Led Zeppelin have been caught yet again with another copyright breach.
The classic Led Zep track ‘Dazed and Confused’, believed to have been a Jimmy Page classic for more than 40 years was in fact stolen from folk-singer Jake Holmes.
Holmes wrote and recorded ‘Dazed And Confused’ on his 1967 album ‘The Above Ground Sound of Jake Holmes’.
Jimmy Page even covered it when he was in The Yardbirds but when the song appeared on the first Led Zeppelin album in 1969 it was credited only to Jimmy Page, who has pocketed the royalties ever since.
Now, Jake Holmes, aged 73, is finally suing.
Ironically, Page has no trouble crediting Orchestra leader David McCallum as suggesting he use a violin bow on his guitar for the song. McCallum’s son, David McCallum Jnr is best known as the actor in Man from U.N.C.L.E (Illya Kuryakin) and NCIS (Ducky).
Led Zeppelin are notorious for ripping off songwriters. ‘Whole Lotta Love’ was later proven to be an old Muddy Waters tune ‘You Need Love’. ‘Babe I’m Gonna Leave You’ was in reality a Willie Dixon tune and ‘Boogie With Stu’ was actually “Ooh My Head’ by Ritchie Valens.
Jake Holmes filed a suit with the US District Court for the Central District of California last week. He wants royalties and damages for the song.
