JIMMY Page is one of the definitive guitar heroes in contemporary music. As the guitarist for bands such as the Yardbirds and Led Zeppelin, his eclectic playing style has influenced a generation of guitar players.  Born James Patrick Page on Janurary 9th 1964 in London, he started playing guitar at 12 years old, and was largely self-taught.  He made his first TV appearance in a skiffle group on the BBC talent show Huw Wheldon’s All Your Own. Asked about his future aspirations, he said that he wanted to do biological research to find a cancer cure.

He took the musical path instead after having guitar lessons, leaving school at 14 to join Neil Christian and The Crusaders, touring for just two years before contracting glandular fever. After a stint at Art College, he eventually returned to music as a session musician, playing on a variety of 60s records. Although the details of his sessions are sketchy, he’s been confirmed to play on tracks such as The Who’s “I Can’t Explain.”  He joined the Yardbirds during their later years, before becoming a member of Led Zeppelin in1 968.

He would hone his guitar skills throughout his time as a session musician. In an interview with Guitarist magazine in 2003 he said:  “it  could have been anything from classical music to Ravi Shankar, but I also really got into the folk aspect of music too, because it was six strings and it was a guitar. I'd listened to country blues, but all of a sudden there were all these guys who were extending the fingerpicking technique”.