Jimmy Page’s First Stage Name Was Nelson Storm

Jimmy Page is one of the most famous guitarists in history, and he is primarily known for his work in the rock band Led Zeppelin. According to Bob Spitz’s 2021 biography Led Zeppelin: The Biography, Page went by the stage name Nelson Storm when he played music in a band called Red E. Lewis & the Red Caps.

Jimmy Page had a stage name when he was a teenager

Page’s name and the image of him playing a double-necked guitar for Led Zeppelin’s song “Stairway to Heaven” are imprinted in music history.

While Page is now a household name, he actually used a stage name early on in his career. According to Led Zeppelin: The Biography, Page’s stage name was Nelson Storm.

“In fact, he was no longer Jimmy Page but . . . Nelson Storm. For some unknown reason, the band decided that stage names were more conducive to the rock ‘n roll image. Nelson Storm, the alias Jimmy picked out for himself, jibed with the drummer, Jimmy ‘Tornado’ Rook, and played off John Spicer’s nom de guerre, Doc Swift,” reads the biography.

Spitz’s biography reveals that for the most part, Red E. Lewis & the Red Caps were “a run-of-the-mill cover band.”

“But no matter what they called themselves, Red E. Lewis & the Red Caps were a run-of-the-mill cover band, like so many others working the circuit as the 1950s were drawing to a close,” Spitz writes.

How Jimmy Page joined Red E. Lewis & the Red Caps

In the 1950s, Page played in a band called The Paramounts. This eventually led to him joining Red E. Lewis & the Red Caps, as the Paramounts frequently opened for the band while playing at the Contemporary Club in Epsom.

After Bobby Oats, the guitarist for Red E. Lewis & the Red Caps, left the band, the other members were left to look for a replacement.

“Chris and Red were both enamored of Jimmy. They said, ‘The kid’s only fifteen, but he can play, he’s fantastic.’ It was decided to invite him to a rehearsal in London to see if he fit the band,” the band’s bassist, John Spicer, said in Led Zeppelin: The Biography.

The band eventually changed names

After Page joined Red E. Lewis & the Red Caps, the band changed names after some members left the group. The band’s manager, Chris Tidmarsh joined the band as a singer and took on the stage name Neil Christian.

“… the Red Caps/Dean Aces became the Crusaders. Neil Christian & the Crusaders-it had a nice ring to it,” Spitz writes in Led Zeppelin: The Biography.

All in all, Page toured with the band for two years, which earned him local fame and acted as a stepping stone in his music career.