Led Zeppelin legendary drummer John Bonham is celebrated with the long-awaited return of a one-day rock and blues festival in his hometown of Redditch.
The festival commemorating the iconic star known as “Bonzo” was only in its second year when the pandemic struck and canceled last year.
But the organizers have said it will return in September and be even bigger.
READ MORE: Portrait of Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant stolen from the pub in the Jewelery Quarter
The regular music program at Redditch’s Palace Theater started on Saturday, December 25th.
Redditch-born Bonham provided the rhythm that made Led Zeppelin a superstar in the 1970s, but he died suddenly in 1980, aged just 32.
His bandmates Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones broke up after the drummer’s death out of respect for their friend and colleague.
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The emotional bond remains strong and resulted in Plant paying a poignant visit to Bonham’s statue in 2019.
This year’s festival includes John Coghlan’s Quo – a band with the original Status Quo drummer, and the Led Zeppelin tribute band CODA on the main stage of the Palace Theater. There are also “special guests” who will be performing.
Other headliners are Stray, Ken Pustelniks Groundhogs, Geordie and You Dirty Blue.
Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant visits the statue of late bandmate John Bonham in Redditch in 2019
The outdoor stage will be manned by seven well-known regional blues and rock artists, including Ritchie Dave Porter and Debra Susan from Birmingham, The James Oliver Band and Vincent Flatts Final Drive from 12pm to 6pm.
Despite worldwide fame with Led Zeppelin, Bonham always had a close connection with Worcestershire and lived with his wife and two children in a stunning converted coach house in Birlingham near Pershore.
Ticket proceeds from the John Bonham A Celebration II International Festival will go to the Teenage Cancer Trust.
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