Robert Anthony Plant was born on 20 August 1948 and is an English singer and songwriter, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the rock band Led Zeppelin for all of its existence from 1968 until 1980.
75 Facts About Robert Plant
2.
In 1995, Plant was inducted with the band into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
3.
Robert Plant enjoyed great success with Led Zeppelin from the late 1960s to the end of the 1970s.
4.
Robert Plant developed a compelling image as the 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.
5.
In 2009, Robert Plant was voted "the greatest voice in rock" in a poll conducted by UK classic rock radio station Planet Rock.
6.
Robert Plant grew up in the Hayley Green area of Halesowen, Worcestershire.
7.
Robert Plant gained an interest in singing and rock and roll music at an early age; in an interview with Andrew Denton on the Denton talk show in 1994, Robert Plant stated his desire, as a ten-year-old, to be like Elvis Presley:.
8.
Robert Plant abandoned training as a chartered accountant after only two weeks to attend college in an effort to gain more GCE passes and to become part of the English Midlands blues scene.
9.
Robert Plant had various jobs while pursuing his music career, one of which was working for the major British construction company Wimpey in Birmingham in 1967 laying tarmac on roads.
10.
Robert Plant worked at Woolworth's in Halesowen town for a short period of time.
11.
Robert Plant cut three obscure singles on CBS Records and sang with a variety of bands, including the Crawling King Snakes, which brought him into contact with drummer John Bonham.
12.
In 1968, guitarist Jimmy Page was in search of a lead singer for his new band and met Robert Plant after being turned down by his first choice, Terry Reid, who referred him to a show at a teacher training college in Birmingham.
13.
In front of Page, Robert Plant sang Jefferson Airplane's "Somebody to Love", leading Page to end his search.
14.
Robert Plant: I was appearing at this college when [manager Peter Grant] and Jimmy turned up and asked me if I'd like to join the Yardbirds.
15.
Robert Plant has commented that it is unfair for people to think of Zeppelin as heavy metal, as almost a third of their music was acoustic.
16.
In July 1977, his son Karac died at the age of five while Robert Plant was engaged on Led Zeppelin's concert tour of the United States.
17.
Robert Plant retreated to his home in the Midlands of England and, for months afterward, questioned his future.
18.
Robert Plant did not begin writing song lyrics with Led Zeppelin until the making of Led Zeppelin II, in 1969.
19.
Robert Plant hadn't written before, and it took a lot of ribbing to get him into writing, which was funny.
20.
Robert Plant grew up close to the Welsh border and would often take summer trips to Snowdonia.
21.
Page's passion for diverse musical experiences influenced Robert Plant to explore Africa, specifically Marrakesh in Morocco where he encountered Umm Kulthum:.
22.
Robert Plant is recognised for his lyrical improvisation in Led Zeppelin's live performances, often singing verses previously unheard on studio recordings.
23.
One of the most famous Led Zeppelin musical devices involves Robert Plant's vocal mimicking of bandmate Jimmy Page's guitar effects.
24.
Robert Plant is known for his light-hearted, humorous and unusual on-stage banter.
25.
Robert Plant often discusses the origin and background of the songs during his shows, and sometimes provides social comment as well.
26.
Robert Plant enjoyed great success with Led Zeppelin throughout the 1970s and developed a compelling image as the charismatic rock-and-roll front man, similar to his contemporaries the Who's singer Roger Daltrey, Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones, Freddie Mercury of Queen, and Jim Morrison of the Doors.
27.
On stage, Robert Plant was particularly active in live performances, often dancing, jumping, skipping, snapping his fingers, clapping, making emphatic gestures to emphasise a lyric or cymbal crash, throwing back his head, or placing his hands on his hips.
28.
Readers of the magazine had to decide who had the best chest in rock, and Robert Plant was the winner.
29.
Robert Plant nevertheless embarked on a successful solo career, helped by encouragement from Genesis drummer Phil Collins, who would go on to play with him.
30.
Whilst Robert Plant avoided performing Led Zeppelin songs through much of this period, his tours in 1983 and in 1985 were very successful, often performing to sold-out arena-sized venues.
31.
In 1986 Robert Plant performed at the Birmingham Heart Beat Charity Concert with other famous Midlands musicians.
32.
Songs from this third album, plus a smattering of Led Zeppelin classics, made up the set-list for Robert Plant's acclaimed sunset performance on the Main Stage at Glastonbury Festival, in 1993.
33.
Also, on 15 May 1988 Robert Plant appeared with Page as a member of Led Zeppelin, at the Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary concert.
34.
Page and Plant became a full-fledged performing act from 1994 through 1998, releasing the No Quarter: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded album in 1994 and following with an enormously successful tour in 1995, including a return to the Glastonbury limelight.
35.
Page and Robert Plant recorded their only post-Zeppelin album of original material on the 1998 album Walking into Clarksdale, an effort that was unsuccessful commercially, leading Robert Plant to return to his solo career after another world tour.
36.
In 2001, Robert Plant appeared on Afro Celt Sound System's album Volume 3: Further in Time.
37.
The song "Life Begin Again" features a duet with Welsh folksinger Julie Murphy, emphasising Robert Plant's recurring interest in Welsh culture.
38.
In 2002, with his then newly formed band Strange Sensation, Robert Plant released a widely acclaimed collection of mostly blues and folk remakes, Dreamland.
39.
From 2001 to 2007, Robert Plant actively toured the US and Europe with Strange Sensation.
40.
