“Amazing”: How Carmine Appice helped to launch Led Zeppelin

Carmine Appice, the legendary drummer of Vanilla Fudge, played a key role in helping Led Zeppelin establish their footing in the music world. Vanilla Fudge brought Led Zeppelin on as their opening act during their first U.S. tour in 1968. At the time, Zeppelin was relatively unknown, and Vanilla Fudge even helped cover their performance fees to secure their spot on the tour.

Appice also supported John Bonham directly. He recommended Bonham to Ludwig Drums for an endorsement deal, which was significant since Bonham admired Appice’s style and had modeled aspects of his drumming after him. The two shared techniques, and Bonham reportedly adapted and expanded on drumming elements from Vanilla Fudge’s music, such as the bass drum triplets Appice used briefly on their records.

Appice and Zeppelin developed a mutual influence, with Vanilla Fudge’s style resonating in Zeppelin’s work. Tracks like “Good Times Bad Times” may have drawn inspiration from Vanilla Fudge bassist Tim Bogert’s riffs, showcasing the cross-pollination of their musical styles [oai_citation:3,CARMINE APPICE On Touring With LED ZEPPELIN: JOHN BONHAM ‘Was Playing Like Me’ And ‘Doing The Twirls Like Me’ – BLABBERMOUTH.NET](https://blabbermouth.net/news/carmine-appice-on-touring-with-led-zeppelin-john-bonham-was-playing-like-me-and-doing-the-twirls-like-me) [oai_citation:2,Vanilla Fudge’s Carmine Appice: What It Was Like Having Led Zeppelin as Opening Band on Their First-Ever US Tour | Ultimate Guitar](https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/vanilla_fudges_carmine_appice_what_it_was_like_having_led_zeppelin_as_opening_band_on_their_first-ever_us_tour.html) [oai_citation:1,CARMINE APPICE: “LED ZEPPELIN Were Very Similar To VANILLA FUDGE In A Way” – BraveWords](https://bravewords.com/news/carmine-appice-led-zeppelin-were-very-similar-to-vanilla-fudge-in-a-way).