![Led Zeppelin III (2LP) [Deluxe Edition] on Vinyl by Led Zeppelin](https://d3fa68hw0m2vcc.cloudfront.net/images/autosize/15586204.jpeg?width=228&height=285&format=jpeg "Led Zeppelin III (2LP) [Deluxe Edition] on Vinyl by Led Zeppelin")
Formed in late-1968, Led Zeppelin emerged from the ashes of, firstly, The Yardbirds, and then the short-lived New Yardbirds. After Robert Plant joined – then unknown but recommended by Mickey Most – and John Bonham – a childhood friend of Jimmy Page – was also invited in, the transformation was almost complete. John Paul Jones had worked alongside Page as a session musician through much of the 1960s and his inclusion cemented the new group.
Their eponymous debut album was released in the US during their tour there on 12 January 1969, and peaked at number 10 on the Billboard chart. In their first year Led Zeppelin completed four US and four UK concert tours, and also released their second album, Led Zeppelin II. Recorded mostly on the road at various North American studios, it was an even greater commercial success than their debut. Despite this fervent activity, Zeppelin also found time to record a number of sessions for the BBC during ’69, transmitted on John Peel’s Top Gear, and a number of other shows during their first year, and in all the group recorded 18 tracks for the BEEB – including the otherwise unreleased ‘Sunshine Woman’.