Based on interviews with Jimmy Page, the rest of Led Zeppelin, old girlfriends, tour managers, session musicians and more, Jimmy Page: The Definitive Biography by long-time Led Zeppelin aficionado Chris Salewicz, published in 2018, offers a fascinating insight into the life of one of rock’s most important – and mysterious – musicians.
In this extract, Salewicz delves into the myths and legends surrounding the cover art of Led Zeppelin’s classic fourth album.
Visiting a second-hand shop in Reading, on the way to Headley Grange with Jimmy Page, Robert Plant unearthed a nineteenth-century painting of a rustic character bent low by the burden he carried on his back. This figure, Jimmy would immediately have noted, bore a distinct resemblance to ‘Old George’ Pickingill, who it was believed had first instructed Aleister Crowley in the occult arts.
