Robert Plant

Robert Plant met his first wife, Maureen Wilson, in 1966, at a Georgie Fame concert. He was still a struggling musician with dreams of greatness. They married two years later, on November 9, 1968.

Their first child, a daughter whom they named Carmen Jane, was born only 12 days later, on 21 November. She was followed by two sons: Karac Pendragon in 1972 and Logan Romero on January 21, 1979.

While Plant was touring with Led Zeppelin in the US, his son, Karac, died from a stomach virus on June 26, 1977. It utterly devastated Plant and for a prolonged period, he considered quitting Led Zeppelin.

Robert Plant was born on August 20, 1948, in the Black Country town of West Bromwich, Staffordshire, England, to Robert C. Plant and Annie Celia Plant (née Cain). His father was an educated man; a qualified civil engineer, he served in the Royal Air Force during the World War II. His mother, on the other hand, came from a Romanichal background. He has a younger sister named Allison.

Growing up in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, Plant started to harbour musical aspirations pretty early in his life. The first musician who had a significant effect on him was Elvis Presley. As a youth, He spent his Christmases trying to emulate the legendary performer and singer.

After leaving King Edward VI Grammar School for Boys in Stourbridge in his mid-teens, Plant found a new passion for blues as he became a fan of Willie Dixon and Robert Johnson.

He did not complete his training as a chartered accountant and instead opted to enrol at a college to pursue more GCE passes. He also wanted to experience the English Midlands blues scene.

Leaving the safety of his parents’ home when he was 16 years old, Plant became part of one band after another, and all the while, increased the depths of his understanding of not the only blues, but music as a whole.

In 1968, musician Jimmy Page was looking for a new lead singer for his band The Yardbirds. His first choice, Terry Reid, had declined the offer but suggested Plant instead. After auditioning Plant who sang Jefferson Airplane's ‘Somebody to Love’ for him, Page brought his search to a successful conclusion.

Plant introduced Page to Bonham, who joined the band as the drummer and soon, John Paul Jones, an acquaintance of Page, was brought in. They started working on their first album under the name ‘The New Yardbirds’ and went on a tour to the Scandinavian countries.

After they received a cease and desist letter from one of the past members of The Yardbirds, the group had to find a new name for themselves. They eventually settled on Led Zeppelin.

The group released their self-titled first album on January 12, 1969. Containing integral contributions from all the four members, the album was successful in establishing the sound of the group: the fusion of rock and roll and blues. While critics did not like it, it was commercially successful and garnered the band a considerable following. In 2004, the album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

They released their second album, ‘Led Zeppelin II’, that year as well, on 22 October (US). This was their first project on which Eddie Kramer served as the engineer. The group’s sound was much more mature, versatile, and inclusive in this and it has been cited as their heaviest album. From this album onwards, Plant started to contribute as a lyricist.

Robert Plant found success in his solo career as well. As of 2018, he has released 11 studio albums. They are ‘Pictures at Eleven’ (1982), ‘The Principle of Moments’ (1983), ‘Shaken 'n' Stirred’ (1985), ‘Now and Zen’ (1988), ‘Manic Nirvana’ (1990), ‘Fate of Nations’ (1993), ‘Dreamland’ (2002), ‘Mighty ReArranger’ (2005), ‘Band of Joy’ (2010), ‘Lullaby and... The Ceaseless Roar’ (2014), ‘Carry Fire’ (2017).