Very few bands have changed the course of history in the same way that Led Zeppelin has. People don’t view them as a good rock act; they view them as the rock group that defined an entire generation of musicians. They were responsible for setting records with album sales, critical reception, and ticket sales, and their influence still lingers in rock music to this day.

What made them so special? There were a lot of things that can be attributed to each of the artists as individuals and the way that they came together as a band. Realistically, if you remove any member of Led Zeppelin from the equation, you don’t have the same group; however, there is no denying that the impact Jimmy Page had on how they wrote music, recorded and performed was pivotal to their success.

There is a lot that contributed towards Jimmy Page’s talent and, therefore, to Led Zeppelin as a whole, but there was one particular incident that changed everything. Yes, he was relentless in how much he practised; yes, he enjoyed immersing himself in other cultures and experiencing their music before infusing that into his own work; however, he owes a lot of his career to one night in Sheffield.

Page’s talent as a guitarist was clear from the get-go, and as such, it was only natural that people who saw him wanted him in their band. The first shot he got as a touring musician was with Neil Christian and the Crusaders, who he went on tour with playing lead guitar. Much of the chatter surrounded Jimmy Page, and people were encouraged to go to the gigs just to check out the guitar player.

Though being on tour gave Page a good experience on stage and playing in front of an audience, it took its toll on him. A combination of partying, gigging and exhaustion impacted the guitarist. He had never been on the road before, and carrying a show on his back while trying to adapt to the hectic touring lifestyle proved too much, to the point that he finally collapsed the night the band were supposed to perform in Sheffield.

While many guitarists would see this as a major setback, Page instead seized the opportunity that came with it. He left the road and returned home, opting to step away from life on tour and focusing on helping other musicians as a session guitarist. This was one of the best decisions that Page ever made, as he worked with many artists during his session work, experimenting with different playing styles and recording techniques and meeting other musicians he would work with more.

When Led Zeppelin eventually started making music some years later, Page had a lot of experience in the studio and had a lot of playing styles under his belt that he could take advantage of. The plucking of ‘Stairway to Heaven’ mixed with the hammering guitar solo and outro really made that song stand out, and he knew to utilise both of those playing styles because of his time as a session guitarist. This is essentially why Led Zeppelin was able to blur the lines between genres and give audiences something totally unique.

There were a lot of things that needed to happen for Led Zeppelin to get as big as they did, but if it were not for that one fateful night in Sheffield, Page wouldn’t have been able to make the legendary music that the band became famous for.