The musician Robert Plant called an inspiration to “every guy who ever had a hard-on”
Led Zeppelin were only a twinkle at this point. Jimmy Page had plenty of ideas that he was sure of. John Paul Jones was on board, and Peter Grant was helping with scheduling and arranging, but other than that, Led Zeppelin was still half empty. Their legendary singer and drummer had yet to be initiated, and it’s unlikely at this point that Jimmy Page knew how much of a big part they would play in cementing Led Zeppelin as one of the greatest bands on the planet.
When Jimmy Page and Peter Grant were looking around London for a singer, it quickly became apparent that everybody was busy. They were patterning themselves on the Jeff Beck Group, which meant that they were looking for a romantic kind of rock star—someone who could take the stage and deliver killer vocals but had a borderline tantalising sweetness about them.
Some of their first options, such as Steve Marriott, Steve Winwood, Chris Farlowe and Joe Cocker, were all busy, so Page was at a loose end as to where he would find his much-needed frontman. It wasn’t until he received a tip about an amazing vocalist down in Birmingham that he became aware of Robert Plant, and after that, the rest is history.
Robert Plant was an incredibly passionate singer and had everything that Page was looking for. He was able to deliver screeching vocals but also sing in a soft and serene way when called upon as well. It was perfect, given Page wanted to try and achieve a sound which was made up of acoustic music, blues, rock and big heavy choruses.
Plant’s influences were a huge contributing factor to his dynamic voice as he took great inspiration from the early rock ‘n’ roll stars and R&B singers. “Anything that’s done wholeheartedly from Edith Piaf through to Howlin’ Wolf,” said Plant when talking about his influences, “From anything that comes from that point. Some people say I sing from the groin. In the early days it was Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters, Ray Charles, Drown My Own Tears – stuff that was ultimately sincere.”
In addition, though, he loved music that had an edge to it, that allowed people to feel somewhat wild. He even credited one legendary vocal performer with giving people erections and helping them feel somewhat rambunctious.
“Some wild, wild rock, too: Little Richard, early Presley stuff—before he went into the Army,” said Plant, “Presley was definitely a great inspiration to every guy who ever had a hard-on in the whole of the Western world, I should think. He shook everybody well and true, and we just kept on shaking. But he started it.”
Plant’s right, before rock ‘n’ roll could project itself into the mainstream, it took someone like Elvis to come along and champion it, showing them how versatile and fun the genre could be. He may have offended some people in the process, sure, but for the most part, he showed people the power of rock and why it was a genre worthy of their attention. Without him, there wouldn’t have been vocalists like Robert Plant.
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out Led Zeppelin Newsletter
All the latest stories about Led Zeppelin from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.