Dread Zeppelin is an American

reggae rock Reggae rock is a subgenre of reggae fusion and rock music that primarily uses the genres reggae, rock, and ska. Typical lyrics of reggae rock songs incorporate love, personal awareness, and life challenges while incorporating music and beat ...

band. Formed in 1989 in Sierra Madre, California, the band combines

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...

and

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

styles with humor. They are best known for performing the songs of

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

in a

style as sung by a

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

Elvis impersonator An Elvis impersonator is an entertainer who impersonates or copies the look and sound of American musician and singer Elvis Presley. Professional Elvis impersonators, commonly known as Elvis tribute artists (ETAs), work all over the world as ent ...

. Over the years they have also performed songs originally by

Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one ...

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981; baptised in 1980 as Berhane Selassie) was a Jamaican singer, musician, and songwriter. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, his musical career was marked by fusing elements o ...

and

The Yardbirds The Yardbirds are an English rock band, formed in London in 1963. The band's core lineup featured vocalist and harmonica player Keith Relf, drummer Jim McCarty, rhythm guitarist and later bassist Chris Dreja and bassist/producer Paul Samwell ...

. The group toured extensively around the world during their tenure with I.R.S. Records.

Career

1986-1989: The Prime Movers

The nucleus of Dread Zeppelin, bassist Put-Mon (Gary Putman), drummer Cheese (Curt Lichter) and guitarist

Jah Paul Jo Joseph Jack "Severs" Ramsey, better known by his stage name Jah Paul Jo (November 1, 1956 – December 29, 2014) was an American musician, singer and producer best known for creating the novelty band Dread Zeppelin. From 1983 to 1988, Ramsey wa ...

(Joseph "Severs" Ramsey), were from a

Pasadena Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

group called The Prime Movers. Signed to Island Records in 1986, The Prime Movers had some success in the UK with singles "On The Trail" and "Dark Western Night". The late

Stuart Adamson William Stuart Adamson (11 April 1958 – 16 December 2001) was a Scottish rock guitarist and singer. Adamson began his career in the late 1970s as a founding member and performer with the punk rock band Skids. After leaving Skids in 1981, he ...

Big Country Big Country are a Scottish rock band formed in Dunfermline, Fife, in 1981. The height of the band's popularity was in the early to mid 1980s, although it has retained a cult following for many years since. The band's music incorporated Scott ...

contributed his trademark E-Bow guitar to "Dark Western Night" and another Prime Mover song, "Strong As I Am", was featured in

Michael Mann Michael Kenneth Mann (born February 5, 1943) is an American director, screenwriter, and producer of film and television who is best known for his distinctive style of crime drama. His most acclaimed works include the films ''Thief'' (1981), ' ...

's motion picture thriller, '' Manhunter''. When The Prime Movers ended in 1989, Jah Paul Jo hatched the idea for a new group that would call itself "Dread Zeppelin". Aside from the three original members, the band recruited guitarist

Carl Jah Carl Jah (Carl Haasis) is an American rock musician and co-founder of the band Dread Zeppelin Dread Zeppelin is an American reggae rock band. Formed in 1989 in Sierra Madre, California, the band combines hard rock and reggae styles with hum ...

(Carl Haasis) and 300-pound Vegas-era Elvis impersonator Tortelvis (Greg Tortell). The band supposedly met Tortelvis when he rammed his

milk float A milk float is a vehicle specifically designed for the delivery of fresh milk. Today, milk floats are usually battery electric vehicles (BEV), but they were formerly horse-drawn floats. They were once common in many European countries, ...

into the back of the band's car. Longtime graphic artist for The Prime Movers, Bryant Fernandez, was brought in as conga-man Ed Zeppelin. The concept for Dread Zeppelin may be less bizarre than it seems. Notably,

did make a recording which reflected a prominent

influence, the 1973 song "

D'yer Mak'er "D'yer Mak'er" () is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, from their 1973 album ''Houses of the Holy''. The title is a play on the word "Jamaica" when spoken in an English accent. Overview This song was meant to imitate reggae and its ...

". Also, the band frequently performed

songs in concert, often presented as a medley which occasionally flirted with self-parody. (Led Zeppelin met Elvis briefly in 1974 after attending one of his concerts in Los Angeles.)

1989: Birdcage Records

The first Dread Zeppelin recording was meant to be a goof on Led Zeppelin's 45 single "

Immigrant Song "Immigrant Song" is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin. It is built upon a repeating riff and features lyrical references to Norse mythology, with singer Robert Plant's howling vocals mentioning war-making and Valhalla. The song was ...

" and its sought-after non-LP B-Side "

Hey Hey What Can I Do "Hey, Hey, What Can I Do" is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released in 1970 as the B-side of the single "Immigrant Song" in the US. Releases After its release on a single, "Hey, Hey, What Can I Do" was included on the Atlantic ...

