Few figures in rock history inspire as much awe as Jimmy Page. Decades into his legacy, the Led Zeppelin guitarist’s brilliance continues to unravel, layer by layer, through stories that remind us of just how deep his impact runs. Yet, despite being one of the most influential guitarists of all time, many argue that Page remains underrated in certain ways.
Of course, Page’s iconic riffs for “Whole Lotta Love” and “Kashmir” are enough to cement him as a rock legend. His influence is woven into the very fabric of modern guitar playing. But for many listeners, his reputation begins and ends with Led Zeppelin. That limited view overlooks the breadth of his earlier contributions, which shaped much of 1960s rock.
Before Zeppelin, Page spent the decade working behind the scenes, offering daring riffs and session brilliance to artists like The Who, The Rolling Stones, Nico, and even David Bowie. While The Beatles stood as the public face of British music’s dominance, it was The Yardbirds who became a proving ground for future rock gods. Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, and Jeff Beck all passed through the group’s ranks, making it a cradle of talent that hinted at what was to come.
But the collaboration of such extraordinary players didn’t always translate into stability. Jeff Beck later admitted that Page’s arrival complicated the Yardbirds’ direction:
“When Jim joined, I lost focus of where the Yardbirds should have been going, or could have been going. And it was the fact that we were overqualified in the guitar department and underqualified in the writing department.”
Beck reflected that the band should have stepped back, regrouped, and prioritized songwriting over relentless touring. Instead, the momentum burned the group out. Beck himself suffered a breakdown and decided to walk away:
“We really should have taken stock there and said, ‘look, we’ll waive the tour. We ain’t ready for that’. But instead, we just took the opportunity, and it burned itself out. I freaked out, went mad, had a breakdown, and I think I walked out and left the band. The Yardbirds continued without me, I disappeared, Jim carried on.”
The Yardbirds dissolved not long after in 1968. Yet from their collapse rose some of rock’s greatest success stories, with Page at the forefront. His evolution from session player to Yardbirds guitarist to Led Zeppelin visionary shows why his influence can’t be confined to a single band.
Jimmy Page’s genius is impossible to miss — but the full scope of his journey, stretching far beyond Zeppelin, still makes the case for why he might be one of rock’s most underrated icons.
