Jason Bonham in North Wales Daily Post

Bonham’s on a roll and he’s more than a chip off the old block

Jason Bonham and his supergroup Black Country Communion (BCC) launch their first tour in Wales this summer – and with it, the drummer hopes, an identity in the UK.
The son of legendary Led Zeppelin stickman John Bonham – who defined hard rock drumming and the hard-living lifestyle before his death in 1980 – has forged a formidable reputation of his own since following in his father’s foot-stomping footsteps.
He’s the drummer of choice for former Free and Bad Company frontman Paul Rogers and the only person Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, and John Paul Jones wanted to fill Bonzo’s seat when Zeppelin reformed at London O2 arena.
He was also the first man to whom blues rock guitar phenomenon Joe Bonamassa and Deep Purple’s Glenn Hughes turned when they formed BCC in 2009.
His Jason Bonham Led Zeppelin Experience project – which he hopes to bring to the UK in December – has raised his profile.
Yet he remains a relative unknown this side of the Atlantic. That could change with BCC’s second album, 2, and a tour, which begins at Llandudno’s Venue Cymru Arena in July. “I’ve never had any real success in my own country and it just feels nice now to have some credibility in the UK,” aid the 44-year-old. “The hardest thing is being the son of one of the most influential drummers of all time. You are never going to get away from it.
“John Bonham was as important to the drumming world as John Lennon was to the music world. He was an icon. When you say Lennon you think of John rather than Julian, it’s the same when you think of Bonham.
“A lot of people don’t get it until they come and see me. There’s a lot more to me than just being John’s kid. Hopefully, I can show people what I’m about and what I can do.”
And the visit to North Wales will be a trip back to his childhood. He added: “I spent a lot of time in North Wales growing up, particularly Machynlleth. The mayoress was a good friend of the family. I used to race dirt bikes there. The Welsh have a very warm place in my heart and I’m looking forward to being out there.”