John Henry Bonham was born on the 31st May 1948 in Redditch, Worcestershire England, and was a drummer and songwriter, best known to the world as the drummer of the legendary rock band Led Zeppelin, which also consisted of Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones. His career was active from the early 1960s, until his passing in 1980.
Have you ever wondered how rich John Bonham was, at the time of his death? According to authoritative sources, it has been estimated that John Bonham`s net worth was as high as $10 million, an amount earned through his successful career as a musician. Apart from Led Zeppelin, John collaborated with many other bands and musicians, including Screaming Lord Sutch, Lulu, Roy Wood, and Paul McCartney among many others.
John Bonham Net Worth $10 Million
John was the son of Jack Bonham and his wife Joan; he had a younger brother, Mick Bonham, and a sister Deborah, who is a singer/songwriter. He went to Lodge Farm Secondary Modern School, however, he left in 1964 before matriculating.
John started learning to play the drums when she was still a child; at the age of five he would hit containers and coffee tins, lined up as drums, and repeating melodies from his idols such as Buddy Rich, Gene Krupa and Max Roach, among others. When he was 10 his mother gave him a snare drum, and five years later, his father gave him a complete drum kit. He never attended any drumming lessons, but received advice from other Redditch drummers.
After he dropped out of school, John worked for his father, but that didn`t last long, as he started playing in local rock bands, Before he joined Crawling King Snakes and Robert Plant, John played in several different bands, including Terry Webb and the Spiders, The Nicky James Movement, The Senators, and A Way of Life. After a brief stint in Crawling King Snakes, John returned to A Way of Life, while Plant formed the Band of Joy.
Nevertheless, the two soon joined Jimmy Page in his new project, after the disbandment of The Yardbirds. Led Zeppelin was born in 1968, soon signing a contract with Atlantic records, and their first self-titled album was released in 1969. The album reached No. 6 on the UK charts, but it was one of the most commercially successful debut albums, as it achieved eight times platinum status in the USA, two times platinum in Britain and two times platinum in Australia, increasing John`s net worth by a large margin.
Led Zeppelin dominated through the 1970s, with albums “Led Zeppelin II” (1969), which topped the UK and US charts, and also achieving diamond status in USA, “Led Zeppelin III”, also reaching No. 1 on US and UK charts, while achieving six times platinum status, “Led Zeppelin IV”, with 23 times platinum certification and increasing John`s net worth by a large margin, “Houses of the Holly” (1973), Presence” (1976), and “In through the Out Door” (1979).
Years after his death, Bonham received several accolades in recognition of his contribution to rock music; he was named No. 1 drummer out of 50 by Stylus magazine in 2007, and by Gigwise.com in 2008. Furthermore, he was ranked No. 1 on Classic Rock’s 2005 list of 50 Greatest Drummers in Rock, among many other recognitions.
John Bonham was married to Patricia from 1966 until his death in 1980; the couple had two children, including Jason Bonham, who is also a drummer. John passed away on the 25th September 1980, dying in his sleep after drinking 1–1.4 litres of 40% ABV vodka. His body was cremated and his ashes are interred at Rushock parish church, Worcestershire.
