Of all of Jimmy Page's heroes, one completely towered above the rest; Elvis Presley. Jimmy got the opportunity to meet his hero on a fateful day in 1974.
Jimmy first began playing when he heard the track "Baby Let's Play House" in the mid-1950's. Scotty Moore, Elvis' guitarist was Jimmy's first guitar hero. He would later say on his website in his On This Day feature, "Scotty Moore had been a major inspiration in
my early transitory days from acoustic to electric guitar.
His character guitar playing on those early Elvis Sun
recordings, and later at RCA, was monumental. It was during the 50's
that these types of song-shaping guitar parts helped me see the
importance of the electric guitar approach to music."
On May 11th, 1974, the members of Led Zeppelin, minus John Paul Jones made a stop in Los Angeles to see Elvis Presley live and in concert at the forum. Elvis no doubt was told about the famous British band in his midst remarked from the stage, 'Wait a minute... If we can start together fellas, because we've got Led Zeppelin out there... let's try to look like we know what we're doing, whether we do or not'. By coincidence Led Zeppelin shared a promoter, Jerry Weintraub who offered to take the group up to Elvis' suite for a meet and greet, an offer the readily accepted.
Robert Plant later wrote an article
about Elvis for Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Singers edition. Here's an
excerpt from that piece:
"When I met Elvis with Zeppelin, after one of his concerts in the early Seventies, I sized him up. He wasn't quite as tall as me. But he had a singer's build. He had a good chest — that resonator. And he was driven. "Anyway You Want Me" is one of the most moving vocal performances I've ever heard. There is no touching "Jailhouse Rock" and the stuff recorded at the King Creole sessions. I can study the Sun sessions as a middle-aged guy looking back at a bloke's career and go, "Wow, what a great way to start." But I liked the modernity of the RCA stuff. "I Need Your Love Tonight" and "A Big Hunk o' Love" were so powerful — those sessions sounded like the greatest place to be on the planet."
"At that meeting, Jimmy Page joked with Elvis that we never sound-checked — but if we did, all I wanted to do was sing Elvis songs. Elvis thought that was funny and asked me, "Which songs do you sing?" I told him I liked the ones with all the moods, like that great country song "Love Me" — "Treat me like a fool/Treat me mean and cruel/But love me." So when we were leaving, after a most illuminating and funny 90 minutes with the guy, I was walking down the corridor. He swung 'round the door frame, looking quite pleased with himself, and started singing that song: "Treat me like a fool. . . ." I turned around and did Elvis right back at him. We stood there, singing to each other. "
Led Zeppelin would meet The King again. Here's a second encounter that occurred one year later at his home. Jerry Schilling, a member of the
"Memphis Mafia", a group of friends and bodyguards who surrounded Elvis,
would recall the meeting of members of the band and The King, in his book "Me
and a Guy Named Elvis":
"I don't know if Richard expected to lose his watch
that easily, but about twenty minutes later Elvis went upstairs and came back
down with another watch, a real piece of jewelry, covered in diamonds - a
wristwatch you could trade in for a car. Maybe a couple of cars. 'Here', he
said to Richard. 'Take this one'. A very stunned Richard accepted. From then on
the night was nothing but fun, with a lot of laughs and a lot of quoting "Monty Python" routines (Elvis was the first Monty
Python fanatic I ever knew). Elvis and Richard obviously shared a sense of
humor. And I could tell Elvis also liked the much quieter John. At one point,
Elvis excused himself, went back upstairs, and retuned with an equally
impressive watch for the bassist. Before the evening was over, Elvis said he
wanted to make another exchange. He was out of watches, but had another bit of
fashion in mind. So he stood, eyed John, and said, 'Let's
swap pants', while simultaneously, in expert Python fashion, letting his pajama
bottoms drop beneath his robe. The loud Richard was shocked into
silence, while quiet Sheila and John burst out laughing. Nobody accepted Elvis'
offer, but it was a great note to end the night on."
Led Zeppelin and The King would meet for the last time on a tarmac at the Baltimore Airport in 1977. David Stanley recalled the meeting:
"I started touring with Presley in 1972 when I was 16. I always had Zeppelin's music with me. In 1974 while at the LA Forum Led Zeppelin came to see Elvis. Later that night after the show Robert, Jimmy and John Paul came to Elvis' suite at the hotel across the street from the Forum. I met them as they came off the elevator and walked with them to Elvis' s room. I introduced myself, shook their hands and got their autograph. Of all the people I met during my life with Elvis, it was only Led Zeppelin's autograph that I asked for.
As I continued to tour with Elvis till his death in 1977 I would often ask my friend Tom Hewlett of Concerts West (the tour company that handled Elvis and Zeppelin) how the Boys were doing. He always gave me updates.
There was one other time the Presley tour ran across the band while out on the road. It was at the Washington/Baltimore airport. We (the Presley tour) were playing in Washington and Led Zeppelin was playing at the Capital Centre. We arrived on the Lisa Marie, Elvis' Private Jet, and Led Zeppelin arrived on the Caesar's Chariot. It was a hell of a sight to see these two private jets sitting side by side on the private tarmac.
