Today in 1968, John Paul Jones officially replaced former Yardbirds bassist Chris Dreja in Jimmy Page’s new band, to become known as Led Zeppelin a few months later. Page knew he needed a virtuoso bassist who, when needed, could quickly move to other roles (arranger, keyboards, etc.), onstage and in the studio. Page already knew Jones as a session colleague, so a rehearsal would not be so much a test of his abilities as a matter of determining if he would fit in. If I recall correctly, he fit in just fine…
After replacement, Dreja turned to another passion, photography, and quickly started a professional career. In fact, he took the photo that appeared on the back jacket of Zeppelin’s debut album.
Got Led? A Led Zeppelin History blog. 