5 Chance Meetings That Started Legendary Bands

The day a teenage Paul McCartney impressed John Lennon at a church fete in Liverpool, tuning the guitar and running through songs from memory, basically auditioning his way into history on the spot.

It got me thinking about how many world changing bands came down to one random encounter that almost did not happen. Here are 5 chance meetings that started legendary bands. Enjoy!

Watch the video: How Paul McCartney Impressed John Lennon and subscribe on the Rock with PJ Pat channel for more rock breakdowns.

1. Lennon and McCartney, a church fete in 1957

It really did come down to one summer afternoon in Woolton. John Lennon was playing with his skiffle group the Quarrymen when a mutual friend introduced him to a 15 year old Paul McCartney. Paul picked up a guitar, tuned it properly, and reeled off rock and roll songs with all the words, which was more than John could do at the time. John had a choice: keep all the spotlight, or let in someone clearly more skilled. He let him in. That single decision created the most important songwriting partnership in popular music.

2. Jagger and Richards, a train platform in 1961

Mick Jagger and Keith Richards knew each other as little kids but had drifted apart. Then they ran into each other on a train platform in Dartford, and Keith clocked the records under Mick's arm: Chuck Berry and Muddy Waters imports that were almost impossible to find in England. They started talking American blues and could not stop. That platform conversation turned into a shared obsession, then a band, then the Rolling Stones. Two old schoolmates and a stack of import records.

3. Page and Plant, 1968

When Jimmy Page was assembling a new band out of the wreckage of the Yardbirds, he needed a singer and kept striking out. A tip led him to an unknown 19 year old named Robert Plant, fronting a little band in the Midlands. Page could barely believe a voice that powerful was unsigned and figured something must be wrong with the guy. Nothing was. Plant took the gig and recommended his friend, a wild drummer named John Bonham. In one hire, Page found two thirds of Led Zeppelin.

4. Tyler and Perry, a lake town in New Hampshire

Steven Tyler was a New York kid spending summers in Sunapee, New Hampshire, when he caught a young guitarist named Joe Perry playing a sweaty local set. Tyler was floored by the raw attitude and the tone. The two crossed paths around town, started jamming, pulled in a few others, and moved to Boston as Aerosmith. America's great bad boy band started with a summer crush on a guitar sound in a tiny resort town.

5. Freddie Mercury talks his way into Queen, 1970

Before he was Freddie Mercury, Farrokh Bulsara was a fan and friend who hung around a London band called Smile, featuring guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor. When Smile's singer quit, Freddie, who had been telling them for ages how he would do it better, finally got his shot. He took over, pushed them to be bolder, renamed the band Queen, and even designed the royal crest logo. The superfan became the frontman and rewrote the whole plan.

More on What Rocks: 5 Wild Teenage John Lennon Stories, 5 Classic Albums Made by Bands That Couldn't Stand Each Other, and 5 Bands That Survived Losing Their Singer.

Wear it loud

If you love the origin stories as much as the songs, gear up like a true fan. Two picks for the certified rock heads:

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That's it! That's 5 lucky encounters that gave us the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, and Queen. A church fete, a train platform, a tip from a friend, a summer jam. 

If you missed the Short, the embed is right at the top of this post. Subscribe to the Rock with PJ Pat YouTube channel for more rock breakdowns.

Got a band or a story you want me to dig into next? Hit me on YouTube, Facebook, or drop me a message at its1louder.com. Thanks. 

Crank it up 1 louder. Always. 

PJ Pat