". Produced by Jah Paul Jo and Rasta Li-Mon (Lee Manning) and released on their indie Birdcage Records label, the single sold amazingly well and represses featured the seven inch 45 RPM in a rasta rainbow of colors: red (original), green, yellow, blue, white and clear vinyl. All early Dread Zeppelin recordings and most of the band's first album '' Un-Led-Ed'' were recorded at the home studio of Dave Stewart of

Eurythmics Eurythmics were a British pop duo consisting of Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart. They were both previously in The Tourists, a band which broke up in 1980. The duo released their first studio album, '' In the Garden'', in 1981 to little succ ...

, where Rasta Li-Mon was a house engineer. Dread zeppelin drivein

After the success of "Immigrant Song", a second single, "

Whole Lotta Love "Whole Lotta Love" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin. It is the opening track on the band's second album, '' Led Zeppelin II'', and was released as a single in 1969 in several countries; as with other Led Zeppelin songs, no single was ...

/Tour-telvis: A Bad Trip", was released on Birdcage Records. A third, "

Your Time is Gonna Come ''Led Zeppelin'' is the debut studio album by English rock band Led Zeppelin. It was released on 12 January 1969 in the United States and on 31 March in the United Kingdom by Atlantic Records. The album was recorded in September and October ...

Woodstock Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held during August 15–18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, United States, southwest of the town of Woodstock. Billed as "an Aq ...

(live)", was released not as a single but as part of a singles compilation entitled ''Komm Gib Mir Deine Zeppelin'' (a play on the title of the German version of The Beatles' song "

I Want to Hold Your Hand "I Want to Hold Your Hand" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles. Written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, and recorded on 17 October 1963, it was the first Beatles record to be made using four-track equipment. With advance orders ...

"). There was also a live cassette issued by Birdcage, but only to members of The Dread Zeppelin fan club, called ''Live On Blueberry Cheesecake.''

1990: I.R.S. years

In 1990, Dread Zeppelin were signed to

Miles Copeland III Miles Axe Copeland III (born May 2, 1944) is an American music and entertainment executive and former manager of The Police. Copeland later managed Sting's musical and acting career. In 1979, Copeland founded the I.R.S. Records label, producin ...

's IRS label. Their first album, ''Un-Led-Ed'', consisted of more covers taken from ''

'' and ''

Led Zeppelin II ''Led Zeppelin II'' is the second studio album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released on 22 October 1969 in the United States and on 31 October 1969 in the United Kingdom by Atlantic Records. Recording sessions for the album took place ...

'', plus " Black Dog" from Led Zeppelin's untitled fourth album. Original drummer Cheese (Curt Lichter) left the band just after recording ''Un-Led-Ed''. He was replaced by Fresh Cheese (Paul Maselli). Shortly before ''Un-Led-Ed'' was released, the original Ed Zeppelin (percussion and Reggae Dub) was replaced by his identical twin brother who was the former lead singer of local LA bands: Rampage, Blue Frontier and Public Eye. ''Un-Led-Ed'' was successful. In autumn 1990, Dread Zeppelin took a three-week break from touring and recorded their second album, '' 5,000,000* *Tortelvis Fans Can't Be Wrong''. In addition to the usual "Zeppelin in a reggae style", this album also featured a cover of

's "

Stir It Up "Stir It Up" is a song composed by Bob Marley in 1967 and first recorded by the group Bob Marley and the Wailers that year and issued as a single. It was later covered by American singer Johnny Nash on his 1972 album ''I Can See Clearly Now' ...

" as well as three original songs. For the next album, the band had planned a

rock opera A rock opera is a collection of rock music songs with lyrics that relate to a common story. Rock operas are typically released as concept albums and are not scripted for acting, which distinguishes them from operas, although several have been ad ...

, ''Albert'', about a rock critic who wanted to be a star (based loosely on the real rock critic

Albert Goldman Albert Harry Goldman (April 15, 1927 – March 28, 1994) was an American academic and author. Goldman wrote about the culture and personalities of the American music industry both in books and as a contributor to magazines. He is best known f ...

), but this never materialized. The plan changed to an album of

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

covers, ''

It's Not Unusual "It's Not Unusual" is a song written by Les Reed and Gordon Mills, first recorded by a then-unknown Tom Jones, after having first been offered to Sandie Shaw. He intended it as a demo for her, but when she heard it she was so impressed with hi ...

''. Both Ed Zeppelin and Fresh Cheese had left the band after ''5,000,000* *Tortelvis Fans Can't Be Wrong'', and during rehearsals for the new album, Tortelvis also quit. Bassist Put-Mon (Gary Putman) took over the vocals, assuming the name Gary B.I.B.B. ''It's Not Unusual'' featured guest spots by both Screamin' Jay Hawkins and

Randy Bachman Randolph Charles Bachman (; born September 27, 1943) is a Canadian guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He was a founding member of the bands The Guess Who and Bachman–Turner Overdrive. Bachman recorded as a solo artist and was part of a num ...

