But surviving members of Led Zeppelin submitted testimony to the court that they never had substantive interaction with Spirit or listened to the band’s music. It lists disputes over 16 other Led Zeppelin songs, many of which were settled by giving the complainant a songwriting credit and royalties, including classics Whole Lotta Love and Babe I’m Gonna Leave You. Led Zeppelin’s Jimmy Page and Robert Plant will appear in court on Tuesday to defend Stairway to Heaven, one of the most recognisable songs in rock history, from accusations of plagiarism. Led Zeppelin were the opening act for Spirit when the hard British rockers – Plant, Page, John Paul Jones and the late John Bonham – made their US debut on 26 December 1968 in Denver. The lawsuit, originally filed in Pennsylvania, says Led Zeppelin have “a deep-rooted history of lifting composition from blues artists and other songwriters who they have repeatedly failed to credit”.

Source: The Guardian June 12, 2016 05:08 UTC