What Makes This Singer Great? Robert Plant – Led Zeppelin

The journey to Robert Plant’s greatness started with his early years being spent in books and with the rocker choosing stamp collecting as a hobby rather than music. In fact, Plant had actually aspired to become a chartered accountant, thanks in part to his father’s influence. Leaving school after two weeks of training in this field, he abandoned his studies in favor of becoming part of the blues scene that was becoming popular at the time.

Robert’s gig as frontman to Led Zeppelin started when they were known as The New Yardbirds, when they were fronted by Jimmy Page. While auditioning members to be in the group, Page had reportedly witnessed countless musicians try their luck at being the band’s singer. In fact, two of the musicians that Page liked included Scottish folk singer Donovan, and Steve Winwood, who would later gain fame as a member of Blind Faith and Traffic. Ultimately Plant was chosen and Robert also prompted Page to select his former bandmate John Bonham on drums after Procol Harum’s BJ Wilson turned the gig down.

In addition to his singing, Page was a great songwriter. However, if you were to take a look at the credits of Led Zeppelin’s self-titled debut record, you might recognize that there weren’t any songs credited to Plant, despite the fact that he actually wrote six of the nine songs on the record. The reason for this is that Plant reportedly was still under contract for a record company different to Atlantic, Led Zeppelin’s record label at the time.

Robert’s fame sometimes came in handy for him specifically on one occasion when the rocker was attempting to buy a shirt in London’s upmarket Carnaby Street. Apparently, Plant attempted to buy the shirt using a check, for which he needed identification. Upon being asked for ID and having none, he instead went out to his car, grabbed a copy of Led Zeppelin’s first album (which was, for some reason, in his vehicle), and showed it to the sales assistant, who allowed him to purchase the shirt.

As we look at a montage of some live performances featuring Plant, I’ll be sharing my own thoughts about what made him a great singer. I’d love to also hear what you liked most about this iconic singer. Please make sure to share your thoughts!

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