I asked Elvis if I could go with the band that night for their concert. He just looked at me and said "no". When I asked him why he said "look at the bottom of your paycheck'". As I entered the limo with Elvis I said they sure have a nice jet. Elvis leaned over and reminded me that they lease their jet from Caesar's Palace, I own mine.
To me Led Zeppelin was and still is the greatest band in the world."
Funnily enough, later on BBC Radio 2 through the art of manipulation would re-imagine a super-group featuring both Elvis and Jimmy Page along with Noel Gallagher, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Sheryl Crow and Keith Moon.
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| Elvis, May 11th 1974 |
On May 11th, 1974, the members of Led Zeppelin, minus John Paul Jones made a stop in Los Angeles to see Elvis Presley live and in concert at the forum. Elvis no doubt was told about the famous British band in his midst remarked from the stage, 'Wait a minute... If we can start together fellas, because we've got Led Zeppelin out there... let's try to look like we know what we're doing, whether we do or not'. By coincidence Led Zeppelin shared a promoter, Jerry Weintraub who offered to take the group up to Elvis' suite for a meet and greet, an offer the readily accepted.
 |
| Robert Plant & Jimmy Page on the night they met Elvis |
"When I met Elvis with Zeppelin, after one of his concerts in the early Seventies, I sized him up. He wasn't quite as tall as me. But he had a singer's build. He had a good chest — that resonator. And he was driven. "Anyway You Want Me" is one of the most moving vocal performances I've ever heard. There is no touching "Jailhouse Rock" and the stuff recorded at the King Creole sessions. I can study the Sun sessions as a middle-aged guy looking back at a bloke's career and go, "Wow, what a great way to start." But I liked the modernity of the RCA stuff. "I Need Your Love Tonight" and "A Big Hunk o' Love" were so powerful — those sessions sounded like the greatest place to be on the planet."
"At that meeting, Jimmy Page joked with Elvis that we never sound-checked — but if we did, all I wanted to do was sing Elvis songs. Elvis thought that was funny and asked me, "Which songs do you sing?" I told him I liked the ones with all the moods, like that great country song "Love Me" — "Treat me like a fool/Treat me mean and cruel/But love me." So when we were leaving, after a most illuminating and funny 90 minutes with the guy, I was walking down the corridor. He swung 'round the door frame, looking quite pleased with himself, and started singing that song: "Treat me like a fool. . . ." I turned around and did Elvis right back at him. We stood there, singing to each other. "
 |
| Elvis entering his hotel room with Joe Esposito who is wearing a Led Zeppelin T-shirt |
"From the
moment Richard [Cole] (Led Zeppelin's tour manager) stepped into the house, he was loud and profane-packing an
amazing number of f-words into everything he said. 'You know', Elvis said to
him. 'I'd appreciate it if you'd watch your language in front of my lady'.
Things got very quiet. Everybody sat down. And it stayed quiet. Then Elvis
decided to break the ice, and asked if he could see the fancy watch that
Richard was wearing. Richard handed the watch over, and when Elvis put it on,
Richard quickly said that if Elvis wanted the watch, he could keep it."
'Does it
have any special meaning to you?' Elvis asked.
'Well, a
bit. Atlantic Records gave them to the group', said Richard.
'OK,
thanks', said Elvis.
 |
| Richard Cole (On Couch) |
"I started touring with Presley in 1972 when I was 16. I always had Zeppelin's music with me. In 1974 while at the LA Forum Led Zeppelin came to see Elvis. Later that night after the show Robert, Jimmy and John Paul came to Elvis' suite at the hotel across the street from the Forum. I met them as they came off the elevator and walked with them to Elvis' s room. I introduced myself, shook their hands and got their autograph. Of all the people I met during my life with Elvis, it was only Led Zeppelin's autograph that I asked for.
As I continued to tour with Elvis till his death in 1977 I would often ask my friend Tom Hewlett of Concerts West (the tour company that handled Elvis and Zeppelin) how the Boys were doing. He always gave me updates.
There was one other time the Presley tour ran across the band while out on the road. It was at the Washington/Baltimore airport. We (the Presley tour) were playing in Washington and Led Zeppelin was playing at the Capital Centre. We arrived on the Lisa Marie, Elvis' Private Jet, and Led Zeppelin arrived on the Caesar's Chariot. It was a hell of a sight to see these two private jets sitting side by side on the private tarmac.
I asked Elvis if I could go with the band that night for their concert. He just looked at me and said "no". When I asked him why he said "look at the bottom of your paycheck'". As I entered the limo with Elvis I said they sure have a nice jet. Elvis leaned over and reminded me that they lease their jet from Caesar's Palace, I own mine.
To me Led Zeppelin was and still is the greatest band in the world."
 |
| The Caesar's Chariot |
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