Record Store Day 2026: Robert Plant honoured with legend award
Record Store Day has chosen Robert Plant as its latest recipient of the Record Store Legend award, recognising his impact in the industry and his dedication to supporting new artists and record shops.
Plant is an advocate for traditional record stores, from regular visits to The Groove Records in Stourbridge, as well as 1960s chart shops back in the day during his youth.
More recently, in 2020, he took part in a question-and-answer session in Rough Trade East along with Matt Everitt.
Speaking at Spillers Records, a local community store in Cardiff, Robert Plant reacted to the new honour, sharing: “Record stores have always been a part of my life. For me, once you get to the physical record, it’s because you really want to know and be a part of what the artist was considering.”
He added, “And I know, as a guy who’s been making records since 1966, people want to take home something very special, to enjoy all the elements of what an artist has put together. We want a connection between the music and the art of the whole thing.”
The location Plant made the statement from Spillers for the celebratory event, as it is the oldest record shop in the world. As such, a special plaque has been unveiled to honour Plant’s influence and dedication, as well as honouring “his connection to the shop, its history, and a country that has inspired his songwriting”.
A press release has added that the installation also “highlights his ongoing support for record stores as cultural hubs which champion music and community, inviting fans to visit and share in their own love of music.”
Ashli Todd of Spillers Records also gushed, “Record shops of the world will know first-hand that above all, Robert Plant is a connoisseur of his craft whose appetite for musical discoveries has not waned with the passage of time.”
Plant follows in the footsteps of Elton John, who was honoured in 2017 for Record Store Day’s tentth birthday, and Johnny Marr, who was honoured last year.
Plant is celebrating Record Store Day with an exclusive release, Saving Grace: All That Glitters, which follows on from his recent critically acclaimed album, Saving Grace. Both releases feature singer Suzi Dian and the Saving Grace band.
The 19th annual celebration of Record Store Day takes place on 18th April 2026; thousands of independent record shops worldwide participate with parties, in-store performances and limited-edition releases from hundreds of artists. See the full list of releases here.
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