The University of Surrey has conferred the honorary degree of Doctor of the
University to Jimmy Page for services to the music industry. The award was made
on Friday, June 20 at Guildford Cathedral. Jimmy generously signed a guitar
(see photo below) which will be given away in a competition at the upcoming
GuilFest festival. Surrey's involvement with GuilFest this year celebrates its
innovative music programmes that reflect the diversity of contemporary musical
practice.
James Patrick "Jimmy" Page, OBE is a world renowned guitarist and composer.
Born in Middlesex in 1944, he grew up in Epsom, Surrey where he developed a
passion for both painting and music. Throughout the 1960s he was in demand as a
session musician, leading eventually to his becoming a member of THE YARDBIRDS.
After various personnel changes, the band renamed themselves LED ZEPPELIN, and
played under that name for the first time at the University of Surrey on
October 25, 1968.
Over the next decade LED ZEPPELIN effectively redefined rock music, drawing on
a wide range of influences to create a string of legendary albums which have,
to date, sold over 300 million copies. LED ZEPPELIN are unquestionably one of
the most important and influential rock bands ever, and the highly successful
reunion concert at The O2 in 2007 shows the phenomenal interest in their music
which persists today. Through his work with LED ZEPPELIN, Jimmy Page, a major
creative force within the band, became universally recognised as being one of
the greatest and most versatile guitarists of all time.
Away from music, he has been involved in the Action for Brazil's Children
Trust, or ABC Trust. His commitment to this cause goes back to 1994 where he
witnessed first hand unrest in the largest of Rio de Janeiro's shanty towns. He
resolved there and then to do something to help, which led to the establishment
of "Casa Jimmy," a shelter for abandoned street children, which continues to be
run successfully today and has helped over 250 children to find a better life.
Building on this, the ABC Trust was set up with Jimmy Page as the founding
patron. In 2005 he was awarded an OBE in recognition of his charitable work,
and also made an honorary citizen of Rio de Janeiro later that same year.
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