
Robert Anthony Plant (born 20 August 1948) is an English singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer and lyricist of the rock band Led Zeppelin from its founding in 1968 until their breakup in 1980; since then he has had a successful solo career, sometimes collaborating with other artists such as Alison Krauss. Regarded by many as one of the greatest singers in rock music, he is known for his flamboyant persona and raw stage performances.
Plant was born and brought up in the West Midlands area of England, where after leaving grammar school he briefly trained as a chartered accountant before leaving home at 16 years old to concentrate on singing with a series of local blues bands, including Band of Joy with John Bonham. In 1968, he was invited by Peter Grant and Jimmy Page to join The Yardbirds, which Grant and Page were attempting to keep going. The new version of The Yardbirds changed their name to Led Zeppelin, and from the late 1960s to the end of the 1970s the band enjoyed considerable success.
Plant developed a compelling image as a charismatic rock-and-roll front man, comparable to contemporaries such as Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones, Roger Daltrey of the Who, Jim Morrison of the Doors, and Freddie Mercury of Queen. After Led Zeppelin dissolved in 1980, Plant continued to perform and record continuously on a variety of solo and group projects. His first well known post-Led Zeppelin project was The Honeydrippers, alongside former Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page, among others. In 1988, he released the solo album Now and Zen, from which came the hit singles "Tall Cool One" and "Ship of Fools". In the 1990s, another reunion project named Page and Plant released two studio albums and a live album from an MTV Unplugged performance, as well as winning the Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance in 1998 for "Most High". In 2007, Plant began a collaboration with bluegrass artist Alison Krauss, releasing the album Raising Sand, which won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 2009 and produced the hit song "Please Read the Letter", which won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year the same year. In 2010, he revived the Band of Joy (which shared its name with an early band he performed with in the 1960s), and in 2012 formed a new band, the Sensational Space Shifters, followed by a reunion with Alison Krauss in 2019.
In 1995, Led Zeppelin were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Rolling Stone ranked Plant as one of the 100 best singers of all time (2008); and was the top pick for the greatest lead singer in a 2011 readers poll. Hit Parader named Plant the "Greatest Metal Vocalist of All Time" (2006). Plant was named one of the 50 Great Voices by NPR. In 2009, Plant was voted "the greatest voice in rock" in a poll conducted by UK classic rock radio station Planet Rock. Billboard ranked him number 4 on their list of The 50 Greatest Rock Lead Singers of All Time (2023).
I may love the song, but hate, hate, hate cutesy animated gifs that get voted to the top. What a distraction. And either I have to scroll down, or hide the window. Argh.
(OK, it's a stretch)
Great, great song. Nothing faux about craftsmanship. And Plant has been digging into Middle Eastern/South Asian musical traditions his entire career.
Not sure if you've heard the massive amount or work he's done over the years, and the incredibly varied kinds of music he's done. I don't like all of it, but have a ton of respect for a guy with such a work ethic and talent.
Um, not sure how old you are, but in case you forgot, Bonham died. THAT was the breakup of Zep. Everyone moved on, and there were several tentative "reunions," but without John Bonham, as drummer, it never really worked. Plant moved on, Page moved on, John Paul Jones moved on, and LIFE moved on.
Some things will not come back, so all we can do is appreciate everything that springs from the original. I love Zep. I love Robert Plant in whatever path he takes, because after having heard Zeppelin, I can better understand the inspiration behind whatever the individual band members choose to do. Sorry that you think Robert Plant's solo work is shit. Sorry that you want to reincarnate something that is long-gone. Sorry that you write like a ten-year-old. You're commenting on a Robert Plant song, but you must be referring to someone else, based on your "that would remind him of how him and Plant couldn't see past their petty ego bullshit..." comment.
Do you even know what you're posting?
I absolutely HATE this song for some reason, I think its the lilting, whining, vocal style. Love the artists, hate the song.
That's strange.... It don't bother me.
Any idea who writes the songs?
This one was written by Don and Phil Everly.
No, I wouldn't have guessed that either.
Much like you.
Robert Plant is a chameleon - he rocked with Zep, had an eclectic and always-interesting solo career, and has toured with Allison Krause (country.) I love it that he's so varied, and so good at it all!
And, I just love this song. I made the drive from Oregon to Nevada, across the desert, with this song and cassette (well, I have it on CD now) and there are memories that I will forever associate with it. Say what you will - Robert Plant is an icon. (I have a friend who named her philodendron "Robert.")
We're still together. Our ship of fools has encountered a few storms along the way, but the crew has held fast to the ropes and we're now sailing calm waters and stupidly in love with each other.
Still wouldn't kick Mr Plant out of bed for eating biscuits, mind....