Before the legendary guitarist Jimmy Page was shredding licks on Led Zeppelin albums, he was lending his chops out in the recording studios. Page was one of the most coveted session artists in the region. As talented and versatile as any guitarist in the industry, Page monetized his craft by becoming an invaluable asset for many artists throughout the 1960s.

For many musicians, though, including Page, session work can be a double-edged sword. It can be thankless work, and often involves styles or forms of music that the artist may not enjoy. For years, the rock icon was satisfied with being a session guitarist for a reliable income, until one creatively stifling recording experience pushed him to the brink.

The Unforgiving World of Session Worked

Session musicians are the unsung heroes of the music industry, contributing to timeless art although rarely receiving public recognition for it. While you can generate steady work for yourself, especially with a talent of someone like Page, the commitment required to technical precision, repetitiveness and adaptability can cause major conflict from a creative perspective, both internal and external. Not to mention, after long enough, the unpredictability of what these gigs entail becomes increasingly frustrating.

“It was fun in the beginning of it,” Page said (via Far Out). “When it was like ‘Oh, do what you want.’ 80 percent, 90 percent of the time, I didn’t know what session I was going in on.”

Some recordings come with prestige, excitement and drive, though others are so uninspired that a lack of creative control begins to be unbearable. The session that almost broke Page was centered around soulless "Muzak" music, a style typically associated with background elevator tracks. Unlike rock and blues recordings that naturally provide space for expression, these particular sessions were mechanical and monotonous to the point of no return.

“It was horrific,” he said. “It was just reading music all the way through; they don’t stop. It’s just like you hear it in these horrific lift things. You just keep turning the music and playing on.”

Jimmy Page: From Sessions To Zeppelin

Page's response to the dreadful day? He quit: “That’s it. I’m finished. I’m out," he said.

Destiny had other plans for the guitarist. Thanks to his session work, he knew the who's who in the emerging British rock scene. “That was at the time when I was hanging around with Jeff [Beck], going to Yardbirds gigs, and the bass player decided to leave the band,” he told Far Out. “I ed on bass just to help out for a couple of gigs. Then it was on to guitar.”

Jimmy Page was one of three legendary guitarists who got their start in The Yardbirds.

Once the Yardbirds ended in 1968, Jimmy Page formed a new band — featuring Robert Plant, John Bonham, and John Paul Jones — and together they became Led Zeppelin, a rock band that would redefine the genre with its uncompromising, powerful sound and artistry. Yet another example within the beautiful art of music as to why you should always : whatever burdens or hinders the creativity locked inside you, might also just set you free.