Not every musician can collaborate with just anyone. While artists like David Bowie could shape-shift into any style they pleased, no one expected Lemmy to write a ballad for Celine Dion. Likewise, even with all the musical ground Jimmy Page covered in his career, there were some acts he wanted no part of.
Before he even left The Yardbirds, Page had a clear vision for his music. Led Zeppelin was built on the idea that there would be no boundaries—drawing from blues, hard rock, and beyond to create thunderous tracks like “Black Dog“ and the grandeur of “Kashmir.”
That kind of genre-blending ability didn’t just come from nowhere. Page had spent years as a session guitarist, mastering the art of fitting his playing into any situation. Whether working with Shirley Bassey or Donovan, he could make his guitar sing in almost any musical setting.
But by the time Led Zeppelin was dominating rock, the pop world was heading in a different direction. While Zeppelin was making history with their raucous sound, America was busy tuning in to Sonny and Cher as they charmed audiences with “I Got You Babe.“ It was a far cry from the primal energy of “Whole Lotta Love.“
Even though they were on the same label—Atlantic Records—Page had no interest in being associated with the duo. The very idea of sharing space with them was enough to make him put his foot down.
“[Atlantic] were aware of my work with The Yardbirds because they were pretty hip people, so they were very interested,” Page once said. “And I made it very clear to them that I wanted to be on Atlantic rather than their rock label, Atco, which had bands like Sonny and Cher and Cream. I didn’t want to be lumped in with those people. I wanted to be associated with something more classic.”
Ironically, while Led Zeppelin and Cher seem like polar opposites, they both went on to achieve lasting success. While Page cemented Zeppelin’s legacy as the ultimate hard rock band, Cher continually reinvented herself and remained a pop icon.
Zeppelin built their reputation on breaking the rules and redefining rock, while Cher found her own way to endure, shifting through styles and evolving with each era. In the end, both stood the test of time—but only one of them could claim to be the ultimate bad boys of rock.
