How Lita Ford came close to joining Led Zeppelin in the 70s

Led Zeppelin were absolute rock gods in the seventies – which of course took its toll on the members. Bassist John Paul Jones especially struggled with the constant touring and pressure. Therefore, in the middle of the decade there were actually considerations to replace him. Surprisingly, one candidate for the position was Lita Ford, who was still very young at the time.

In an interview with Guitar World The guitarist remembers this amazing situation: “The Runaways were playing in West Hollywood at the time. The band was still new then – we were all 17. But Jimmy Page and Robert Plant came to our show. We were popular at the time because we were young and female, but we could also shake.”

He says that after the show the band got together for a photo with two Zeppelin musicians. This was a big deal for Lita Ford because she grew up listening to their music. “Robert Plant stood next to me and told me that they were looking for someone to replace John Paul Jones on bass. I thought he was joking – John was like a god on bass to me. I remember leaving afterwards and being happy that they saw me that way.”

Because, says Lita Ford, at that time they were often not recognized as true musicians. And mainly because they were popular: because they were young and female. “I really couldn’t believe he said that.”, continues the guitarist. When asked why he was hired as a bass guitarist, he answers: “I joined the Runaways because they thought I played bass. Maybe that’s why Robert came up with the idea.”
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