It was during filming of the movie "Rock Star" in 2000 that drummer Jason Bonham first met Myles Kennedy, the singer-guitarist whose name is now being mentioned as having possibly been the mystery vocalist at jam sessions with Bonham, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones this year.
Both Kennedy and Bonham acted in the film, which starred Mark Wahlberg and Jennifer Aniston and marked George Clooney's first stint as an executive producer. Bonham played drums in the film's fictional band, Steel Dragon, and Kennedy had a brief singing part in a scene near the film's conclusion.
In an interview with Wall of Sound conducted a few months prior to the film's September 2001 release, Kennedy recalled what he said on the set in his first conversation with Bonham: "I remember sitting down and telling him, 'Your father's music pretty much inspired me to do this.' ... He was really nice about it. He's very proud of his dad's legacy, and he should be."
In "Rock Star," Steel Dragon hires the young lead vocalist of a tribute band devoted to the group to replace its famous longtime frontman. Some are interpreting the recent story published in The Sun as an indication that Led Zeppelin may go that route, favoring a new singer over Plant. Could Kennedy be that singer?
While Kennedy has not served as a member of any Led Zeppelin tribute bands, his various rock groups -- namely Citizen Swing, Mayfield Four and, currently, Alter Bridge -- have easily been identified as bearing Led Zeppelin's influence. The singer, whose vocal range is said to span four octaves, has admitted to being a Led Zeppelin fan since his teen years.
Pretending he was Page and his tennis racket was a guitar, Kennedy at 15 years old would spend hours at a time mimicking Led Zeppelin classics in front of his bedroom mirror.
When Kennedy teamed up with three former members of Creed and the rock fourpiece became Alter Bridge, he relocated from Washington across the country to Florida. That state has been home to Bonham for many years.
Alter Bridge is scheduled to tour the United Kingdom and mainland Europe this November and December. That excursion is currently set to end following a Dec. 7 show at Amsterdam's Heineken Music Hall.
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