For what turned our to be his first public appearance, Jason Bonham was dressed in a romper suit. He can be seen in the Led Zeppelin movie, The Song Remains The Same, playing a scaled-down drum kit for a very proud father, John Bonham, the legendary drummer of Led Zeppelin. Jason was five years old.

Jason recalls many such appearances. 'Sometimes I would be woken up at 2 o'clock in the morning to come down and play that scaled-down kit. The audiences ranged from family friends to the biggest names in rock of that period. Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, members of YES, Bad Company, and Emerson, Lake & Palmer would often drop by our house after shows in the area and a major party would follow. After being woken up for a few of these nocturnal performances, I was able to negotiate my first fee, a much needed day off school.'

While Jason continued to play the drums at home, his first love became motor cross riding. John Bonham was an enthusiastic supporter of the sport in England and, at the age of 14, Jason was a factory rider for Kawasaki and was placed second in the British Junior National Championships, losing by 1 point. 'I won the last race of the season and my competitor had to come in 5th or better to place ahead of me in the Championship. he was lying 8th on the last lap and three people crashed right in front of him allowing him to secure that last vital point.

That year Jason made a decision to follow in his fathers footsteps, and become the best drummer that he could be.

At the Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary party in 1988, Jason joined Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones for an epic Led Zeppelin reunion. The atmosphere in s sold-out Madison Square Garden was electrifying and the performance was televised in no less that 60 countries. Later, Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones remarked, "It was uncanny, Jason had every nuance of his father's approach to the group's music, it was as thought we'd played together for years'.

Jimmy Page was the first to fully grasp Jason's potential and, immediately after returning to London, asked Jason to record an album with him. The Page "Outrider tour followed in 1989 and Jason's drum solo was acclaimed as a high point in the show.

In 1990, Jason's debut album, 'The Disregard of Timekeeping" topped the rock airplay charts and the success of the single, 'Wait for You", helped Bonham garner a gold record. The band toured extensively for 2 years, but the impact of such early success on it's young members, caused a great deal of internal friction. Jason decided to concentrate on session work and writing new music, and in 1993 recorded the Grammy nominated album, "Muddy Water Blues, A Tribute to Muddy Waters', with such musical luminaries as Paul Rodgers, Slash, Jeff Beck, Steve Miller, Ritchie Sambora, Buddy Guy, Brian Setzer, and Pink Floyd's Dave Gilmour. Jason toured substantially with this project culminating in a superb performance with Slash and Paul Rodgers at Wood stock 11 in 1994.

Last year Jason returned to his first love and once again played with Page, Plant and Jones at Led Zeppelin's induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In March this year, Jason began touring with his new group, The Jason Bonham Band, this time incorporating his love of Supercross with his musical talents. As part of a national tour, Jason appeared at Supercross events in Dallas, Houston, and Tampa where the band presented "The ZepSet' to an overwhelming response.

On May 4th in Sacramento, and May I 1 in San Bernardino, Jason will ride in the outdoor Motocross event in the amateur division. 'I was a factory rider for Kawasaki as a junior, but I can't compete with these guys', says Jason of the new breed of professional riders, 'they're light years beyond me. The abilities of Jeremy McGrath, Jeff Emig and my fellow countryman Jamie Dobb are quite scary. Nonetheless, I'm thrilled to be a part of Supercross '96 and I look forward to appearing at more events next year".

The Jason Bonham Band show features 'The ZepSet, a one and a half hour onslaught of Led Zeppelin's finest songs driven by a man who is focused on presenting his fathers legacy the best way he can. 'I grew up in a home filled with the spirit and music of Led Zeppelin. It's a joy for me to be able to play a substantial number of these songs at every date. I'm also very proud of our own music, songs from the Bonham albums, like 'Wait For You" and 'Change of a Season' always get a great reaction and I'm looking forward to trying out some brand new songs from our forthcoming CD'.

The Jason Bonham Band is:

Drums - Jason Bonham
Guitar - Tony Catania
Vocals - Charles West
Bass/Keyboards - John Smithson

The ZepSet" will be drawn from: 'Whole Lotta Love", 'The Immigrant Song', 'Dazed and Confused', "We're Gonna Groove', 'Ten Years Gone', 'Custard Pie', 'Rock'N Roll', "Moby Dick', 'The Rain Song', 'Going To California', 'The Song Remains The Same", 'Black Dog', 'In The Evening", "Kashmir", 'Stairway To Heaven", 'What is and What Never Should Be', 'Babe I'm Gonna Leave You", 'The Ocean", "Since I've Been Lovin 'You". 'Ramble On', 'Trampled Under Foot" and 'Misty Mountain Hop"