Today (1/9) is guitar god Jimmy Page’s birthday and, while his work with The Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin and the Firm is very well known, loved and respected, he has played on many recordings by other artists. Before he joined The Yardbirds, Page was a very much in-demand session player. In fact, it was the money he made from his session work that helped him finance the recording of Led Zeppelin I.

Jimmy Page shines whenever he picks up and plays a guitar, and here are 10 examples of him doing just that, even when it wasn’t with Led Zeppelin:

• 10. Sunshine Superman - Donovan

  Page’s guitar work blended perfectly with Donovan’s hazy, psychedelic masterpiece.

• 9. Don't Turn Your Back On Me - Jackie DeShannon

  One of Jimmy’s early session dates was to play on this single by singer/songwriter Jackie DeShannon.  Page is credited as co-writer of the track after he and DeShannon worked on the guitar arrangement together.  The two later had a brief romantic relationship, and it’s long been rumored the Led Zeppelin song “Tangerine” was written about their breakup.

• 8. Bald Headed Woman - The Who

  Although the story has been disputed regarding Page’s contribution on The Who’s first single, “I Can’t Explain,” that is unequivocally Jimmy ripping that fuzz guitar on the single’s b-side, “Bald Headed Woman.”

• 7. The Pied Piper - Crispian St. Peters

  One of my earliest musical memories is hearing and falling in love with this song in 1966, “The Pied Piper” by a dude named Crispian St. Peters.  It came out in the U.S. on the Philly-based label Jamie Records, and was a top 5 hit.  On guitar?  Jimmy Page!

• 6. Baby Please Don't Go - Them

  The second single by Van Morrison’s former band featured Jimmy Page on guitar. Whether it was lead or rhythm has been debated for decades, but we do know Page is on it in some form. Both parts are smokin’!

• 5. It's Not Unusual - Tom Jones

  60s heartthrob Tom Jones scored his first big hit with his second single, which features session man Jimmy Page on guitar.  interestingly, the drummer on the track was Andy White, who played drums on The Beatles’ first single “Love Me Do” and “P.S. I Love You.”

• 4. With A Little Help From My Friends - Joe Cocker

  This soulful rearrangement of The Beatles’ classic by Joe Cocker has some sweet lead guitar riffs, played by Page.

   

• 3. Scarlet - The Rolling Stones

  This track remained unreleased for decades until the deluxe re-issue of The Stones’ Goats Head Soup came out in 2020.  It was recorded at Ronnie Wood’s house, The Wick, in the fall of 1974, right around the time the band recorded “It’s Only Rock And Roll” at the same location.  While “It’s Only Rock And Roll” featured David Bowie on background vocals, “Scarlet” had Jimmy Page jamming with Keith Richards, Ian Stewart and Mick Jagger.

• 2. One Hit (To The Body) - The Rolling Stones

  Page also played the lead guitar solo on this Stones classic, from their Dirty Work album.

• 1. Tobacco Road - The Nashville Teens

  The Nashville Teens were not from Nashville – they were British – and they had just one hit here in the US, a cover of John D. Loudermilk’s “Tobacco Road.”  That smooth guitar work on the track was played by Jimmy Page.

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