John Bonham’s Son, Jason, Breaks Silence on Split With Sammy Hagar
Jason Bonham, the son of late Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, is opening up about his split with Sammy Hagar. – Author: Cat Badra Anne Erickson, Sammy Hagar photo by Ken Settle
Jason Bonham, the son of late Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, is opening up about his split with Sammy Hagar and Hagar’s “Best of All Worlds” band. Bonham was permanently replaced in Hagar’s live band by Kenny Aronoff, and the news came after Aronoff filled in for Bonham on the final four dates of Hagar’s summer tour, when Jason had to leave the run to be with his mother, who had suffered a stroke.
Jason recently revealed that his time with Hagar, which lasted for about a decade, was over via social media. Now, in a November 20 interview with Ultimate Classic Rock, Jason explains more about his split with Hagar and his feelings about it.
When talking about discussing his split with Hagar on social media, Jason said, “I was trying to answer fans, really, because they were asking me, ‘Why aren’t you involved with the new thing they’re recording?’ and saying, ‘Aren’t you gonna do it again?’ ‘I was let go, so, no.'”
He added, “Sammy rang me a while ago. He was asking about my mom, but then he said, ‘Y’know, I’m not gonna do much next year,’ blah, blah blah, ‘and I’m gonna go with Kenny.’ I was a little shocked, I must say. I’d be lying to you if I wasn’t a little sad, because we were on fire at the end of the tour. And I got a little upset. That was strange, after 10 years of being with him.”
So, it’s pretty sad to hear that Jason was “let go” after all his time with Hagar. But, he’s taking the high road and said nice things about Hagar.
“Listen, I love the guy to bits. I don’t wish him any ill. I still speak to him,” he said. “Honestly, the guy has taught me so much – about business, being positive. I’m an English guy; I can be really negative half the time. Even if the sun is shining, ‘but it could rain.’ He really helped me in that aspect big-time, and business sense and never taking no for an answer, always believing in yourself.”
He added, “So, yeah, I had a great 10 years. He allowed me to always do what I wanted to do. When my thing would get busy he always gave me the space. I couldn’t ask for more.”
Earlier this week, Hagar’s band announced a Las Vegas residency for 2025.
In very good news, Jason’s mother is doing well, he says. “Mom is absolutely doing amazing, which is more than I could ever possibly imagine – from literally being told ‘Say goodbye now’ to now,” he said. “She is a stubborn … woman that suddenly went, ‘I’m OK. I’m gonna be good.’ It’s still gonna take a lot of rehab and a lot of time to get back to what she was, but the real painful part – she beat that. So she’s fighting on. She’s almost back to normal, almost back to not talking to me. So she must be getting better! [Laughs.] She’s gonna be around for a lot longer.”
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