Even among rock and roll frontmen — a class of people known for their ostentatious nature and formidable talent — Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant stands out. Born in West Bromwich, Staffordshire, England, on this day (August 20) in 1948, the dynamo vocalist helmed one of the most influential rock bands of all time for a decade. Since then, he has continued to insist on doing things his own way. Examples include a Grammy-winning bluegrass album with Alison Krauss and his latest effort, an acoustic band called Saving Grace. Today, we’re celebrating one of rock music’s most singular voices on his 78th birthday.
Robert Plant Was Almost an Accountant
Robert Plant’s musical career began the same way as many future rock legends — by imitating Elvis Presley as a child. Plant nursed a lifelong passion for blues music, favoring artists like Presley, Muddy Waters, and Sonny Boy Williamson.
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As a teenager, he began training as an accountant, more to satisfy his parents than anything. Feeling less than fulfilled, Plant left home at 16 and immersed himself in the local blues scene.
Musical Beginnings
Working in road construction by day, Robert Plant founded the rock group Band of Joy in 1966. The band included his friend and future Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham.
By the late 1960s, guitarist Jimmy Page was searching for a new lead singer after the breakup of his band, the Yardbirds. His first choice, Terry Reid, declined the offer, but pointed him in the direction of Plant.
At the time, the young vocalist was performing with a band called Hobbstweedle. Page traveled to a teachers college in Birmingham, England, to assess his talent.
After hearing Plant wail Jefferson Airplane’s “Somebody to Love,” the guitar legend knew he had his singer.
“I just could not understand why, when he told me he’d been singing for a few years already, he hadn’t become a big name yet,” Page told Rolling Stone in 2006.
He invited Plant to his houseboat on the Thames River, where the two men bonded over their love of blues music. Plant suggested Bonham as a drummer.
Achieving Immortality with Led Zeppelin
Later, Robert Plant joined Page, Bonham, and bassist John Paul Jones in a room below a record store in London.
At Page’s suggestion, the quartet performed the popular rockabilly song “Train Kept a-Rollin’”.
“Even though we were all steeped in blues and R&B, we found in that first hour and a half that we had our own identity,” Plant said.
Led Zeppelin introduced themselves with their 1969 self-titled album, which brought the early hits “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You” and “Dazed and Confused.”
What followed is arguably the most iconic album run in musical history. Along with Page, Plant served as the band’s principal songwriter. He often drew from his love of classical mythology and the fantasy series Lord of the Rings on songs like “Ramble On” and “Misty Mountain Hop”.
Led Zeppelin landed eight consecutive number-one albums in the United Kingdom, with six also topping the U.S. Hot 100. Their 1971 effort Led Zeppelin IV — which contains fan favorites like “Black Dog” and “Stairway to Heaven” — ranks among the best-selling albums of all time.
At the center of it all was Robert Plant, with his flowing golden locks, unearthly voice, and swaggering bravado.
Post-Led Zeppelin
Sadly, the band’s myth-making run ended in 1980 with the death of John Paul Jones.
Likening proceeding without Jones to operating a vehicle with only “25 percent of the driving wheel,” Robert Plant and Led Zeppelin went their separate ways.
Now — unburdened by the crushing expectations attached to being a rock star — Plant is free to experiment with his own sound and image. He has released 12 studio albums on top of various other projects, including a well-known collaboration with bluegrass singer Alison Krauss.
[RELATED: Robert Plant Was in a “Very Bad Mood” When He Wrote Led Zeppelin’s Biggest Hit]
Their 2007 debut, Raising Sand, won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year.
Featured image by Koh Hasebe/Shinko Music/Getty Images
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