. Whether it was the public's resistance to disco, or the lack of Dread's popular frontman, Tortelvis, sales of ''It's Not Unusual'' were disappointing. The band was dropped by IRS and for all intents and purposes, had dissolved.

1993: ''Hot & Spicy Beanburger''

Unknown to the band, Dread Zeppelin were being sought by Australian rock band

INXS INXS (a word play, phonetic play on "in excess") were an Australian Rock music, rock band, formed as The Farriss Brothers in 1977 in Sydney, New South Wales. The band's founding members were bassist Garry Gary Beers, main composer and keyboar ...

to be the support band on their US tour. INXS were fans of Dread Zeppelin. Tortelvis was persuaded to return to the band; however, without a recording contract, he could only perform at the May 8, 1993 show at The Barker Hangar in Santa Monica. Dread Zeppelin returned to the studio. With Jah Paul Jo and Rasta Li-Mon again producing, they recorded ''

Hot & Spicy Beanburger ''Hot and Spicy Beanburger'', released in 1993, is the fourth studio album by Dread Zeppelin. This album saw the return of Tortelvis, the lead singer who had left the band and did not appear on the previous album, ''It's Not Unusual''. Overview ...

'', a 1993 release on Birdcage Records. In the spring of 1994, Dread Zeppelin appeared in the feature film ''

National Lampoon's Last Resort ''National Lampoon's Last Resort'' (also known as ''Last Resort'' or ''National Lampoon's Scuba School'') is a 1994 direct-to-video comedy film directed by Rafal Zielinski. The film stars Corey Feldman and Corey Haim as Sam and Dave, two friends w ...

'' and provided a song for the closing credits. Carl Jah (Carl Haasis) and Ed Zeppelin left the band shortly thereafter. With Put-Mon moving from bass to lead guitar and the addition of David Raven (drums), bassist Derf Nosna Haj (Freddie Johnson) and Fernandez (Pete Burke) on conga and toast, Dread Zeppelin recorded ''

No Quarter Pounder ''No Quarter Pounder'' is an album by the American band Dread Zeppelin, released in 1995. Its title is wordplay on the Led Zeppelin song "No Quarter", and the name of a McDonald's hamburger, the Quarter Pounder. The band promoted the album with a N ...

''. Released by Birdcage Records in 1995, ''No Quarter Pounder'' would be the band's final Birdcage CD as Jah Paul Jo left the group shortly after its release.

1996: Imago

The remaining members of Dread Zeppelin signed onto Imago Records and released '' The Fun Sessions'', a collection of

classic rock Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, primar ...

covers. It was the first all non-Led Zeppelin cover recording with the exception of "BBWAGS (Butt-Boy's Wearin' a Girls' Shirt)" written by Gary Putman. This would be Derf Nosna Haj (Freddie Johnson) and Fernandez (Pete Burke) last recording with the band. After the Imago release, Carl Jah and Ed Zeppelin returned to the band.

1999: Cleopatra

Dread then signed to Cleopatra Records and recorded ''De-jah Voodoo'' in 1999 produced by Bob Knarley (Howard Ulyate), the son of legendary trombone player Lloyd Ulyate. The recording was re-released by Cleopatra with a new cover and name ''Re-Led-Ed''.

2000-present: Cash Cow

In 1995 Dread Zeppelin had a new production company, Cash Cow, run by original members Gary Putman (Butt-Boy) and Greg Tortell (Tortelvis), which had produced the ''Fun Sessions''. They released the live album ''Front Yard Bar*B*Que'' in December 1996 and the all-original album ''

Spam Spam may refer to: * Spam (food), a canned pork meat product * Spamming, unsolicited or undesired electronic messages ** Email spam, unsolicited, undesired, or illegal email messages ** Messaging spam, spam targeting users of instant messaging ( ...

Bake'' in November 1997. All three were produced by Robert Incorvaia. ''Spam Bake'' was considered Gary Putman's "original music masterpiece" and a take off of the Elvis movie sound recordings of the 1960s. Also released on Cash Cow Records was the band's first full length Christmas recording ''Presents'' in 2002. ''Chicken and Ribs'' followed in 2004; both were produced by Bob Knarley. Other recordings were DVD media (''Jah-La-Palooza 2004'' and ''Live in Minne-Jah-Polis 2002'') and

bootleg Bootleg or bootlegging most often refers to: * Bootleg recording, an audio or video recording released unofficially * Rum-running, the illegal business of transporting and trading in alcoholic beverages, hence: ** Moonshine, or illicitly made ...

s of shows, after a clamoring for such product from their loyal and long-time fanbase. In February 2008 the band released ''Bar Coda'', produced by longtime band member Spice (Cris Boerin). During the recording of ''Bar Coda'', Carl Jah left the group. His spot in the live show was taken by Spice who plays keyboards and percussion. Lead singer Tortelvis sang "

The Star-Spangled Banner "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written on September 14, 1814, by 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet Francis Scott Key after witnessing the b ...

