Alter Bridge singer Myles Kennedy is recounting his 2008 audition with Led Zeppelin as he makes the rounds to promote his forthcoming debut solo album, “Year Of The Tiger.”
Following Zeppelin’s 2007 reunion performance in London, Kennedy was one of three vocalists – including Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell – confirmed to have teamed up with Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham to jam and write some new music when Robert Plant declined to pursue further work with his former bandmates.
Kennedy tells Eddie Trunk that, while no video was shot during the two sessions, he "has heard different accounts" about whether an audio recording of the rehearsals exists.
"I actually hope [it] didn't [get recorded], because I was actually pretty sick," Kennedy explains. "I had come off a tour in Australia, and I remember I got there and I had bronchitis or something, and I remember it took a few days for my voice to come back. So I hope there is nothing that exists. [Laughs]"
“Believe me… those rehearsals I will remember to my dying day,” the singer told VH1 Classic’s “That Metal Show” in 2014. “When we’re talking about this it seems completely ridiculous — there’s no way — but it did happen. We played ‘The Rain Song,’ which is probably my favorite Led Zeppelin song, ‘No Quarter,’ ‘Kashmir,’ it was a lot of fun.
“But it wasn’t going to be ‘Led Zeppelin,’” he continued. “I don’t know if they knew what it was going to be. They just wanted to play, they wanted to jam, they wanted to put a project of some sort together. They weren’t sure what it was, but it was never going to be Led Zeppelin with a new singer, I mean, obviously.”
Page eventually shut down plans for the project and began work on an extensive series of expanded, deluxe reissues of all of Led Zeppelin’s studio albums that would surface in 2014 and 2015.
The guitarist recently revealed that Led Zeppelin will mark their 50th anniversary in 2018 with a series of unreleased material, as well as an official illustrated book.
Led Zeppelin were named the No. 7 Rock News Artist Of The Year and delivered the No. 8 Rock News Story Of The Year as part of the 2017 hennemusic Rock News Awards.
See also:
Led Zeppelin to publish illustrated 50th Anniversary book
Led Zeppelin to issue unreleased material for 50th anniversary
Rock News Artist Of The Year No. 7: LED ZEPPELIN
Rock News Story Of The Year No. 8: LED ZEPPELIN
VIDEO: Robert Plant joined by Chrissie Hynde in London
Search Led Zeppelin at hennemusic
