Led Zeppelin's song "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" was released on their first album Led Zeppelin I January 12, 1969.  It is a folk song sung in blues style, arranged by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant. Although at that time it was considered a bit out of character for the band, Page and Plant both very much liked this song. Page later relates he was emulating the style of Howlin' Wolf. Says Page, "I loved his voice and the sheer intensity of the music, as well as the timing of it." (Dregni, Michael and Pernu, Dennis. Whole Lotta Led Zeppelin. Minneapolis: Voyageur Press, 2008.)

The song is arranged in blues style and is truly the creation of Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, although the author of the song is Ann Bredon (born: 1930), who wrote the song when she was a student at UC-Berkeley in the 1950s. Bredon appeared on a radio show called "The Midnight Special" along with another folk singer, Janet Smith, who sang "Babe..." Another singer, Joan Baez heard the song and loved it. She asked Janet Smith to send her a copy of the song, and Joan included the song on her 1963 album: Joan Baez in Concert, Part 1. Baez assumed at that time the song was Public Domain and credited the authorship as being "Traditional."

In the interim, Baez's record company, Vanguard Records, contacted Janet Smith and learned the author of the song was Ann Bredon. On subsequent publications, Baez gave proper credit to Bredon. However, Robert Plant got the song from the original publication, which had been credited as "Traditional."

The original author of the song came to light when the author's son heard his mom playing the song and wondered why she was playing a Led Zeppelin song. Led Zeppelin now gives Ms. Bredon proper credit for writing the song, and she was paid all the royalties due her, without legal action having to be taken.

Many accounts of this story actually credit the authorship to another singer Anne Briggs. This of course is incorrect.