Click on the newly launched www.JasonBonham.net, and one of the first images to flash on your screen is that of the young drummer as a child being coached on a small drum set by his proud father, the legendary Led Zeppelin skinsman John Bonham.
Then click into the meat and potatoes of the site's multimedia category, and you can choose from an assortment of rarely before seen videos Jason Bonham has posted. One particular gem in the bunch is home video footage of the next generation of Bonham drummers. Jason's son, Jager, is developing an airy right foot to generate some of the forcefulness on a bass drum made famous by the grandfather he never met.
Jason's street cred rose substantially when he performed an acclaimed show with the three surviving members of Led Zeppelin at the end of 2007.
Now, the 43-year-old drummer finally launches his first official Web site on the week of three concerts in Florida presented as "An Evening with Jason Bonham," starting this evening. Featured on the site are an array of photos and videos highlighting the career that has been practically as long as Bonham's life.
It's too early to tell if Jager will follow in his father's footsteps and carry on the family name. Such was the situation in the late '70s, when Jason was a child. Much to his dad's dismay and eventual encouragement, Jason took to dirtbikes and became a sponsored competing rider with a shot at turning pro. It was a year after John Bonham's death that Jason says he "hung up the helmet and picked up the sticks again."