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Robert Plant CBE

Aidan

Aidan

master brummie
Robert Anthony Plant, CBE (born 20 August 1948), was born in West Bromwich to parents Robert C. and Annie C. (Cain) Plant, but grew up in Halesowen, formerly in Worcestershire, now part of the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley.

Plant's early blues influences included artists such as Robert Johnson, Bukka White, Skip James, Jerry Miller and Sleepy John Estes. Plant did 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. He also worked at Woolworths in Halesowen town for a short period of time. He cut three obscure singles on CBS Records[5] and sang with a variety of bands, including The Crawling King Snakes, which brought him into contact with drummer John Bonham. They both went on to play in the Band of Joy, merging blues with newer psychedelic trends. Though his early career met with no commercial success, word quickly spread about the "young man with the powerful voice".

In 1968, the guitarist Jimmy Page was in search of a lead singer for his new band and met Plant after being turned down by his first choice, Terry Reid, who referred him to a show at a teacher training college in Birmingham— where Plant was singing in a band named Hobbstweedle. Page explained: "
When I auditioned him and heard him sing, I immediately thought there must be something wrong with him personality-wise or that he had to be impossible to work with, because I just could not understand why, after he told me he'd been singing for a few years already, he hadn't become a big name yet. So I had him down to my place for a little while, just to sort of check him out, and we got along great. No problems."

On 14 August 2009, it was announced via the Wolverhampton Wanderers text message news service that "Rock Legend and lifelong Wolves fan Robert Plant is to become the club's third Vice President.

In 2008, Rolling Stone named Plant as number 15 on their list of the 100 Greatest Singers of All-Time. In 2009, he was voted the "greatest voice in rock" in a poll conducted by Planet Rock. Plant was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours for his "services to popular music"

Catch him tonight on BBC2 from 1015 as part of the Electric Prom season.
 
glynis said:
Funny, when I saw the Band of Joy, he was dreadful.....
Click to expand...

I have never seen him live and haven't caught up with his later recordings - all I have is my 70s Zepplin records. It will be interesting to see the Proms tonight and Radio Times says:

"Cowboy boots and jeans aren't a good look on most men over 60 - just conjure up an image of Prince Charles attired like this if you have any doubts. But for every lazy generalisation there's an explosive exception. Enter Robert Plant, stage left, born in the very same year as our king-in-waiting - but what a difference a leonine mane of hair and a rock 'n' roll lifestyle make. He commands the stage with a peculiarly laid-back, gently humorous presence. But then he sings, and the walls of London's Roundhouse are throbbing down to their foundations. Recorded as part of Radio 2's sequence of live Electric Proms, this humdinger of a concert - part of a A Night with Robert Plant - sees him perform with his so-tight-it-hurts Band of Joy, who seamlessly segue into songs where the stage is shared with the London Oriana Choir. It's uplifting, energising and enrapturing. If all you want from Plant is to hear Led Zeppelin numbers, you'll be disappointed. If it's spellbinding, spine-tingling musical ecstasy you're after, then walk this way (but please leave inappropriate footwear at the door)."

Radio Times reviewer - Jane Anderson
 
* Howlin' Wolf's Killing Floor https://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTE3ODg2NDU2.html
* Led Zeppelin's The Lemon Song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLzVGlN9aRw

Other lyrics, notably "squeeze (my lemon) 'til the juice runs down my leg," can be traced to Robert Johnson's "Travelling Riverside Blues" (see above). It is most likely that Johnson borrowed this himself, from a song recorded in the same year (1937) called "She Squeezed My Lemon" (by Arthur McKay). The song also borrowed from Albert King's "Cross-Cut Saw".


* Howlin Wolf's How Many More Years https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NjXs_nXB5U
* Led Zeppelin- How Many More Times https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpeADt5cHA0
 
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Thanks, Aidan, for your hard work on this eminent son of West Brom. In my long gone Led Zep fandays, we used to call him "Robert Planet" for some long forgotten reason. For nostalgia's sake, I'll use your various links as my soundtrack for today. (Now, where's me earplugs? View attachment 59864)

Pictured below: Robert Plant in 1966 and 2008 (courtesy of his official website).
 
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Never really got into this guy, always a Blues, Folk, Country, and mostly a good old fashioned R&R fan. Then he teamed up with my dream girlfriend Alison Krauss (after Lloyd cruelly dumped me) and i am soooo upset. She is a sweetie who used to pester me for dates big time, but since HE got his grubby hands on her I've heard zip. Dear Aunty Aidan , should I be worried...?
 
I would be very worried Dennis especially as Lloyd has taken the Jubilee clip to fix his exhaust.

Alison Krauss has undoubted talents as a bluegrass-country singer, songwriter and fiddler.
 
I once "appeared" on stage with Led Zepellin.

About 40 years ago (1972 I think after searching the web) I worked in London for a company called Projection and Display who rented out projectors, screens etc. We often went with the equipment to help set it up and even stay and show the film or slides or whatever.

We got a request to go to Alexandra Palace with a 16mm projector and a rear projection screen on a Sunday I think it was. We had no idea what for.

When we got there we found Led Zep were appearing.

We were asked to go and set the projector and screen up on stage (at this point there were thousands sitting in the hall waiting for Led Zep to come on).

Anyway we were given the film to play and it was Tom and Jerry. When the film started a huge cheer went up from the audience.

Anyway when the film had finished we took down our equipment and took it to the back of the stage (near John Bonhams drums) and sat by the equipment.

