Yesterday was Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page’s 82nd birthday. Page, of course, is most famous for the work he did with the legendary British hard-rock band, which he formed while trying to put together a new lineup of his late-1960s group, The Yardbirds.
Jimmy originally joined The Yardbirds in 1966, replacing founding bassist Paul Samwell-Smith. He soon switched to the guitar, forming a potent two-guitar attack with Jeff Beck.
[RELATED: 3 Iconic Classic Rock Tracks That Secretly Feature the Talents of Jimmy Page]
Before he became a member of The Yardbirds, though, Jimmy Page had established himself as an in-demand session guitarist in London. He contributed his talents to early recordings by many famous artists.
In honor of Jimmy’s birthday, here’s a look at four songs by well-known artists you may not have known featured the iconic guitarist.
“As Tears Go By” by Marianne Faithfull (1964)
“As Tears Go By” was one of the earliest songs written by The Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham thought the tune was a hit. But he didn’t think the baroque-pop ballad suited the band’s style. Instead, Oldham gave the song to Marianne Faithfull, an aspiring 17-year-old singer whom he met at a party for The Stones, to record.
Jimmy Page played a 12-string guitar on the recording session. “As Tears Go By”, Faithfull’s debut single, was released in the U.K. in June 1964. It became a hit, reaching No. 9 on the U.K. chart. It also peaked at No. 22 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The Rolling Stones recorded their own version of “As Tears Go By” in late 1965. The band scored a No. 6 hit with the tune in the U.S. in early ’66.
“Baby, Please Don’t Go” by Them (1964)
Them was a blues-inspired garage-rock band from Belfast, Northern Ireland, led by a young singer named Van Morrison. Jimmy Page played guitar on a few of Them’s early songs, including on a cover of the blues standard “Baby, Please Don’t Go”.
Them’s cover of “Baby, Please Don’t Go”, which was released in October 1964, became the band’s first hit. It reached No. 10 on the U.K. singles chart.
Jimmy was also featured on a couple of other Them tunes, “Mystic Eyes” and “Here Comes The Night”, which both became Top 40 hits in the U.S.
“Downtown” by Petula Clark (1964)
Petula Clark was already an established music star in the U.K. when she had her breakout success in the U.S. with “Downtown”.
Written by songwriter/producer Tony Hatch, “Downtown” was released as a single in October 1964. It spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1965, and also reached No. 2 in the U.K.
Jimmy Page was one of several session guitarists who played on the track.
“I’m Not Sayin’” by Nico (1965)
Nico, born Christa Paffgen, launched a career as a model in the 1950s and also acted. She had a role in the classic 1960 Federico Fellini film La Dolce Vita and appeared in several other movies.
By the mid-1960s, she decided to launch a singing career. Nico, who was dating Rolling Stones guitarist Brian Jones at the time, was signed to Andrew Loog Oldham’s Immediate Records label.
Nico’s debut single was a pop version of Canadian folksinger Gordon Lightfoot’s “I’m Not Sayin’”. Jones and Jimmy Page both played guitar on the track, and Jimmy also produced the song. The single, which was released in August 1965, was not a commercial success, though.
Jones also introduced Nico to Andy Warhol, and by 1966, she began singing with the New York City rock band that the influential artist was managing at the time, The Velvet Underground.
(Photo by Mirrorpix via Getty Images)