Led Zeppelin News

Phil Miller of The Herald reports that the leading rock and pop bands in Britain account for nearly £3bn of the country’s wealth, it has been revealed.

In a list of the richest people in the UK to be published this weekend, THE ROLLING STONES account for more than £570m, with U2 not far behind, collectively valued at £487m.

However, the two surviving members of THE BEATLES, plus the family of the late George Harrison, are worth more than £1bn, led by Sir Paul McCartney, who is worth around £725m, £100m less than last year, taking into account his forthcoming divorce from Heather Mills. Harrison’s widow, Olivia, and son Dhani are worth £160m, while Ringo Starr comes in at £140m.

The five other “super groups” to appear in The Sunday Times Rich List are PINK FLOYD (David Gilmour and Roger Waters, both £85m); QUEEN (Brian May, £75m, Roger Taylor, £70m); THE BEE GEES (Barry and Robin Gibb, both worth £120m); LED ZEPPELIN (Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, both £70m) and COLDPLAY (Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion and Chris Martin, worth £30m each).

Read the entire article at The Herald.

Led Zeppelin didn’t reunite, but plenty of Ahmet Ertegun’s other disciples were more than happy to take the stage together.

Rock icons such as Mick Jagger, Eric Clapton, Stevie Nicks, and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young gathered at New York’s Lincoln Center Tuesday to pay tribute to the Atlantic Records chairman, who died Dec. 14 at 83.

Tragically, yet oddly fittingly, Ertegun died of a head injury suffered in October when he fell down at a Rolling Stones concert. A mover and a shaker until the end, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer signed and nurtured rockers such as the Stones and Led Zeppelin, as well as some of the biggest names in soul and R&B, including Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin and Otis Redding.

Jagger remembered his boss at Atlantic as “the wicked uncle with the wicked chuckle,” saying he could never keep up with the dapper Turk.

The event’s host, Bette Midler, said that Ertegun could “charm the birds out of the trees,” and reminisced how she had grown up on Atlantic music, tunes that “promised there was a party somewhere.”

As one would expect, “Ahmet Ertegun: A Celebration” was largely a musical affair.

Performers included Clapton, who led a band featuring New Orleans pianist Dr. John through Percy Mayfield’s “Please Send Me Someone to Love” and Stick McGhee’s “Drinkin’ Wine Spo-dee-o-dee”; Phil Collins, who sang “In the Air Tonight” and then, joined by the rest of Genesis, “Follow You, Follow Me”; Ben E. King, who crooned “Don’t Play That Song,” which Ertegun helped write; Crosby, Stills & Nash, who took on the Beatles’ “In My Life” before Neil Young joined them for “Helplessly Hoping”; Young, who coupled with Stephen Stills on “Mr. Soul”; Stevie Nicks, who sang a double feature of “Stand Back” and Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll”; Solomon Burke; and, adding a contemporary vibe, Kid Rock.

Rock, who also attended Ertegun’s funeral in his native Istanbul, took on the Wilson Pickett classic “In the Midnight Hour” and Sam and Dave’s “I Thank You,” with the help of Sam Moore.

“I hope that today’s musicians have someone like Ahmet,” Young said.

Other notables on hand to celebrate Ertegun’s legacy and pay their respect’s to the late impresario’s wife, Mica, included New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, designer Oscar de la Renta, Ray director Taylor Hackford, David Geffen, Henry Kissinger and Rolling Stone publisher Jann Wenner.

Read more at EONLINE.COM.

Led Zeppelin plans to take Myrtle Beach for a loop.

A roller coaster synchronized to the band’s 1969 song “Whole Lotta Love” will be the signature ride at the Hard Rock Park, spiraling 4,000 feet over a lagoon and reaching a height of 155 feet. Park officials announced the ride Friday. No one from the band was there.

Riders, inside a zeppelin, will watch footage of the band performing, then go on the 90-second ride. The coaster goes upside down six times, with peaks and turns planned to match moments in the song.

The coaster, one of three planned for the park, will run alongside George Bishop Parkway.

Band members Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones picked the song and worked on the ride’s development, said Steven Goodwin, the park’s CEO. Led Zeppelin, still popular decades after its heyday in the `70s with hits such as “Stairway to Heaven,” “All My Love,” and “D’yer Mak’er,” connects with music fans of all ages, he said.

A 15-foot statue of “The Hermit,” a cloaked man carrying a lit lantern that was featured on the band’s “Led Zeppelin IV” album, already has a place at the park, unveiled Friday near the park’s office off George Bishop Parkway.

“It’s the most iconic rock band of all time, and they appeal to multiple generations,” Goodwin said. “It’s one of those things that unites the whole family.”

The $400 million park is under construction and scheduled to open in spring 2008. A preview center, dubbed “Backstage Tour,” debuts Wednesday and will give a glimpse of what the park will look like. A concert featuring Sister Hazel, the Marshall Tucker Band and a Led Zeppelin tribute band is scheduled for that night.

The 140-acre park will include six music-themed zones, three roller coasters, a Jamaican- themed water play area, a 10,000-seat amphitheater, restaurants and a live comedy show featuring acrobatics and pyrotechnics.

Read more at MYRTLEBEACHONLINE.COM.