Black Crowes learn from guitar great Jimmy Page

Guitar great Jimmy Page reworked Led Zepplin songs for a tour this year    VIDEO Watch legendary guitarist Jimmy Page swap ideas, tunes with the Black Crowes Play video (QuickTime, Real or Windows Media)

September 25, 2000
Web posted at: 5:44 p.m. EDT (2144 GMT)

(CNN) -- Few bands have made their mark on rock music like Led Zeppelin. Their heavy blues-inspired material has become a staple for today's artists almost 20 years after the group's last album, "Coda." Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page has been revitalizing some of the band's most famous numbers along with a new generation of rockers, The Black Crowes.

A back injury to Page may have led to the cancellation of the remainder of his world tour with the Crowes, but his influence on band members has been "more than they could ever convey with words," says guitarist Rich Robinson.

"It's just, it's a privilege and a thrill to play with someone like Jimmy," Robinson says. "He's unbelievable. ... It's just an amazing opportunity for all of us."

The feeling is mutual, Page says. Playing with the group allowed him to experiment and grow, he says.

"One of the things ... that supports my playing is that I try and change what I'm doing, basically, every night, in subtle ways and sometimes more radical ways," he says. "Basically, that becomes a learning process."

Picking freedom

Rich's brother and band mate Chris dismisses any generation gap between the Crowes and Page. He says they have the same goal: soul.

Jimmy Page had to cancel a tour with the Black Crowes due to an injury

"We're still interested in the soul," he says. "We're still interested in that divine thing that gives something a vibration as opposed to just some things that lay there."

Page's guitar prowess filtered into the Crowes' performances, especially "Wanton Song," Rich Robinson says.

"'Wanton Song,' that was one of those that we felt could be really cool with all the guitar parts," he said, "I think it really suited this whole thing."

"It's really good to be able to have all of those guitar parts come in for long, which is has been unheard before," Page says.

Having that freedom to create brings back memories of being with Led Zeppelin.

"We could go off and record in a house and have a mobile truck and put on the album -- whatever we wanted to put on -- and you had that freedom," Page says. "And there wasn't anybody, nobody, not a soul, who was going to say anything to you about it.

"That wasn't just the clout of Led Zeppelin. It was just the way things were at that point in time."

Back injury forces Jimmy Page off the road
August 15, 2000

The Black Crowes (Sony)

Note: Pages will open in a new browser window

External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive.