Born in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, Plant was renowned for his trademark high pitched falsetto vocals, which lead to him being adorned with the title of the ‘greatest singer of rock’ time and time again. In a Poll carried out by Planet Rock, Plant came out on top for the greatest rock vocalist, and the title stuck. Throughout his career, the musician has had significant influence on great musicians, including Freddie Murcury. Additionally, in 2011 he was awarded the 1st place nomination for the greatest lead singer of all time from Rolling Stone Magazine for his time in Led Zeppelin.
As well as releasing countless albums with Led Zeppelin, Plant has 10 studio albums to his name, 8 of which have achieved either a gold or silver status. Plant’s talent as a multi-instrumentalist has helped tremendously in his composition over the years, playing harmonica, guitar, bass, and drums.
After leaving home at the age of 16 to pursue his music career, Plant became a member of the English Midlands blues scene, and his early work was heavily influenced by the genre. Jimmy Page approached Plant after hearing about him through contacts in the circuit and was astounded that he’d not been snapped up by labels previously, and they immediately began collaborating, ultimately forming Led Zeppelin.
During the production of Presence in the mid 70s, Plant was injured in car accident on holiday with his wife, which lead to a delayed release, and several cancelled tour dates. Renowned for his onstage banter and narratives of the origins of his songs, his lyrics were influenced by a variety of sources, from Tolkien, to the untimely death of his son, catalysing his mystical and spiritual lyrics.
After the disbanding of Led Zeppelin in the 80s, Plant’s solo career took off to much success, with all of his albums being extremely well received. As well as solo tours, he also collaborated further with Page, and they produced several records and performed shows together.
Most rock performers that gain huge celebrity status in their early career tend to stick to the same formula whether or not they can pull it off or not, but Robert Plant is unlike these performers. Robert Plant knows he is aging and he has shifted his musical compositions into forms that he handles impeccably well. Other singers often do not have the nerve to shift their style of performance as they grow older, but musicians such as Tom Waits and Robert Plant know how to move with the times and end up venturing into new territories that see them producing the highest quality of music.
Robert Plant’s most recent concerts are a complete joy to see live. His shows contain a sense of maturity to them. He does not participate in the high-pitched shrieks and yells that he so masterfully produced in classic Led Zeppelin recordings, but his style has changed to the tune of more traditional folk standards, singing like an old soul with an angelic voice. It should not be a surprise that Robert Plant’s new style encompasses the ranges of traditional folk music. Robert Plant has been a fan of traditional folk standards since the early days of Led Zeppelin. The album, Led Zeppelin III, contains the folk standard, “Gallows Pole”, which Robert Plant frequently puts on his recent setlists. Robert Plant also performs other classic Led Zeppelin songs from his setlist such as “Tangerine” and a slow-downed, bluegrass rendition of “Black Dog”.
Robert Plant also tours with very skilled backing musicians. He has previously toured with the phenomenal bluegrass singer, Alison Krauss, who adds rich layers to Robert Plant’s songs by harmonizing in perfect pitch with him. Robert Plant has also brought other talented bands such as Band of Joy and Sensational Space Shifters with him on tour to perform new songs as well as some of our favorite Led Zeppelin tunes. Robert Plant is one of the most well respected singers still out there performing. Rolling Stone magazine has included him on the list of “100 Greatest Singers of All Time” and he has also been nominated for numerous Grammy awards. If you get a chance to see him live, Robert Plant will prove to you how his style has matured with him for the better and why he is one of the best singers still performing.