"That it did. But then again, Led Zeppelin borrowed pretty heavily from some older guys, too."
Yes, the blues was enjoying a surge of popularity at that time. Zeppelin shared the stage with B.B. King on at least one occasion, and Cream flew Albert King to England to help with one of their albums. Born Under a Bad Sign was an Albert King song.
Zeppelin may have borrowed, but they took what they borrowed and wove something new from it. There was legitimate creativity on their first album.
It's arguable which came first - the popularity of blues or the popularity of white (mostly British bands) playing heavily amplified blues.
It's arguable which came first - the popularity of blues or the popularity of white (mostly British bands) playing heavily amplified blues.