On 23 June 2006, Robert Plant was the headliner at the Benefit For Arthur Lee concert at New York's Beacon Theatre, a show which raised money for Lee's medical expenses from his bout with leukaemia.
41.
At the show, Robert Plant told the audience of his great admiration for Arthur Lee dating back to the mid-'60s.
42.
In 2007, Robert Plant contributed two tracks to the Fats Domino tribute album Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino, "It Keeps Rainin" with the Lil' Band o' Gold and "Valley of Tears" with the Soweto Gospel Choir.
43.
In 2007 and 2008, Robert Plant recorded and performed with bluegrass star Alison Krauss.
44.
Robert Plant appeared as a surprise guest during Fairport Convention's set at the 2008 Cropredy Festival, performing Led Zeppelin's "The Battle of Evermore" with Kristina Donahue as a tribute to Sandy Denny.
45.
Robert Plant performed with Strange Sensation guitarist Justin Adams and the West African riti master Juldeh Camara for the finale of the three day World of Music, Arts and Dance Festival in Abu Dhabi.
46.
In July 2010, Robert Plant embarked on a twelve-date summer tour in the United States with his newly formed group called Band of Joy.
47.
September 2011 - Robert Plant played in Marfa, TX at El Cosmic Trans - Pecos Festival as part of a band called Crown Vic consisting of Patty Griffin, Dony Wynn, David Grissom, Glenn Fukunaga, Michael Ramos.
48.
On 7 August 2014, Robert Plant announced an autumn 2014 7-date North American tour from 25 September to 7 October 2014.
49.
Robert Plant covered Elbow's track, "Blanket of Night", featured on the British Red Cross' compilation LP "The Long Road", released on March 4,2016.
50.
Robert Plant headlined the Sunday night of Iceland's Secret Solstice Festival in Reykjavik on 23 June 2019.
51.
On March 7,2019, Robert Plant performed at the Third Annual LOVE ROCKS NYC, a benefit concert for God's Love We Deliver at the Beacon Theatre in NYC, hosted by Bill Murray, Martin Short and Chevy Chase amongst others, featuring an all-star line up including Sheryl Crow, Buddy Guy, Hozier, Billy F Gibbons, Jimmie Vaughan.
52.
In 2019, Robert Plant formed a low-key acoustic band called Saving Grace and performed support slots in February 2019 for Fairport Convention and Seth Lakeman In March 2020, Saving Grace announced a US tour scheduled for May 2020 that was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
53.
On 19 July 2021, Robert Plant appeared onstage for his first post-pandemic show in Worthing, England, performing with his band Saving Grace for the first time since 2019.
54.
Robert Plant went on to tour the UK with Saving Grace for their rescheduled shows.
55.
Robert Plant performed with living members of Led Zeppelin both on 13 July 1985 for Live Aid and on 15 May 1988 for Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary.
56.
In interviews following the 2007 show, Robert Plant left the door open to possible future performances with Led Zeppelin, saying that he enjoyed the reunion and felt that the show was strong musically.
57.
On 30 July 2014, NME revealed that Robert Plant was "slightly disappointed and baffled" by Page in an ongoing Led Zeppelin dispute during which Page declared he was "fed up" with Robert Plant delaying Led Zeppelin reunion plans.
58.
Robert Plant would have no intention whatsoever of doing it.
59.
I've had enough of all this stuff, to be honest: 'Robert Plant says this, Robert Plant says that.
60.
Robert Plant is interested in Welsh history and donated money to the creation of a bronze statue of the Welsh prince Owain Glyndwr, at Pennal Church, near Machynlleth, in Wales, unveiled in September 2004.
61.
Robert Plant is believed to have contributed funds to a slate carving of Glyndwr's coat of arms at the Celtica museum in Machynlleth.
62.
Robert Plant is part of a Glyndwr network, and attends meetings about him in Wales.
63.
On 14 August 2009 football club Wolverhampton Wanderers announced that Robert Plant has become the club's third vice-president.
64.
Robert Plant officially received the honour before kick-off at the club's first match of the season against West Ham United.
65.
Robert Plant was five years old when he first visited Molineux Stadium.
66.
On 23 August 2014, The Independent indicated Robert Plant had broken up with Griffin: ""Patty and I tried a sort of zig-zag across the Atlantic," Robert Plant told the publication, "but she didn't share my penchant for cider and she used to marvel at the Black Country character I became after four pints of Thatchers.
67.
In early 2013, Robert Plant contributed to a community buyout scheme to save the Bath music venue, the Bell Inn.
68.
In 2020, Robert Plant donated money towards frontline medical supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic.
69.
Robert Plant has influenced the style of many of his contemporaries, including Geddy Lee, Ann Wilson, Sammy Hagar, and later rock vocalists such as Jeff Buckley and Jack White who imitated his performing style.
70.
Robert Plant was included in the Q magazine's 2009 list of "Artists of the Century" and was ranked at number 8 in their list of "100 Greatest Singers" in 2007.
71.
In 2009, Robert Plant won the Outstanding Contribution to Music prize at the Q Awards.
72.
Robert Plant was placed at No 3 on SPINs list of "The 50 Greatest Rock Frontmen of All Time".
73.
In July 2018, Robert Plant won the Silver Cleff Integro Outstanding Award, announced by music charity Nordoff Robbins.
74.
On 15 March 2022 Robert Plant was the guest on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs.
75.
Robert Plant's book choice was The Earliest English Poems, translated by Michael Alexander, his luxury item was a basket containing photos of homing pigeons and his favourite musical piece was "Serenade" by Mario Lanza.