Dread Zeppelin

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Dread Zeppelin
Background information
Origin	Pasadena, CA United States
Genre(s)	Rock & Roll Reggae Elvis
Years active	1989-present
Website	http://www.dreadzeppelin.com
Members
Tortelvis Butt-Boy Carl Jah Bob Knarley Ziggy Knarley Charlie Haj

Dread Zeppelin is an American band best known for covering the songs of Led Zeppelin in a reggae style sung by an Elvis Presley impersonator named Tortelvis, though their act now encompasses many other songs and other styles of music. Led Zeppelin vocalist Robert Plant has said that Dread Zeppelin is his favourite Led Zeppelin cover band. [1]

The first Dread Zeppelin release, the 7" single "Immigrant Song/Hey Hey What Can I Do", was recorded at the home studio of Dave Stewart of Eurythmics and released in 1989. After its success, a second single, "Whole Lotta Love/Tour-telvis: A Bad Trip" was released. A third, "Your Time is Gonna Come/Woodstock (live)" was released not as a single but as part of a singles compilation entitled Komm Gib Mir Deine Zeppelin (a play on the title of the German version of The Beatles' song "I Want To Hold Your Hand").

The rest of Dread Zeppelin's first album, Un-LED-ed, consisted of more covers taken from Led Zeppelin and Led Zeppelin II, plus "Black Dog" from the untitled fourth album. Shortly before Un-LED-ed was released, the original Ed Zeppelin (percussion) was replaced by his twin brother.

Un-LED-ed was surprisingly successful, and in the fall of 1990, Dread Zeppelin took a three-week break from touring and recorded their second album, 5,000,000* *Tortelvis Fans Can't Be Wrong. In addition to the usual "Zeppelin in a reggae style", this album also featured a cover of Bob Marley's "Stir It Up" as well as three original songs.

For the next album, the band had planned a rock opera entitled Albert about a rock critic who wanted to be a star (based loosely on the real rock critic Albert Goldman), but this never panned out. The plan changed to an album of disco covers entitled It's Not Unusual after Tortelvis left the group to run a thriving dairy called Driftwood Dairy in Southern California. In addition, in early 1992, Ed Zeppelin and drummer Fresh Cheese had both left the band. Butt Boy took over the vocals, assuming the name Gary B.I.B.B., and guest artists Screamin' Jay Hawkins and Randy Bachman (not for touring) were brought in to fill the void left by Tortelvis.

Reaction to the disco stylings of It's Not Unusual was resoundingly negative, so in early 1993 a return to the old formula ensued, which also saw Tortelvis' return to the group. In the spring of 1994, Dread Zeppelin appeared in the film National Lampoon's Last Resort and provided a song for the closing credits. Carl Jah and Ed Zeppelin left the band shortly afterwards. In 1995, during the recording of Dread Zeppelin's fifth album, No Quarter Pounder, Jah Paul Jo was asked to leave the band.

The remaining members of Dread Zeppelin signed onto Imago Records and released The Fun Sessions, a collection of classic rock covers. Since the Imago release, Carl Jah and Ed Zeppelin returned to the band and Dread Zeppelin was back with almost all the original members intact (Tortelvis, Charlie Haj, Butt-Boy, Ed Zeppelin and Carl Jah).

Dread Zeppelin now had a new production company as of 1995 called Cash Cow, which released the live album Front Yard Bar*B*Que in December 1996 and the all-original album Spam Bake in November 1997. Dread then Signed to Cleopatra Records and recorded De-jah Voodoo in 1999 (produced by Bob Knarley, and re-released by Cleopatra with a new cover and name Re-Led-Ed). Also released on Dread Zeps' label, Cash Cow Records, was …Presents in 2002 and Chicken and Ribs in 2004. They are now releasing DVD media (Jah-La-Palooza 2004 and Live in Minne-Jah-Polis 2002) and bootlegs as well, after a clamouring for such product from their loyal and long-time fan base.

Lead singer Tortelvis, flanked by his boys, finally got his shot at singing "The Star Spangled Banner" at Bank One Ballpark in Phoenix, Arizona, on May 27, 2005 (film of which is now available on DVD at the official site www.dreadzeppelin.com). He was also scheduled to sing the song at a Minnesota Twins game in 1992, but Roseanne Barr's notorious version, two days before his planned appearance, quashed that opportunity.

As of October 2006, Dread Zeppelin is touring sparingly, but still releasing new material. Look for the up-coming recording Bar Coda, which is rumoured to be a return the 'classic' Dread Zeppelin sound.