By John Johnson, ( File photo by Jeffrey Moellering)

Monday, December 2nd, I received affirming correspondence that I would be speaking with Jason Bonham on Tuesday at 11am. The next morning, at approximately 10:40 I found a nice quiet space in my office building in which to perform said phone interview. Having all my proverbial ducks in a row, the iPhone primed with the proper recording ability, MacBook Pro open with all my notes, chock full of the obligatory growing up Led Zeppelin questions. I was prepared to pepper him with all the interrogatives I was fully aware he’d been answering for at least the last four decades. But an assumed, run of the mill, 15 minute scheduled phone convocation turned into close to a 30 minute dialog with two guys, pardon my French, just shooting the shit.

It’s not every day that you get the chance to chat with the son of one of rock’s most iconic drummers, but Jason Bonham is no ordinary person. Over the phone, his voice is warm and easygoing, with a wonderful British accent, and he chats as though he’s just another guy who loves cars, music, family and a good story. My previously mentioned notes were tossed out the window almost immediately as he initiated the convo with the fact that we’re both Floridians. “I see you’re a Tampa native, nice. I’ve been living for nearly 20 years on the other coastline in Delray Beach” he started, “I bought a boat in 2019 and it worked out perfect throughout the covid period and then, once everything else all opened up again it was like I can go back to the racetrack now and get rid of the boat.” The race track he refers to is of course of the motocross variety. Bonham was probably 10 or 11 when he first hopped on a bike and became big on the UK circuit around the age of 13. His love of speed has never wained, keeping a bevy of exotic cars and high end motorcycles at the ready when he needs to quench his “need for speed”. In fact, he was waiting on a delivery of his new ZR1. You could hear the excitement in his voice, “A Corvette ZR1. I have the 009, the Z06. I was never a Corvette guy until someone said “What would it take to put you in an American Car?” Because I’ve had Mclarens, Ferraris, Lamborghinis. So yeh, I really fell in love with how the car drove, and well, I couldn’t fault it. I still keep a couple classic Ferraris. Like my dad, I’m fond of them”.

His dad of course, was none other than legendary Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, who tragically passed away in 1980 when Jason was just a young boy. I asked him if there was a particular song of his father’s band that made him decide he wanted to pursue a career in music. “I wouldn’t say it was a song I heard, I’d say it was one of the performances that I went to and I saw my dad play…I sat behind him”, he said with a tinge of emotion. Surprisingly, Bonham only attended three Led Zeppelin performances in his entire life. “Yeh. We weren’t allowed to go to any of those” he laughs,”I’ve read the books” he continued, “And the Tampa one doesn’t count does it?” The show he refers to is the infamous one that he and I both actually attended (at 11 and 13 respectively) in Tampa in 1977. Zeppelin only played three songs before the sky opened up, leading to a riot when the group didn’t return to the stage. But there was one Zeppelin concert in particular that stands out as the moment he knew that he’d follow in his father’s footsteps. “Yeh, I mean, so it was Knebworth in ’79. It was just the way he played ‘Kashmir’ ”, he reminisced. “At that point I was 13 and like a top motorcycle racer in England, that was kind of my thing, but watching him do that in front of two hundred thousand people, put it this way, two years later I picked the sticks up and put the helmet down and focused on being in music.”

