In a recent interview with Guitar World, Lita Ford recounted the moment when Robert Plant approached her with the proposition of stepping in for John Paul Jones on bass in LED ZEPPELIN. She highlighted how this encounter sharply contrasted with her previous experiences as a professional musician.
She said: “Jimmy Page and Robert Plant came to see the show, and THE RUNAWAYS were quite the novelty, being teenage girls that could rip it up, kick a*s, and rock the house. The places were always packed with fans, and so, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant came to the show.”
“Our manager at the time, Kim Fowley, said, ‘Okay girls, gather ’round and get a picture with Robert Plant and Jimmy Page. And, of course, I was scooched in there like, ‘Oh yeah, great! I love them!’ I grew up listening to them and was still growing up; actually, I was only 17.”
Lita continued: “Robert Plant said, ‘We’re looking to replace our bass player, John Paul Jones,’ and I thought, ‘I’m not hearing this. I refuse to believe that this is really coming out of his mouth.’ And I thought, ‘He’s got to be joking,’ because John Paul Jones is God on bass, as far as I’m concerned.”
Despite never accepting the offer and with John Paul Jones ultimately remaining with the band, Lita acknowledges that the proposition brought a welcome shift, especially considering the perceptions surrounding her and her bandmates during that period.
“But that’s what he said,” Lita recalled. “And I walked away just thinking, ‘Oh, that was nice. That was nice of him to look at me like that,’ because, in those days, a lot of people didn’t look at us as musicians because we were female, and we were young. They never took us seriously as musicians. For me, guitar playing was always my main priority; I didn’t really care about much else. I just wanted to play guitar.”
