Born on 20 August: Robert Plant, the wizard of Led Zeppelin

Born in 1948, the iconic former lead singer of Led Zeppelin celebrates his 76th birthday. And remains elusive...

From the advent of Led Zeppelin in the late ‘60s until its disbandment in 1980, Robert Plant was not only the distinctive voice of the English band, but also the author of most of the lyrics (which sometimes caused quite a stir when searching for their real or supposed meaning) and the scores, in tandem with guitarist Jimmy Page. The quartet has punctuated its career with long crescendos, alternating acoustic melodies and electric earthquakes like ‘Stairway To Heaven’ and ‘Kashmir’. Songs that transcend the generation gap...

From his first solo album, ‘Pictures At Eleven’ in 1982, Robert established himself as the spiritual heir of the airship, while opting for a blues accent (thanks in particular to guitarist Robbie Blunt of Chicken Shack). The album was released on Swan Song, the label of his former band, whose swan song it also was. To replace the immense drummer John Bonham (whose death precipitated Led Zep's dissolution), Plant sometimes called on renowned drummers like Phil Collins (Genesis) or Cozy Powell (Rainbow), sometimes on a vulgar drum machine on ‘Fat Lip’. If the result was not always convincing, at least Plant was trying to find a different sound from Led Zeppelin. At the time, few would have dared tell him that he still had a long way to go!

Even though his unmistakable voice remained a beacon, he continued in this direction for the next five albums before reuniting with his old accomplice Jimmy Page for a ‘No Quarter’ that was more blues than blues! He did it again four years later with ‘Walking Into Clarksdale’. It's no coincidence that the name of Clarksdale, the capital of delta blues in Mississippi, appears in the title. It clearly indicates the colour of the record. John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Son House, Howlin'Wolf and Robert Johnson were all born here or spent a good part of their lives here.

From the early 2000s onwards, Plant slowed down a little and spaced out his recordings, but continued more than ever to break new ground and concoct new sounds. First of all, he teamed up with the English folk-rock band Sensational Space Shifters for two recordings, in 2014 and 2017, which produced some memorable tracks like ‘The May Queen’ and the ecologically-influenced ‘New World’. Even more surprisingly, he also teamed up twice, in 2007 and 2021, with bluegrass singer Alison Krauss. Together, they produced a calmer, country-tinged sound that hit the spot on ‘Rich Woman’ and the (almost) rockabilly ‘Gone Gone Gone’.

But frankly, to celebrate the 76th birthday of this icon of British rock, no one will blame you if you get an irrepressible urge to listen to ‘Physical Graffiti’ (1975 vintage) again!

Pic: Robert Plant on stage at the Wembley Arena in London (UK) on 10 September 1985 for the release of the album ‘Shaken'n'Stirred’ (© Etienne Tordoir)*.