Over the years, Jason has carved out his own incredible legacy in the world of rock music, playing with countless legendary artists including Foreigner, Paul Rodgers, and of course, the surviving members of Led Zeppelin on more than one occasion. He’s also drummer for the “supergroup” Black Country Communion. I mentioned that I was lucky enough to have interviewed the bands guitarist Joe Bonamassa several weeks back and asked if there were tour dates for North America. The four piece travels across the pond starting in June. “Not yet, we’ll probably see how we’ll all get along in Europe” he quipped. I stated that historically, tension makes for good music, he agreed, “Exactly. Well ya know, who knows…we’re much older then we were when we started Black Country Communion, that was in 2010…that was about the same time as when I started this Zeppelin thing.” He continued “Ya know Joe (Bonamassa) is such an amazing player, such a sweet guy. And Glenn (Hughes) I’ve known all my life, and Derek is just so talented. And very wicked warped sense of humor Derek.” He fondly recollects “So it’s a good laugh. The joyous end to most tours, the laughter.” I chime in with how much I think Hughes (bassist and singer for BCC) is such an incredible “beast” of a singer. He replied enthusiastically, “OH You can’t believe it can you mate?”. I’ll pause for a moment here to state that Mr. Bonham has such a warmth and sincere way of speaking that he can actually make you feel like you’re one of his “mates”. I continued by asking him if there was anyone left that he hadn’t worked with that he’d love to collaborate with, because he has played with so many legends in his decades long career. “That’s funny ya know, people have posted some things on YouTube recently, and it doesn’t really mention me, but I know I’m on drums on these” he reported, in a rightfully insulted manner for not being ‘’tagged’. “And it was kinda cool to look back and go wow, I’ve had the pleasure of playing with so many amazing guitar players” he recalls rhapsodically. “There’s this clip from Royal Albert Hall, 2011 with Paul Rodgers” he goes on “I’ve done several tours with Rodgers, done an album, yeh, we’ve done quite a few concerts together but I really felt like we gelled at that point. I was at my best.” I’ve viewed the concert a few times and the entire show is phenomenal, and Mr. Bonham is absolutely stellar.

One of the most endearing aspects of Jason’s life today is his role as a father. His son Jager Henry, a budding rock star in his own right, has inherited the Bonham musical gene but chose not to use the surname in hopes to be recognized for his own talents. At six foot four, and a singer rather than a drummer, Bonham still sees his 28 year old offspring as his “little boy”. He proudly, and carefully explained his approach to raising a musician. “It’s just wonderful that he even allows me to kind of get involved ya know and some times it can be the worst thing to do, but I’m always here to help him, but I’m not gonna be the one to make the decisions for him”. His son will be the opening act for The Jason Bonham Led Zeppelin Evening when they come through Tampa on December 16th. I asked him what it’s like to have his son on a rock tour with him. “Oh, it’s a dream…a dream of any father, honestly. I get so nervous… it’s my kid ya know?” Jason’s fatherly pride is evident in his voice, and it’s clear that he supports his son’s aspirations, even though the world of rock has changed so much since his own youth. “Ya gotta get it done right and get it on rock radio, and the traffic that is out there with all the massive artists and there we are, the independent people, no album, no agent…it’s been rough, but he’s doing it.”

Our over extended 30 minute rap session covered a lot of diverse ground in my humble opinion. From his reported love of cars and motorcycles, to our simpatico affinity for off color tee shirts, to our nearly rabid love for the British duo Royal Blood. For which we both exclaimed in unison at one point, “I LOVE ROYAL BLOOD”. The unique two piece band was brought up when I suggested that he and Bonamassa record a guitar and drum album under the pseudonym BONHAMASSA. The ever courteous Mr. Bonham chuckled slightly, and we shared a few of our concert experiences seeing those two “talented blokes”. I went off topic a bit with my last question, which was regarding his role in the 2001 film “Rock Star”. I sincerely queried him on the hopes of a spinoff documentary about his character from the movie, A.C. He answered with a laugh, “Well ya know Zack Wylde was supposed to play A.C.” he continued proudly “But when I did the audition, (director) Stephen Herek swapped it over, he liked the way I talked more.” Although the drummer in the movies fictitious band Steel Dragon had several scene stealing moments, the transfusion scene came across oddly familiar albeit based on legend. So I asked if he was channeling anyone or was acting off the cuff. He knowingly responded “I was um, I was thinking about Keef, mate”. he continues regarding the dialog delivery, “The guy says “Are you from London?” And I went “Nah” and he said well ya keep doing it again and you have a bit of a London accent. And I said I just keep imaging Keith Richards doing it.”

As our conversation drew to a close, I genuinely expressed may gratitude to Jason for having reflected on the rich tapestry of his life with me. From his early days in the mud on a motocross track, to his drumming with legends, his passion for exotic cars, and now fatherhood of a burgeoning rock star, Jason Bonham’s journey has been anything but ordinary, and is far from over.

Do yourself a favor, if not several, and research Paul Rodgers show from 2011 at the Royal Albert Hall, his side band Black Country Communion and definitely The Jason Bonham Led Zeppelin Evening that will be at Seminole Hard Rock Event Center on December 16th. And always remember, go see, hear and experience live music.