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Dread Zeppelin

DREAD ZEPPELIN IS A NOVELTY ROCK-N-ROLL BAND WHOSE MUSIC CAN BE BEST DESCRIBED AS "ELVIS PRESLEY MEETS BOB MARLEY MEETS LED ZEPPELIN". IT COULD ALSO BE DESCRIBED AS HYPER-AMPLIFIED REGGAE MUSIC WITH AN ELVIS IMPERSONATOR SINGING ON LEAD VOCALS. DREAD ZEPPELIN HAS BEEN AROUND FOR ELEVEN YEARS AND HAS EVEN GOTTEN THE ENDORSEMENT OF FORMER LED ZEPPELIN SINGER ROBERT PLANT HIMSELF.

THE BAND FIRST CAME TOGETHER IN PASEDENA, CALIFORNIA IN 1989. LED BY A 300 POUND ELVIS IMPERSONATOR BY THE NAME OF "TORTELVIS" (REAL NAME: GREG TORTELL), THE OTHER MEMBERS IN THE ORIGINAL LINE-UP FEATURED GUITARISTS "JAH PAUL JO" AND "CARL JAH", BASS GUITARIST "BUTT-BOY", PERCUSSIONIST "ED ZEPPELIN", AND DRUMMER "FRESH CHEESE AND CHEESE". DREAD ZEP PLAYED THEIR FIRST LIVE CONCERT ON JANUARY 8, 1989 (ELVIS' 54TH BIRTHDAY). THEY PLAYED REGGAE VERSIONS OF LED ZEPPELIN SONGS TOPPED OFF BY THE PRESLEY-LIKE VOCALS OF TORTELVIS. THE LOCAL BUZZ AROUND CALIFORNIA ABOUT DREAD ZEPPELIN SOON EARNED THEM A CONTRACT WITH I.R.S. RECORDS. THEIR FIRST CD, "UN-LED-ED", RELEASED IN 1990, FEATURED THE HIT SONG "HEARTBREAKER (AT THE END OF LONELY STREET)", SPLICING LED ZEP'S "HEARTBREAKER" WITH ELVIS' "HEARTBREAK HOTEL". UPON HEARING "UN-LED-ED" FOR THE FIRST TIME, LED ZEP SINGER ROBERT PLANT SAID HE PREFERRED DREAD ZEPPELIN'S VERSION OF "YOUR TIME IS GONNA COME" OVER HIS ORIGINAL VERSION WITH LED ZEPPELIN.

IN 1991, DREAD ZEPPELIN FOLLOWED UP WITH THEIR SECOND CD, "5,000,000" (AS IN: 5,000,000 TORTELVIS FANS CAN'T BE WRONG). THE "5,000,000" CD FEATURED COVER VERSIONS OF OTHER PEOPLE'S SONGS SUCH AS JOHNNY NASH'S "STIR IT UP" AND THE CLASSIC "TRAIN' KEPT A ROLLIN'" AS WELL AS A COUPLE OF ORIGINALS ("BIG OL' GOL BELT" AND "DO THE CLAW"). THE HIGH LIGHT OF THE CD WAS THEIR VERSION OF "STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN".

IN 1992, "TORTELVIS", "ED ZEPPELIN", AND "FRESH CHEESE" LEFT THE BAND. "BUTT-BOY" RECHRISTENED HIMSELF "GARY B.I.B.B." AND TOOK OVER LEAD VOCAL DUTIES FOR THEIR NEXT CD, 1992'S DISCO FLAVORED "IT'S NOT UNUSUAL". THE RECORD ALIENATED THEIR CORE FOLLOWING AS WELL AS I. R. S. RECORDS, WHO DROPPED THEM FROM THE LABEL LATER THAT YEAR.

"TORTELVIS" AND "ED ZEPPELIN" BOTH RETURNED IN 1993 FOR THEIR NEXT CD, "HOT-N-SPICY BEANBURGER", A DEFINITE RETURN TO PAST GLORIES FOR THE BAND. IN 1994, THEY RELEASED THEIR NEXT CD, "SPAMBAKE". LATER THAT SAME YEAR, DREAD ZEPPELIN MADE A CAMEO APPEARANCE IN THE MOVIE "NATIONAL LAMPOON'S LAST RESORT". SHORTLY THEREAFTER, "CARL JAH" AND "ED ZEPPELIN" BOTH LEFT THE BAND. DREAD ZEP CARRIED ON WITH NEW MEMBERS ON THEIR NEXT CD, 1995's "NO QUARTER POUNDER".

ON THEIR 1996 CD "THE FUN SESSIONS (TORTELVIS SINGS THE CLASSICS)", THE BAND COVERED CLASSIC SONGS BY THE WHO, CREAM, C.C.R., THE DOORS, DEEP PURPLE, LYNYRD SKYNYRD, BAD COMPANY, C.S.N.&Y., AND THE BEATLES. AFTER THE CD CAME OUT, "JAH PAUL JO" LEFT THE BAND. DREAD ZEPPELIN RELEASED A LIVE CD, "THE SONG REMAINS INSANE" IN 1997 AND FOLLOWED THAT UP WITH A RARITIES COLLECTION TITLED "RUINS" IN 1998 AS WELL AS A CHRISTMAS CD TITLED "FIRST NO ELVIS". IN 2000, DREAD ZEP RELEASED "DEJAH-VOODOO".

IN 2002, TO COMMEMRORATE THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF ELVIS PRESLEY'S PASSING, DREAD ZEP RELEASED A CD TITLED "NINE INCH ELVIS". AND NOW IN 2005, DREAD ZEPPELIN HAS RELEASED THEIR LATEST CD, "CHICKEN-N-RIBS" INCLUDING A BONUS DVD!! TORTELVIS AND DREAD ZEPPELIN ARE STILL GOING STRONG AFTER 13 YEARS AND CONTINUE TO TOUR CONSTANTLY. AS TORTELVIS HIMSELF ONCE SAID: "LET'S GET GONE, BABY! LET'S GET REAL GONE!!!"

CHECK OUT THESE DREAD ZEPPELIN SITES ON THE WEB: