In a recent chat with Classic Rock, the former Kingdom Come lead singer, Lenny Wolf, opened up about a long-standing misunderstanding.
In the 1980s, comments made by the band suggesting they hadn’t heard of Jimmy Page or Led Zeppelin caused quite a stir. Wolf clarified that these comments were meant as a joke, a bit of humor that didn’t land as intended and was taken too literally by the media:
“Those remarks were misunderstood. Danny [Stag] got so tired of hearing about the Zeppelin issue that he just blurted out: ‘Who’s Jimmy Page? Never heard of him.’ Which of course was meant ironically, it’s so obvious. But some writer picked up on it, and then other idiots jumped on the bandwagon, writing the same bulls**t. And that’s when the s**t started.”
Wolf also addressed claims that he himself had made similar comments to the press, which he denied, saying:
“I don’t remember saying that. But if I did, it was meant in the most ironic and funny way. It’s beyond stupidity to say you’ve never heard Led Zeppelin!”
What Happened Between The Two Bands?
The root of the controversy traces back to the early days of Kingdom Come’s rise in the music scene, especially following the release of their self-titled debut album.
The band’s sound had a striking resemblance to that of Led Zeppelin, a comparison that quickly went from flattering homage to accusations of copying. This growing tension reached a boiling point when Danny Stag made an off-the-cuff remark that was blown out of proportion by the media.
Wolf explained how the story actually went in a 2011 chat with The Great Southern Brainfart:
“In the beginning, we took it as a compliment, then all of the sudden some press person overheard Danny saying, ‘Who’s Jimmy Page?’ He was saying it out of context like, ‘Oh no, not this question again.’ So [the magazine] printed that one line: ‘Kingdom Come guitarist announces he’s never heard of Jimmy Page.’”
Kingdom Come’s Fate After The Incident
After this incident, Kingdom Come tried to move past the negative attention and continue making music. They released a second album, ‘In Your Face,’ which saw a good amount of success. However, despite their efforts, the band disbanded in 1989 due to personal reasons.
Lenny Wolf kept the Kingdom Come name alive with new lineups and projects until he officially left the band in 2016, making way for Keith St. John to join.
St. John announced his departure from the band in early February and was replaced by Ezekiel ‘Zeke’ Kaplan. The band has plans for a new tour in 2024.
