Deborah Bonham plays The Slade Rooms in Wolverhampton

Rock‘n’blues singer Deborah Bonham grew up as her big brother, John, was becoming the greatest drummer in music history. The Led Zeppelin powerhouse was fast, powerful and had his own distinctive groove. Though he died at the tragically young age of 32, he left a legacy that lasts to this day.

Deborah was eight or nine when Led Zeppelin started to take off. And she imagined that his ‘job’ – of touring the world, recording number one hit records and having fans fall at your feet – was perfectly normal. As you would, at the age of nine.

“Where John’s talent came from, nobody can say. I think it’s something you are born with. From the age of two or three, he was bashing pots and pans. When it took off for them, I was so young. I grew up with it. I grew up in the thick of it. I just thought that was a normal way of life. I thought you made an album and it went straight to number one.

“Believe me, I later learnt that was not always the case. But I was very young when he joined Led Zeppelin, I was only six or seven. I had a false understanding of the music industry to be fair. But I always knew I wanted to sing.”

Not that John – or, indeed, Deborah’s mother and father – wanted her to follow in her illustrious brother’s footsteps. “It wasn’t something my brother or mum and dad wanted me to happen. Especially after seeing what the industry was like, with John. He was right too. It wasn’t any place that he wanted his kid sister to be.

“So I did a bit of opera singing to start with. But I just loved blues/rock. And I love performing live. I was always going to do it. You can’t deny what’s in your heart.”

Her parents encouraged her to succeed at school instead of pursuing her improbable dreams of being a rock singer. She took their advice, to a point. “One great thing I did was learn to speak French at school. I sort of stuck with it and now, for me, one of the best places to tour is France. I often think of my brother and mum and dad telling me to stop at school and learn and I think of how I mastered French because, of course, it paid off. Except I use the language to help me sing the blues.”

Deborah, who hails from Redditch, is back on her old stomping ground soon with a headline gig coming up at Wolverhampton’s Slade Rooms on September 22. It’s her second in the region in recent times. Back in May she headlined Birmingham’s Symphony Hall with Paul Rodgers, the former Free vocalist who also sang with Queen. The Paul Rodgers gigs were a blast and Deborah is looking forward to being back in the West Midlands.

“I’m really excited about it. I can’t remember the last time I played Wolverhampton, it was many years ago. I love it up there. Any chance I get to come and play up there is great. We did Symphony Hall with Paul Rodgers and that was one of the most amazing gigs.”

She used to spend most of her life in the Black Country, hanging out with bands and watching gigs.

“We always used to come over. I saw Slade. I remember seeing them at the Wulfrun Hall and they were bloody brilliant. They were a real rocking band.”

She also played a gig when ‘Uncle’ Robert Plant turned up to do a duet – much to the surprise of fans. That was at Huntingdon Hall, in Worcester, not far from Robert’s Kidderminster home.

“Singing with Robert Plant, given our family’s history with Led Zeppelin, was a massive moment. Robert’s been like a brother or uncle to me. That was at Huntingdon Hall. He turned up and got up to sing with me, unbeknownst to the audience. That was a high moment. When things like that happen, it’s an honour isn’t it.

“But there’s been a lot of amazing moments in my life. Every day I think how lucky I’ve been. I was a big fan of one of the all time greatest female vocalists, Ann Peebles, who had a hit witih I Can’t Stand The Rain. We ended up doing something together, a few shows, and we recorded a version of Can’t Stand the Rain.

“I’ve been extremely blessed because I’ve had the joy of playing with the most incredible people. To get up on stage with Humble Pie, when they reformed with Peter Frampton, was incredible and I guess the Paul Rodgers thing was another recent highlight.”

Deborah has other memories of Wolverhampton – and not all of them musical. Like so many Midlands rock stars, she’s a fan of Wolverhampton Wanderers and has enjoyed seeing them play.

“It’s the home ground of Wolverhampton Wanderers and I’ve got to say I’m a fan. I went to the Wolves on one occasion to see them play Liverpool. We thrashed them. We stopped off at those Bathams pubs on the way for a drink. Everybody thought we’d get thrashed but I think we must have put five passed them that day.”

She’s grateful for the way her life turned out and says she owes much of her success to growing up with John and the rest of her family in a musical household.

“I guess my mom and dad were very musical. My mom always sang a little, not seriously but, but she loved good music. They were fans of the big bands like Count Basie. That was pretty much John’s focus too. My dad loved all the black soul divas like Lena Horne and Mahalia Jackson. He would play a lot of that music. I grew up listening to that. Both my brothers, John and Michael, got into the Motown stuff, as well as the rock. It was a real eclectic house. I was listening to Jimi Hendrix and Joplin and all of that, CSN and Fleetwood Mac, but I was also steeped in the British movement and The Kinks. Then Zeppelin took off and everything changed.”

l Tickets are available from the venue.