Image copyright Reuters Image caption Led Zeppelin guitarist Page( privilege) and lead singer Plant denied emulating opening chords for Stairway to Heaven Led Zeppelin did not plagiarise the commencement of the chords of the stone epic Stairway to Heaven from the US band Spirit, a Los Angeles jury has found.
It said the riff Led Zeppelin was accused of taking from Spirit’s 1967 psalm Taurus “was not intrinsically similar” to Stairway’s opening.
But it said Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant had access to Taurus. Stairway to Heaven was released in 1971.
The case was brought on behalf of Spirit’s late guitarist, Randy Wolfe.
During the trial, excuse advocates argued that the chord progression in question was very common and had been in use for more than 300 years.
The prosecution had argued Led Zeppelin became very well known Spirit’s song after the two bandings played on the same greenback in Plant’s hometown at a club in the English city of Birmingham in 1970.
Spirit’s bassist Mark Andes testified last week he met Plant at the appearance and played snooker with him afterward.
Plant contended he had no reminiscence of that night, went on to say that in all the “hubbub and chaos” it would be hard to remember a one-off meet 40 years ago.
Plant partially attributed his lack of retention to a bad auto disintegrate on his practice dwelling from the association. Both he and his wife abode leader traumata in the incident, he told the court, after the windshield of his Jaguar was left “buried” in his face.
Image copyright Reuters Image caption Led Zeppelin vocalist Robert Plant( left) and guitarist Jimmy Page( right) repudiated lifting the opening riff in Stairway To Heaven from the US band Spirit’s song Taurus 
Image copyright Reuters Image caption Janet Wolfe, sister of the late Spirit songwriter and guitarist Randy Wolfe, attended the court proceedings 
Image copyright Reuters Image caption Before the finding, Judge Gary Klausner( back) wished to accede to any such requests by the jury to hear acoustic guitar renditions of both chants played side by side The singer-songwriter likewise spoke at length about the process of developing Stairway to Heaven.
He repetition the allegations made by his circle mates Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones that the lyric had begun at the two countries estate Headley Grange and not the Welsh cottage Bron-Yr-Aur, belying decades of Led Zeppelin mythology.
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Led Zeppelin are said to have prepared more than $562 m( 334 m) from Stairway To Heaven in the last 45 years More on Led Zeppelin BBC Music homepage Read all music narratives
