LED ZEPPELIN - LED ZEPPELIN PICK UP PIONEER AWARD FROM SWEDISH KING

The king of Sweden has presented LED ZEPPELIN with a prestigious award honouring them as "great pioneers" of popular music. Surviving band members ROBERT PLANT, JIMMY PAGE and JOHN PAUL JONES picked up the Polar Music Prize from King Carl XVI Gustaf in Stockholm on Monday (22MAY06). Late drummer JOHN BONHAM, who died in 1980, was represented at the ceremony by his daughter. Accepting the award, singer Plant talked about how Led Zeppelin recorded IN THROUGH THE OUT DOOR in Stockholm in 1979. He said, "It's a long time ago. Music has been a fantastic passport to us all." Led Zeppelin shared the award with Russian conductor VALERY GERGIEV. The Polar Music Prize, founded in 1989 by ABBA manager STIG ANDERSON, is split between pop and classical artists.