Count Ferdinand Adolf Heinrich August Graf von Zeppelin was a German general and later aircraft manufacturer, the founder of the Zeppelin Airship company.  The group Led Zeppelin is name was derived from this airship.

His granddaughter, Countess Frau Eva von Zeppelin felt the band’s use of Zeppelin was insulting and dishonoured her family name. She threatened to sue Led Zeppelin for illegal use of their family name while performing in Copenhagen, Denmark on February 28, 1970, despite their offer of free drugs and an “all areas” backstage pass.  The band also invited her to meet with them for a cup of tea and the meeting was very cordial.  However, upon leaving the studio, her anger reignited when she saw the cover of their debut album Led Zeppelin, featuring the Hindenburg (LZ-129) airship combusting into flames.

Led Zeppelin’s manager Peter Grant was not one to back down from confrontation but for some reason decided to temporarily change the group’s name to “The Nobs” for several shows in this Scandanavian tour.

The Nobs - Copenhagen, Denmark  February 28, 1970

Jimmy Page: “Then we shall call ourselves The Nobs when we go to Copenhagen, the whole thing is absurd. The first time we played we invited her backstage to meet us, to see how we were nice young lads. We calmed her down but on leaving the studio, she saw our LP cover of an airship in flames and she exploded! I had to run and hide. She just blew her top.”

Related posts: