A Book Of Led Zeppelin

PATRICIA PAGE

I think Jimmy Page's mother deserves a chapter of her own.

Firstly, she seemed to genuinely enjoy and appreciate the music her son made as it should be enjoyed and appreciated. In an article I found, there's a quote I think is a very good description of the music. She said,

"... the jam sessions forced Jim's father and myself to develop an opinion about so-called heavy rock music. I found that I have a thing for it myself. I adore it. You had to shut your mind to everything else and just get into it. So you either loved it or loathed it. I really took to it,"

This is especially nice considering the parents of guitarists of a similar age, like Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton, were disapproving of their music and wouldn't let them play in the house, hence they went to Jimmy's, whose mother seemed to be open minded and supportive of her son.

There's also this story, which I got from a blog online, called 'UFOs and Jimmy Page's Mother', written by no one well known. For conveniences sake I left out the last part about the UFOs, if anyone was interested I'm sorry Anyway, here it is:

"Don't know if they're related, but I experienced both on the same night many years ago in the Canadian mountain resort town, Jasper, Alberta. Don't recall the exact date but do remember it being after Led Zeppelin's In Through the Out Door was out, and shortly before John Bonham died, which places it in the late summer of 1980. I was working for a band called Sargent, who was booked in the local rock club for a week.

Our employers put us up in a duplex townhouse about a mile and a half from the hotel where the club was located. They also booked entertainment into the hotel's lounge. The one-man-band lounge singer guy was staying in the other side of the duplex from us.

One night after the show he tells us this incredible story. Seems he was playing Stairway To Heaven - a very courageous thing to attempt in a lounge imo - when a middle-aged lady approached him after and said, "Thank-you very much for playing that song. My son James wrote it." He said that she was very polite and low key but seemed genuinely appreciative.

We told the lounge guy that if she happened to come back, to please invite her downstairs where we were playing thinking it pretty unlikely that we'd ever hear of her again. Much to our surprise, she returned to the lounge and the singer brought her to meet us.

I remember she said her name was Patricia. She said she was on a holiday trip from Wales where she lived. She was soft spoken with a light accent; very clear, direct, and down to earth. Not at all pretentious but almost beaming with pride at the accomplishments of her progeny.

On break between sets, she told us stories about her boy, James. She always referred to him as James. She mentioned his two teen-aged friends, Eric and Jeff, who also had a passion for playing guitar. That would be Clapton and Beck. Apparently Eric's and Jeff's parents weren't keen on their musical activities and wouldn't let them practice in their homes. Patricia was fine with it, so the three of them would gather in the Page house to practice their guitars.

Patricia said that now, in 1980, Page was very secluded and wary of people's motives toward him and his wealth. Seems lot of obscure relatives and other hangers on came out of the woodwork after he got famous. She said that he considered Stairway To Heaven to be his finest achievement as a songwriter.

She stayed for one of our sets and then said goodbye. We asked her if she'd like some earplugs - it was a small establishment and the volume was strong. She declined and said she had no problem with the loudness. I guess if you've seen Led Zeppelin a few times you get used to it,"

I don't know why but I found this strangely heartwarming. Through all the drugs and groupies and parties, Jimmy Page still had a typical Mum who was proud of him and told other people about her talented son. It just seems so normal and humanising that it's almost funny. I'm not sure, that could just be me, but still. Either way, Patricia Page deserves some appreciation.

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Picture: Jimmy Page, his mother Patricia, and another man who I don't know the name of