Donovan is well-known as one of the most influential folk-rock musicians of all time, but his 1968 album, The Hurdy Gurdy Man, might have played a pivotal role in one of the greatest heavy rock bands of the following decade and, arguably, of all time. As memories among seasoned musicians are wont to do, accounts vary on who, exactly, played on Donovan’s seminal sixth studio album.
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Nevertheless, the rock ‘n’ roll timeline speaks for itself. In the spring of 1968, Donovan was in the studio with an impressive lineup of session musicians. By late summer, Led Zeppelin was born.
Who Played On Donovan’s Folk-Rock Hit “Hurdy Gurdy Man”?
The answer to that question depends on who you ask. For the sake of this writing, we’re basing our facts on the most oft-told versions of the story. In these accounts, Donovan was in the studio recording The Hurdy Gurdy Man and, specifically, its title track with future Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist John Paul Jones, and John Bonham. Memories have grown hazy since the late 1960s, but Donovan has credited Page, Jones, and Bonham on several occasions since that fateful session. Moreover, Donovan credits the album as kickstarting the group that would become Led Zeppelin.
“Jimmy added power and pagan rock,” Donovan said in a 2008 interview with Uncut. “To this day, everyone wants that sound. John Paul Jones arranged it. He gave the shapes to those sounds. And of course, we really should have stopped [Jimmy’s] guitar solo, because I had another verse to sing that George Harrison had given me. But when we heard this thing that Page was doing coming out, we just said, ‘Keep playing.’ That might have been the first power chord solo.” Deepening the Donovan and Led Zeppelin connection further is the fact that Donovan’s producer, Mickie Most, shared an office door with Peter Grant, future Led Zeppelin manager.
“Maybe the band heard how “Hurdy Gurdy Man” went,” Donovan mused, “and [asked], ‘Why are we doing sessions when we can do this? And they became the greatest Pagan British rock band.”
Jimmy Page’s Job Almost Went To Someone Else
Whether or not Donovan’s “Hurdy Gurdy Man” played a significant role in the creation of Led Zeppelin, it stands to reason that if the folk-rock icon would have gotten his original wish, the trajectory of the heavy rock band behind hits like “Black Dog” and “Stairway to Heaven” might not have formed in the same way they originally did. Working with Donovan opened the future Led Zeppelin musicians up to their positive collaborative relationship. But for a brief moment, Jimmy Page wasn’t even in the running to get the session gig.
Donovan wanted Jimi Hendrix first. “When I wrote “Hurdy Gurdy Man,” I thought of Jimi,” Donovan told Classic Rock. “I said to Mickie Most, ‘This is for Hendrix.’ And he said, ‘No, it isn’t. It’s for you.’ So, I said, ‘Let’s get Hendrix to play on it.’ Mickie phoned Chas [Chandler, Hendrix’s manager], who said, ‘Jimi’s playing shows back-to-back.’ So, we got Jimmy Page. And aren’t we happy about that. Because what came out of that, thanks to Jimmy, Mickie Most, and John Paul Jones, was something that was pagan Celtic rock ‘n’ roll, not a copy of American rock ‘n’ roll.”
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