Eventualy the group came on and we were just yards from them (seeing them from the back obviously).

Then they started to play, and BL**DY H*LL WAS IT LOUD. It hurt our ears.

We could only stand about 10 minutes of it and we left the stage and went outside and waited till the band finished so we could retrieve our equipment.

No wonder rock stars suffer from hearing problems in later years.

One Robert Plant anecdote from the day.

During the first or second song (we only stayed for a couple of songs) Robert Plant turned with his back to the audience and started to wiggle his bum at the crowd.

He was facing us (as we were at the back of the stage) so we could see his face, and he looked at John Bonham and gave him a wink, and Robert Plant had a wry smile on his face.

I guess he was thinking "the things we have to do eh!"
 
Yes, there will be a boom in the hearing aid market starting round about now (free investment tip).

At this point in the proceedings, a famous Aussie cover of "Stairway" springs to mind (again). If played backwards it gives the top secret recipe for Vegemite.
 
Welcome to the Forum Greenie - and thanks for these, I shall download them and play/read them later this morning.
 
Does any one know of the last gigs (and dates) of the 'Band of Joy' before the incarnation of Led Zeppelin? Or, did the two run concurrent for awhile? Was it 1968, or 69?
 
greenie said:
...
Also, The Rick Nelson version of Summertime has a familiar intro...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izsVZup02-4
Led Zeppelin - How Many More Times
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RBxfSHw6KQ
...
Click to expand...

Not quite so sure of that one, to me it had a hint of The Blue Magoos' "Ain't got nothing yet" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOGRTLn2uKY or of course Deep Purple's Black Knight (ohh that's better, haven't heard that for a bit) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYscpjfxCaU&feature=related see what you think
 
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JohnO said:
Does any one know of the last gigs (and dates) of the 'Band of Joy' before the incarnation of Led Zeppelin? Or, did the two run concurrent for awhile? Was it 1968, or 69?
Click to expand...

The Band of Joy (also known as Robert Plant and the Band of Joy) had various lineups of the group performed from 1965 to 1968 and from 1977 to 1983. Robert Plant revived the band's name in 2010 for a concert tour of the United States and Europe.

The band is notable for including two musicians, Robert Plant and John Bonham, who went on to join Led Zeppelin; and, to a lesser degree, because the band's one-time roadie was Noddy Holder, who later was in the band Slade.

The Band Of Joy was originally formed in 1966 in West Bromwich, near Birmingham, England by Chris Brown (keyboards), Vernon Pereira (guitar),[3] and singer Robert Plant. Conflicts with the band's management led to Plant leaving the group after a few months. He quickly tried to form his own Band of Joy, but it soon folded. A third incarnation of the band, including Plant's childhood friend John Bonham, lasted from 1967 to mid-1968. Their brand of soul and blues was popular with Birmingham mods. This lineup recorded a number of demo recordings in early 1968, but broke up in May 1968 when a recording contract failed to materialise.

Albeit briefly, lead guitar duties were taken by Dave Pegg, who later played the bass guitar with Fairport Convention and Jethro Tull. Pegg rehearsed with Band of Joy but did not tour with them. For a 1968 tour of Scotland, Plant and Bonham co-opted bassist John Hill (ex-Uncle Joseph) and guitarist Mick Strode to fill out a temporary lineup.

Led Zeppelin - The Yardbirds played their final gig in July 1968. They were still committed to performing several concerts in Scandinavia, so drummer Jim McCarty and vocalist Keith Relf authorised Page and bassist Chris Dreja to use the Yardbirds name to fulfill the band's obligations. Page and Dreja began putting a new line-up together. Page's first choice for lead singer, Terry Reid, declined the offer, but suggested Robert Plant, a Stourbridge singer of The Band of Joy. Plant eventually accepted the position, recommending a drummer, John Bonham from nearby Redditch. When Dreja dropped out of the project to become a photographer (he would later take the photograph that appeared on the back of Led Zeppelin's debut album), John Paul Jones, at the suggestion of his wife, contacted Page about the vacant position. Being familiar with Jones' credentials, Page agreed to bring in Jones as the final piece.
The group played together for the first time in a room below a record store on Gerrard Street in London. Page suggested that they try playing "Train Kept A-Rollin'", a rockabilly song popularised by Johnny Burnette that had been given new life by the Yardbirds. "As soon as I heard John Bonham play," recalled Jones, "I knew this was going to be great... We locked together as a team immediately." Shortly afterwards, the group played together on the final day of sessions for the P.J. Proby album, Three Week Hero. The album's song "Jim's Blues" was the first studio track to feature all four members of the future Led Zeppelin. Proby recalled, "Come the last day we found we had some studio time, so I just asked the band to play while I just came up with the words. ... They weren't Led Zeppelin at the time, they were the New Yardbirds and they were going to be my band."

The band completed the Scandinavian tour as The New Yardbirds, playing together for the first time in front of a live audience at Gladsaxe Teen Clubs in Gladsaxe, on 7 September 1968. It was clear to the band that performing under the old Yardbirds tag was akin to working under false pretences, and upon returning from Scandinavia they decided to change their name. One account of the band's naming, which has become almost legendary, has it that Keith Moon and John Entwistle, drummer and bassist for The Who, respectively, suggested that a possible supergroup containing themselves, Jimmy Page, and Jeff Beck would go down like a lead zeppelin, a term Entwistle used to describe a bad gig. The group deliberately dropped the 'a' in Lead at the suggestion of their manager, Peter Grant, to prevent Americans (edited version!) from pronouncing it "leed".
 
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