Robert Plant

Robert Anthony Plant (born 20 August 1948) is an English singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer and lyricist of the rock band Led Zeppelin from its founding in 1968 until their break-up in 1980. Since then, he has had a successful solo career, sometimes collaborating with other artists such as Alison Krauss. Regarded by many as one of the greatest singers in rock music, he is known for his flamboyant persona, raw stage performances and his powerful, wide-ranging voice. Plant was born and raised in the West Midlands area of England, and after leaving grammar school, he briefly trained as a chartered accountant before leaving home at 16 years old to concentrate on singing with a series of local blues bands, including Band of Joy with drummer John Bonham. In 1968, he was invited by manager Peter Grant and guitarist Jimmy Page to join the Yardbirds, which Grant and Page were attempting to keep going after it had broken up (a break-up that became public knowledge by early July at the latest). The new version of the Yardbirds changed their name to Led Zeppelin, and from the late 1960s to the end of the 1970s, the band enjoyed considerable success. Plant developed a compelling image as a charismatic rock and roll frontman, comparable to other '70s contemporaries such as Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones and Roger Daltrey of the Who. After Led Zeppelin dissolved in 1980, Plant continued to perform and record continuously on a variety of solo and group projects. His first two solo studio albums, Pictures at Eleven (1982) and The Principle of Moments (1983), each reached the top ten on the US Billboard 200. With his rock and roll band the Honeydrippers he scored a top-ten hit single in 1984 with a cover version of Phil Phillips' 1959 song "Sea of Love", which featured former Led Zeppelin bandmate Jimmy Page on guitar. Plant's fourth solo studio album Now and Zen (1988) was certified 3× Platinum and is his biggest-selling solo album to date. In the 1990s, another reunio