12 Artists Who Ripped Off Led Zeppelin

by Dan Epstein Read the Original

Led Zeppelin has been a major influence on many rock artists, from 70s arena-rockers Montrose and Aerosmith to late 80s/90s hard rockers Kingdom Come and Whites Stripes. Heart, Billy Squier, The Cult, and Soundgarden have all been influenced by Led Zeppelin in their music. Wolfmother, Foo Fighters, and Quo Vadis also pay homage to Led Zeppelin in their own tracks, with Lenny Kravitz and Jack White being some of the biggest Zeppelin fans of all.

Led Zeppelin has inspired countless copycats, from Whitesnake to Aerosmith, who have all taken their Zep worship to varying degrees. Montrose and Aerosmith embodied the arena-rock sound, with the former's "I Got the Fire" and the latter's "Sweet Emotion" sounding like outtakes from Led Zeppelin IV. “We could have been the American Led Zeppelin,” Hagar lamented in 2011 Sammy Hagar recognized the potential of Montrose's hard rock sound, which was heavily influenced by Led Zeppelin.

Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart, Billy Squier, The Cult, and Soundgarden have all been influenced by Led Zeppelin in their music, with Heart's "Dream of the Archer" being the closest anyone has come to replicating Zep's spooky Brit-folk vibe. Squier filled the hard-rock void left by Zep, while The Cult's "Love Removal Machine" borrowed from "Nobody's Fault but Mine" and "Misty Mountain Hop." Soundgarden's "Hands All Over" has been compared to Zeppelin's style. “We learned the arena-rock sound from their records,” guitarist Joe Perry told Rolling Stone in 2007 Aerosmith were heavily influenced by Led Zeppelin's arena-rock style, which they learned from listening to the band's records.

Led Zeppelin's influence is often felt in the hard rock of the late 80s & 90s, with bands like Kingdom Come & Whites Stripes blatantly imitating the band's sound & style. Lenny Kravitz and Jack White are also both big Zeppelin fans, and their music often reflects this. “Hypothetically, if they ever needed a lead singer and Heart was not active at the moment, then, sure, I would [audition for Led Zeppelin],” Ann said in 2014. Ann Wilson of Heart showed her dedication to Led Zeppelin by expressing her willingness to audition for the band in case they needed a lead singer.

Wolfmother and Foo Fighters both admire Led Zeppelin and have incorporated their sound into their own music. The French band Quo Vadis also pays homage to Led Zeppelin in their 1972 track, summarizing their enduring appeal with a simple "Whoa-ah! Led Zeppelin! Whoa-ah! Rock & Roll!" “Everybody [at the time] wanted the most modern, technologically advanced gear,” Duffy recalled in a 2012 interview. “And we’re going, ‘Led Zeppelin!’ and we’re talking to the house engineer – ‘Tell us about Jimmy Page, what did he use?'” Despite the modern technological advances of the time, The Cult was drawn to the classic sound of Led Zeppelin and sought to replicate it.