Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page Lived in Aleister Crowley’s Former Home

Guitarist Jimmy Page formed the rock band Led Zeppelin with Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham. The famous guitarist once lived in a house that was formerly owned by Aleister Crowley, but Page did not buy the home because of Crowley.

Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page owned Aleister Crowley’s old house

Crowley was an occultist who died in 1947. Due to the legends surrounding him and his known use of black magic, Crowley is considered a peculiar personality in pop culture.

After Page purchased Crowley’s old house in Loch Ness, Scotland in 1971, rumors spread that Page purchased the house due to having a huge interest in Crowley.

However, Rolling Stone reports that while Page thinks the house “was haunted,” he did not make this assertion “because of Crowley.”

According to Rolling Stone, Page told the publication in 1975:

“There were two or three owners before Crowley moved into it. It was also a church that was burned to the ground with the congregation in it. Strange things have happened in that house that had nothing to do with Crowley. The bad vibes were already there. A man was beheaded there, and sometimes you can hear his head rolling down.”

How Led Zeppelin was formed

Page, Plant, Bonham, and Jones formed Led Zeppelin in 1968. A few years prior to the band’s formation, Page had been playing in a different group called the Yardbirds.

When members of the Yardbirds left, Page wanted to keep playing music and sought out different band members.

Bonham had been friends with Page for many years and joined on as a drummer. Plant was recommended to Page and joined as the band’s main vocalist. Meanwhile, Jones joined the group after responding to a newspaper ad.

For some time, the band performed the rest of the Yardbirds’ tour with the name the New Yardbirds. Page, Plant, Bonham, and Jones then became known as Led Zeppelin.

Jimmy Page was instrumental in making the band’s first album

Led Zeppelin went on to become one of the most successful rock bands of all time. Page himself is known for his iconic guitar riffs.

Before becoming the high-profile name fans know nowadays, Page ended up paying to make Led Zeppelin’s first album.

The album, titled Led Zeppelin, was released in 1969. Following its release, the album was distributed by Atlantic Records. While Led Zeppelin was distributed by a major label, Page actually paid to make the album independently out of his own pocket.

In a 1969 interview with Guitar World, Page explained his reasoning for paying to make the album himself.

“I wanted artistic control in a vise grip, because I knew exactly what I wanted to do with these fellows. In fact, I financed and completely recorded the first album before going to Atlantic. It wasn’t your typical story where you get an advance to make an album — we arrived at Atlantic with tapes in hand,” Page said.

He continued, “The other advantage to having such a clear vision of what I wanted the band to be was that it kept recording costs to a minimum. We recorded the whole first album in a matter of 30 hours. That’s the truth. I know because I paid the bill [laughs].”