Jimmy Page, the legendary guitarist of Led Zeppelin, is facing a lawsuit in California filed by Jake Holmes, the original composer of the iconic rock track “Dazed and Confused.” The song, famous for its powerful guitar riffs and intricate drum work, became one of Led Zeppelin’s most enduring hits and a staple of their live performances.
While Led Zeppelin’s version, featuring Page’s soulful guitar licks and Robert Plant’s distinctive vocals, helped solidify the band’s signature blues-rock sound, the song’s origins trace back to Holmes, who first recorded it in 1967. A lawsuit filed in Los Angeles on Monday asserts that Page and the music publisher Warner Chappell violated a 2011 settlement regarding the song. According to the filing, the defendants issued early live recordings of the track and included it in the new documentary Becoming Led Zeppelin by Sony Pictures, all without obtaining the necessary permission, payment, or credit to Holmes.
The lawsuit highlights that Becoming Led Zeppelin includes at least two performances of “Dazed and Confused” — one by the Yardbirds, the band Page played with before Led Zeppelin, and the other by Led Zeppelin itself. In the documentary, the Yardbirds’ version is credited solely to Page, while the Led Zeppelin version is described as written by Page but “inspired by” Holmes.
Page played with the Yardbirds between 1966 and 1968 before forming Led Zeppelin with Plant, bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. The song made its way onto Led Zeppelin’s 1969 self-titled debut album. Holmes and Page previously settled a copyright dispute over “Dazed and Confused” following a lawsuit in Los Angeles in 2010, although the details of that settlement were not disclosed. However, Holmes’ new lawsuit claims he is owed $150,000 per alleged infringement related to the song’s use by the Yardbirds.
According to the lawsuit, the Yardbirds began performing Holmes’ composition publicly around 1968, and every performance of “Dazed and Confused” by the Yardbirds is considered a performance of the Holmes composition.
This lawsuit is not the first time the legal ownership of a Led Zeppelin hit has been challenged. A prolonged legal battle over “Stairway to Heaven” arose when the Los Angeles band Spirit claimed the famous opening riff was copied from their work. The case almost reached the U.S. Supreme Court, but the justices ultimately declined to hear it, allowing a California court’s ruling in favor of Led Zeppelin to stand.
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