found him dead the next afternoon. John Bonham was only 32 years old.

Weeks later at the coroner’s inquest, it emerged that in the twenty-four hours before he died, John Bonham had consumed forty shots of vodka which resulted in him vomiting and subsequently inhaling his vomit causing asphyxiation. A verdict of accidental death was returned at an inquest held on 27 October 1980. An autopsy found no other drugs in Bonham’s body.John Bonham’s body was cremated and his ashes were interred on 12 October 1980, at Rushock Parish Church, Worcestershire.

In 2007, Stylus magazine rated Bonham number 1 on its list of the 50 greatest rock drummers,as did the online music magazine Gigwise.com in 2008. He was ranked  #1 on Classic Rock’s 2005 list of “50 Greatest Drummers in Rock”. Modern Drummer magazine describes him as “the greatest rock ‘n’ roll drummer in history.”In September 2008, Bonham topped the Blabbermouth.net’s list of “Rockers fans want brought back to life”, ahead of Elvis Presley and Freddie Mercury.Rhythm magazine voted him the greatest drummer ever, topping their reader’s poll to determine the “50 greatest drummers of all time” for its October 2009 issue. At the end of the BBC Two series I’m in a Rock ‘n’ Roll Band! on 5 June 2010, John Bonham was named the best drummer of all time!

John Bonham has been described by Allmusic as one of the most important, well-known and influential drummers in rock.

Adam Budofsky, managing editor of Modern Drummer magazine, writes “If the king of rock ‘n’ roll was Elvis Presley, then the king of rock drumming was certainly John Bonham.”

Several of drummers have testified to Bonham’s influence, such as Roger Taylor of Queen, who stated:

“The greatest rock ‘n’ roll drummer of all time was John Bonham who did things that nobody had ever even thought possible before with the drum kit. And also the greatest sound out of his drums—they sounded enormous, and just one bass drum. So fast on it that he did more with one bass drum than most people could do with three, if they could manage them. And he had technique to burn and fantastic power and tremendous feel for rock`n`roll.“

Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters, Nirvana and Them Crooked Vultures has said:

“John Bonham played the drums like someone who didn’t know what was going to happen next—like he was teetering on the edge of a cliff. No one has come close to that since, and I don’t think anybody ever will. I think he will forever be the greatest drummer of all time.”

Chad Smith of Red Hot Chili Peppers has remarked:

“To me, hands down, John Bonham was the best rock drummer ever. The style and the sound was so identifiable to one person. Any drum set that he would play, it sounded like him.”

Charlie Watts of The Rolling Stones told Guitar Player’s Jas Obrecht:

“John Bonham is the best at being John Bonham and doing what he does. Or did—unfortunately, he’s dead. He was the best. There wasn’t anyone better than John Bonham at doing that, and thank goodness we’ve got some records so that you can hear it.”

Eric Carr, former drummer of Kiss, stated:

“At least 85% of all of the rock drummers today have gotten influences from Bonham, and all have recognised how great he was. Every band in the business – guaranteed – has tried to do something with that Bonham sound, which shows that everyone from A to Z has listened to him.“

Musicians other than drummers have also paid tribute to Bonham. John Paul Jones, who formed a very tight musical partnership with him as Led Zeppelin’s power rhythm section, stated that Bonham was a “bass player’s dream“.

Jimmy Page has also commented:

“One of the marvelous things about John Bonham which made things very easy [for a producer] was the fact that he really knew how to tune his drums, and I tell you what, that was pretty rare in drummers in those days. He really knew how to make the instrument sing, and because of that, he could just get so much volume out of it by just playing with his wrists. It was just an astonishing technique that was sort of pretty holistic if you know what I mean.“

Bonham initially used Premier drums, but in the late 1960s was introduced to Ludwig drums by Carmine Appice of Vanilla Fudge. Throughout the remainder of his career, Bonham was a major endorser of Ludwig Drums. In concert, he used a wide range of different drum kits, but mostly of the same sizes.

From 1970 onwards, he used a 14×26″ bass drum, which was the most identifiable part of his setup. He used 16×16″, 16×18″ and (on certain live performances) a 18×20″ floor tom, while occasionally changing his tom sizes, which included sizes 12×14″, 10×14″, and 12×15″.
This is a drummer’s dream! A web site dedicated to streaming Led Zeppelin’s rough mixes, drum-only takes, rehearsals, and alternate takes. The ability to listen to John Bonham upclose is something a drummer should not take for granted. There is no other drummer that has even come close to his groove and feel. There are some gems for everyone at this site.

Sources:

http://sessions.led-zeppelin.us/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Bonham

http://www.jeffconsi.com/page/2/