A playlist of Robert Plant’s favourite blues rock song
Laying claim to one of the most powerful voices in rock history, Robert Plant is no stranger to a good tune. Having been, as most rock stars of the 1970s were, raised on Elvis, Plant came to appreciate the characteristics of a true showman he’d later embody. Around the same time, he got turned on to the brilliance of blues masters like Robert Johnson and Skip James.
Blues have defined Plant, not only in the guttural cries heard on Led Zeppelin records but in his own musical taste. He has often filled his fans in on his favourite figures from the blues scenes, taking to BBC Radio 6 to list a few of his favourite tracks to come out of the genre. John Lee Hooker was an influence from a very early age, with his cover of Sunnyland Slim’s ‘Crawlin’ King Snake’ being his favourite.
“When I was a kid, I had a couple of groups at the very beginning of stuff. So we were always leaning on the names of various Black blues songs,” he explained. “[The] first band I was in was called the Black Snake Moan from Blind Lemon Jefferson’s famous piece of music. Then my second group was called The Crawling King Snakes and this is John Lee Hooker’s original single from 1949.”
Another cover that made the cut was another blues standard, ‘I Ain’t Superstitious’ by Jeff Beck and Rod Stewart. “It’s that great Howlin’ Wolf track, pleased to say that at that time I very happily town to town leapfrog with Led Zeppelin and Jeff Beck just whizzing through the spheres,” said Plant of the song. “What a remarkable time it was.”
While reflecting on times gone by, Plant mentioned some of the bands he saw in Birmingham growing up. “So many fantastic groups in the West Midlands, there was an incredible group called The Spencer Davis Group,” he said. On their track ‘Stevie’s Blues’, he said it “highlights the great gift that Steve Winwood has, continues to have, and can actually exercise whenever he feels like it.”
Another artist that Plant felt blended blues and rock was Peter Green. One of the finest guitarists in British history, Green did stints in John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers and Fleetwood Mac. His track ‘A Fool No More’ Plant explained, came out after Green had spent nearly a decade away from the music industry. “[Green is] probably one of the most superlative, soulful singer guitarists that Britain has been proud to call our own.”
Another key British band Plant mentioned was The Animals, who with classics like ‘House Of The Rising Sun’, ‘Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood’ and ‘We Gotta Get Out of This Place’ cemented themselves as one of the most iconic bands to come out of the ‘60s. Plant also clued listeners into another factor in their brilliance, saying: “According to the legend, it was the driving sound of The Animals that influenced Bob Dylan‘s decision in 1965 to turn the folk world on its head and start working with Robbie and those guys in The Band there.”
It’s always been clear that Plant has an eclectic array of influences, however, the blues have often served as the solid backbone to that. His favourite tracks from this realm can be found below, and we’ve even wrapped them up in a playlist, too.
Robert Plant’s favourite songs:
- ‘I Ain’t Superstitious’ – Jeff Beck & Rod Stewart
- ‘A Fool No More’ – Peter Green
- ‘I’m Crying’ – The Animals
- ‘Crawlin’ King Snake’ – John Lee Hooker
- ‘Stevie’s Blues’ – The Spencer Davis Group
- ‘Caravan of Fools’ – John Prine
- ‘I’m a Moody Guy’ – Shane Fenton & The Fentones
- ‘Now We’re Thru’ – The Poets
- ‘Sugar Baby’ – Jimmy Powell and the 5 Dimensions
- ‘I Can’t Stand It’ – Cliff Bennett & The Rebel Rousers
- ‘Ride On / Right On’ – Phosphorescent
- ’12 Harps’ – Scott Matthews & Robert Plant
- ‘Horse Out in the Rain’ – Moby Grape
- ‘Sam’ – Pisces
- ‘Fruits of My Labor’ – Lucinda Williams
- ‘Champagne Corolla’ – Justin Townes Earle
- ‘Spring Fever’ – The Velvets
- ‘Can’t Fight It Baby’ – Don Covay
- ‘Never Been A Captain’ – The Barr Brothers
- ‘Some Other Guy’ – Richie Barrett
- ‘The Mountain’s High’ – Dick & Dee Dee
- ‘It Must Be Love’ – The Contours
- ‘Ride Your Pony’ – Betty Harris
- ‘My Next Door Neighbor’ – Jerry McCain and His Upstarts
- ‘Baby Please Don’t Go’ – Big Joe Williams
- ‘That’s What I Want’ – The Marauders
- ‘Little Baby’ – The Blue Rondos
- ‘I Can’t Stand It’ – The Soul Sisters
- ‘Gin House Blues’ – Amen Corner
- ‘Green Eyes and A Heart Of Gold’ – The Lone Bellow
- ‘Down By The Water’ – The Decemberists
