The Student-Led Music Group that Led Zeppelin Loves
The Louisville Leopard Percussionists performed for Ozzy Osbourne, and Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin promoted their YouTube cover of 鈥楰ashmir.鈥�
Music teacher Diane Downs had no idea her music class students would end up performing for Ozzy Osbourne, or that Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin would praise their cover of 鈥淜ashmir鈥� on Facebook, saying 鈥渋t鈥檚 too good not to share.鈥�
But the , a music group made up of second- to 12th-graders began in humbler circumstances at Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School in Louisville, Kentucky. In 1993, Downs was searching a school closet for bulletin board paper but found a closetful of instruments instead. So, she asked her students if they wanted to do a concert.
鈥淵ou know, being second- and third-graders, they鈥檙e fearless,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o they were just, 鈥楲et鈥檚 do this!鈥�
First, they played at a PTA meeting and then at a nursing home. Ms Downs said the invitations to perform kept coming, leading them to play all over Louisville, and then across the country.
In 2003, the group became a non-profit organization, offering the Leopard experience to more kids beyond King Elementary. Three years later, HBO documented the group鈥檚 journey to New York City to open for the Chick Corea Trio in the film The Leopards Take Manhattan.
But what really skyrocketed the Leopards to stardom was when a YouTube video of them playing Ozzy Osbourne鈥檚 Crazy Train went viral.
鈥淥ut of the blue, we got a check from Ozzy Osbourne to help support our group,鈥� Downs said.
A couple years later, they were invited to appear on the reality show Ozzy and Jack鈥檚 World Detour.
鈥淪ome of the kids didn鈥檛 know who he was, so we had to do a little education, and they know who he is now,鈥� she added.
The group鈥檚 cover of Led Zeppelin later also went viral on YouTube. Downs said the views went from 6,000 to 6 million views in a week. The students did interviews with media outlets all over the world.
While the students don鈥檛 really understand the impact that the group had in their lives when they were younger, Downs said, 鈥淚 have had alumni come back to me and just say, 鈥業 can鈥檛 believe I did that when I was a kid鈥� I can鈥檛 believe that happened to me.鈥�
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