Legendary Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham was born in Redditch, Worcestershire, England, on May 31, 1948. He was born to Jack and Joan Bonham and his father worked as a carpenter in the area. John began drumming at the age of five, fashioning his first drum kit out of boxes and coffee cans. Bonham left school in 1964 to begin working as a carpenter’s apprentice with his father and also began playing in several local bands. After scoring a local hit with a band called the Senators, Bonham began playing music full time. It was around this time he made his first connection with Robert Plant in a blues band called Crawling King Snakes. It was also in this era that he earned the nickname “Bonzo,” which was taken from a popular cartoon bulldog of that era. By 1968, Bonham was touring regularly with singer Tim Rose. He would soon rise to international fame when invited by Plant and guitarist Jimmy Page to join their new band, Led Zeppelin.