" at Bank One Ballpark, now known as

Chase Field Chase Field, formerly Bank One Ballpark, is a retractable roof stadium in Downtown Phoenix, Arizona. It is the home of Major League Baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks. It opened in 1998 Arizona Diamondbacks season, 1998, the year the Diamondbacks ...

, in

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

on May 27, 2005. He had been scheduled to sing the song at a

Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. The team is named after the Twin Cities area w ...

game in 1992, but

Roseanne Barr Roseanne Cherrie Barr (born November 3, 1952) is an American actress, comedian, writer, producer, and former presidential candidate. Barr began her career in stand-up comedy before gaining acclaim in the television sitcom ''Roseanne'' (1988–1 ...

's notorious version (two days before his planned appearance) quashed that opportunity. Dread Zeppelin still tours and releases new material with original members Butt-Boy and Tortelvis, and longtime members Spice, Bob Knarley, Ziggy Knarley and Charlie Haj. Putman is the only member of Dread Zeppelin to have performed on every record and played every live show to date.

Discography

Studio albums

* '' Un-Led-Ed'' (1990), IRS Records * '' 5,000,000* *Tortelvis Fans Can't Be Wrong'' (1991), IRS Records * '' Rock'n Roll'' (1991),

JVC Records , also known as in Japan, is a subsidiary of JVCKenwood that produces and distributes music, movies and other entertainment products such as anime and television shows in Japan. It is known as JVC Entertainment in countries where Sony Music Ente ...

(Japan only) * ''

'' (1992), IRS Records * ''

'' (1993),Also released as part of a 1997 ''Hot & Spicy Beanburger/No Quarter Pounder'' 2 CD set (Australia only, TWA Records) Birdcage Records * ''

The First No-Elvis ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...

'' (1994), Birdcage Records * ''

'' (1995), Birdcage Records * '' The Fun Sessions'' (1996), Imago * ''

Ruins Ruins () are the remains of a civilization's architecture. The term refers to formerly intact structures that have fallen into a state of partial or total disrepair over time due to a variety of factors, such as lack of maintenance, deliberate ...

'' (1996), Birdcage Records * ''Spam Bake'' (1998) * ''De-jah Voodoo'' (2000) (reissued in 2004 as ''Re-Led-Ed'') * ''Presents'' (2002) * ''Chicken and Ribs'' (2004)Also released as part of the ''Chicken and Ribs / JahlaPalooza'' DVD combo package in 2005 * ''Bar Coda'' (2007) * ''Best of the IRS years'' (2009) * ''Soso'' (2011)

Live albums

* ''Front Yard Bar*B*Que'' (1996) * ''

The Song Remains Insane ''The Song Remains Insane'' is the tenth album by Dread Zeppelin, released in 1996. It is a double live album from their tour recorded in Paris, Tokyo, Sydney, Copenhagen and Las Vegas. The CD insert has texts from Paul Elliot (Sounds UK), Jah ...

'' (1998), TWA Records (two-CD Australia-only set) * ''Haunted Houses O' the Holy'' (1999) * ''Live - Live at Larry's'' (2002) * ''Live - Hots On for Fresno'' (2003)

Singles

* "Immigrant Song" / "Hey Hey What Can I Do" (1989), Birdcage Records (7" clear, blue, green, red, white and yellow vinyl) * "Whole Lotta Love" / "Tour-Telvis: A Bad Trip" (1989), Birdcage Records (7" black and pink vinyl) * "Heartbreaker (At the End of Lonely Street)" (1990), IRS Records (UK CD single) * "Your Time Is Gonna Come" (edit) (1990), IRS Records (UK CD single) * " Stairway to Heaven" (1991), IRS Records (UK CD single)

Extended plays

* ''Komm Gib Mir Deine Zeppelin'' (1989), Birdcage Records (six-track EP) * ''Live on Blueberry Cheesecake'' (1992), Birdcage Records (seven-track fan club EP)

DVD

* ''Live at the Cabooze in Minne-jah-polis'' (2003) * ''Jah-La-Palooza'' (2004) * ''Pure Inner-Tainment'' (2009)

References

External links

*
Official site of the original band

Official Carl Jah site

The Prime Movers
{{Authority control Elvis impersonators Led Zeppelin tribute bands American parodists Parody musicians Comedy rock musical groups Reggae rock groups Musical groups established in 1989 Cover bands