I went to a Joe Morello clinic in the '80s. One of the points he made has stuck with me. He was talking about being in groups. His point was that the practice and talent you have are only as good as the choices you make for the parts you are working on.

Bonham had above average talent and was well practiced and made the best choices for the songs he was working on. You aren't suppose to play the most complicated thing to make you shine all the time, he chose the proper music to play and he played it with grace and passion. Then on top of that he put himself in the right places at the right times. Call that luck, but it was also again, a great choice he made.

A big thing drummers often forget is that most people really don't give a shit about drums, they like the beat, and they only notice the drums when they are done wrong. There is almost nothing Bonham did that was wrong. He was a passionate rock and that is maybe the hardest thing to be.