History & Criticism, Popular, Rock, Actors & Entertainers 

Nobody was as close to Led Zeppelin as Richard Cole. As their tour manager for twelve years, he witnessed the creation of the band, the evolution of their popularity and mystique, and the dramatic, often outlandish life-styles of Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Bonham, and John Paul Jones.

Cole's inside account reveals the truth behind the legend: how a diverse group of musicians exploded onto the rock music scene - raiding the top of the charts, breaking all concert attendance records, cutting multiplatinum albums, and permanently transforming the nature of popular music. As a group, they became one of the most powerful and enduring rock bands of all time. As individuals, their boisterous life-styles often exceeded even the wildest rumors about them.

Cole, who lived with Led Zeppelin day in and day out, reveals the magical chemistry among the group onstage tat left fans awestruck; their appetite for mischief and sexual excess; antics with Elvis and George Harrison; rumors surrounding Page's dabbling in black magic; the band's aggressive business transactions with local promoters; and the group's gradual descent into alcohol and other drugs, which ultimately proved fatal for Bonham. Led Zeppelin had soared to the pinnacle of rock music success, but eventually paid a tragic price. Nevertheless, even today the band's following remains enormous.

The complete, insider Led Zeppelin biography, "Stairway to Heaven" tells fans everything they want to know about this perennially popular rock band.