) is an singer, most famous for his membership in the rock band , but also for his successful solo career. He is known for his powerful style, often mystical lyrics, and wide vocal range. As the lead singer of he is often defined as the quintessential rock front man, combining rare musical adeptness and knowledge with a large measure of stage bravado and an outgoing personality.
As a solo artist following the Led Zeppelin era, he is often credited for his wide range of musical taste and his ability to perform an eclectic range of songs in a refined and critically acclaimed manner.
scene. Plant did various jobs whilst pursuing his music career, one of which was working for the major British construction company Wimpey in Birmingham in 1966 laying tarmac on roads.
He cut three obscure singles on CBS records In 1968, guitarist was in search of a lead singer for his new band and met Plant after being turned down by his first choice, , who referred him to a show at a nightclub where Plant was singing in a band.
Plant and Page immediately hit it off with a shared musical passion and after Plant joined the band, they began their powerful writing collaboration with reworkings of earlier blues songs. Plant brought along as drummer, and along with , who had worked with Jimmy Page as a studio musician, was formed in 1968. Their hit the charts in 1969 and is widely credited as a catalyst for the genre.
Ironically, Plant has commented that it is unfair for people to think of Zeppelin as "heavy metal," since , and others, and these traits helped to define the unique sound of Led Zeppelin and ultimately the heavy metal vocal style. Plant is a tenor and his powerful, high-pitched, wailing vocals are famously showcased in many Led Zeppelin songs such as " ", " "," " and " ". His singing method is characterised by a slightly higher than average male voice and an aggressive, rough .
His performance in the 1969 song "Communication Breakdown" is style. Plant's more relaxed and tender verses are often followed by an explosive chorus, such as in the songs " " and " ", which helped to establish and popularise the rock ballad format. Plant became one of the most significant rock singers of the 1970s, influencing the style of , and later, rock vocalists such as , , , Plant's lyrics are often mystical, philosophical, and spiritual, alluding to events in classical and , such as in the song " " which refers to and conquests.
Another example is " ", which contains allusions to various pagan rituals. Lyrics like these led to the popularization of associating Led Zeppelin and their particular brand of rock and roll with pagan mythology (i.e.
'rock some early Led Zeppelin songs. Most notably the " ", verses referencing Tolkien's . Conversely, Plant sometimes used more straightforward blues-based lyrics dealing primarily with sex, drugs and violence, as in the songs "Dazed and The passion for diverse musical experiences drove Plant to explore Africa, specifically , which most evidently culminated in the classic track, " .
" Both he and Jimmy Page revisited these influences during their reunion album in 1994. In his solo career, Plant again tapped from these influences many times, most notably in the 2002 album, Undoubtedly one of Plant's most significant and influential achievements with Led Zeppelin was his contribution to the track, and among other genres. Most of the lyrics of the song were written spontaneously by Plant in 1970 at .
While never released as a single, the song has topped charts as the greatest song of all time on various polls around the world. Other fans however argue that Plant made a better " ", running at 10:25. All of these songs however became hugely associated with the albums they were on.
Plant is also recognised for his lyrical improvisation in Led Zeppelin's live performances, often singing verses previously unheard on studio recordings. One of the most famous Led Zeppelin musical devices involves Plant's vocal mimicking of bandmate 's guitar effects. This can be heard in the songs " ", "Dazed and Confused", " ", and " ".
He's also known for his on stage banter, often referred to as "plantations."
rock-and-roll front man much like the late of . With his mane of long blond hair and powerful, bare-chested appearance, Plant helped perhaps more than any other artist to create the archetype of the 'rock god'.
On stage, Plant was particularly active in live performances, often dancing, jumping, 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. As the decade progressed he, along with the other members of Led Zeppelin, became increasingly flamboyant onstage and wore more elaborate, colourful clothing and jewelry. In 1975, he was reported to have exclaimed the phrase "I am the Golden God!
" from the balcony of the in (reference to which was later made in 's film, ).
Plant's time with Led Zeppelin was not without its problems, however. In 1975, he and his wife Maureen were seriously injured record, for a few months while he recovered, and forced the band to cancel the remaining tour dates for the year.
Things took an tribute, featured on Led Zeppelin's final studio , 1979's .
After the breakup of Led Zeppelin in 1980 following the sudden death of drummer , Plant pursued a successful solo career beginning with his first solo album, in 1982. Popular tracks from this period include "Big Believe" (1993), another song written for and dedicated to his late son, Karac.
In 1984, Plant formed a short-lived all-star group with Jimmy Page and called , who had a #3 hit with a remake of the ' tune, " ", along with a lesser hit with "Rockin' at Midnight." Plant avoided performing Led Zeppelin songs through much of this period.
On rare occasions, Plant performed with both surviving members of Led Zeppelin: In 1985 for (with and on drums), 1988 for 40th anniversary, and in 1995 when the band was filling in on drums.
Additionally, Plant, Jones, and Page attended—and later performed at Jason's wedding in 1990.
Through the 1980s and 1990s, Plant co-wrote three solo albums with keyboardist/songwriter Phil partnership. It was Johnstone who talked Plant into playing Zeppelin songs in his live shows, something Plant had resisted, not wanting to be forever known as "the former Led Zeppelin vocalist.
" Plant first collaborated with Jimmy Page post-Zeppelin in the studio on the 1988 Page solo effort, . He later collaborated with Page on the 1998 album, , which features all original material from the pair. Starting at the close of 1999, Plant performed at several small venues with his folk-rock band, named Priory of Brian.
In 2002, with his then newly-formed band , Plant released a widely acclaimed collection of mostly blues and folk remakes, . Contrasting with this lush collection of often relatively obscure remakes, the second album with Strange Sensation (2005), contains new, original songs. Both have received some of the most favorable reviews of Plant's solo career and four nominations, two in 2003 and two in 2006.
Achievement Award in 2005 and the in 2006. Plant still actively tours, the most recent taking place in US and Europe during 2005/2006 with Strange Sensation. His sets typically include recent, but not only, solo material and plenty of Led Zeppelin favorites, often with new and expanded arrangements.
A DVD, titled "Robert Plant and the Strange Sensation", featuring his Soundstage performance (filmed at the Soundstage Studios in Chicago on September 16, 2005), was released in October 2006. An expansive box set of his solo work, , was released in November 2006.
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