Biography by
Bill Meredith
In 1968, a naïve young singer from
the Black Country hills in England named Robert Plant was
discovered wailing the blues by veteran session guitarist
Jimmy Page and bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones. When
Plant recommended his friend John Bonham as the drummer, one
of the most successful bands in rock history was born as Led
Zeppelin. But the group that started with such force also
ended in flames after 12 years, as Bonham's death from
alcohol poisoning in 1980 split the band after nine albums.
The remaining members went their separate ways, but Bonham's
death hit Plant particularly hard. Starting his solo career
in 1982 with his Zeppelin-like Pictures at Eleven album,
Plant would use a slew of great drummers over the next few
years, including Phil Collins, Cozy Powell, Barriemore
Barlow, and Richie Hayward. Collins appeared on the 1983
follow-up, The Principle of Moments, and Plant achieved a
lighter touch somewhere between Genesis and Zeppelin's
quieter side with tracks like "In the Mood" and "Big Log."
But the singer would feed his Elvis Presley infatuation on
1984's The Honeydrippers, Vol. 1, teaming with Page and
other guests on influential roots rock material. Refusing to
be typecast, Plant then threw a major curve with Shaken 'N'
Stirred, the 1985 album that approximated new wave through
the synthesizer embellishments of keyboardist Jezz Woodroffe
and guitarist Robbie Blunt, plus Hayward's use of electronic
drums. It was a creative highlight of his career, but
despite a hit in "Little By Little," the album sold poorly,
and the rumblings about a Zeppelin reunion mounted. Plant
took the next few years off, then answered the call for
Zeppelin material with 1988's Now & Zen, which featured
samples from his old group (plus selections from its vault
on the subsequent tour). Manic Nirvana furthered the
post-Zeppelin theme in 1990, and Plant's 1993 CD Fate of
Nations proved another artistic high point and found Plant
singing Page's name on the hit "Calling to You." The old
songwriting partners had gotten together again for special
occasions with Jones and drummers like Collins and Bonham's
son Jason, but organized a different reunion in 1994. Plant
brought in his bassist, Charlie Jones, and touring drummer,
Michael Lee, to back he and Page -- who added a British
symphony orchestra and Middle Eastern musicians for their
televised No Quarter concert and CD. Despite Plant blocking
Jones from participating (the two had disagreed throughout
their careers), the show proved a fascinating blend of
different cultures tackling Zeppelin classics like "Since
I've Been Loving You" and "Gallows Pole." As the versatile
Jones made a name for himself as a producer (of groups as
disparate as Heart and the Butthole Surfers) as well as solo
artist, Plant and Page further stirred the ashes with their
1998 studio CD, Walking Into Clarksdale. But the quartet
format (with Jones and Lee) paled in comparison to
Zeppelin's similar blend of bombast and subtlety, and poor
sales put Plant back at the crossroads of his 35-year
career. He stayed away from recording until late 2001, when
he stepped into the studio with a batch of original material
and a few well-chosen covers and recorded Dreamland. Taking
his penchant for experimenting with ethnic musics and
blending it with a softer approach to his bluesy pop, he
steered in another interesting direction almost 40 years
into his recording career. In November 2003, Atlantic issued
Sixty Six to Timbuktu, a two-disc compilation dedicated
exclusively to Plant's solo work. The set ranged from hits
like 1988's "Tall Cool One" and the Honeydrippers favorite
"Sea of Love" to the previously unissued "Upside Down" and a
pre-Zeppelin single dating from 1966. Mighty Rearranger
followed two years later, and Plant teamed up with bluegrass
icon Alison Krauss to release the Grammy-winning
collaborative album Raising Sand in 2007.Content provided All Music Guide. Copyright 2008
All Media Guide, LLC.
