Jimmy Page: The Definitive Biography

Chris Salewicz's biography of Jimmy Page offers a definitive and comprehensive look at the enigmatic founder of Led Zeppelin. Despite fronting one of the most successful rock bands ever, Page has largely remained a mystery, but Salewicz, drawing on his own interviews with Page and those close to him, aims to unravel the man behind the legend.

Led Zeppelin, having sold over 300 million records worldwide, was the biggest band of the 1970s and has maintained a massive following since. Salewicz's research, which includes conversations with Page, other band members, former girlfriends, tour managers, and session musicians, reveals the journey of a middle-class boy from the Surrey suburbs who became one of rock's most iconic figures.

The book is detailed, thrilling, and expertly researched, uncovering a man dedicated to his art to the point of self-destruction. Salewicz explores Page's justification for using heroin to focus on album creation and the numerous death threats he faced. The author delves into Page's private world, presenting him as a "warrior magician" against a backdrop of London gangsters, tragedies, and power struggles that, even within the band, Page has continued to resist. Written by someone who witnessed the Led Zeppelin phenomenon firsthand, this biography is both entertaining and insightful, offering fans the closest thing to an autobiography from Jimmy Page himself.