Robert Anthony Plant was born on August 20th 1948. He grew up in the area to the west of Birmingham where the urban sprawl of the West Midlands gives way to the countryside of Worcestershire and Shropshire.

The young Robert attended King Edward VI Grammar School in Stourbridge, travelling to school on the bus from his home in Halesowen. His father wanted him to train as an accountant, but Robert preferred to follow a musical career.

Robert Plant His early influences included traditional blues artists such as Robert Johnson and Sonny Boy Williamson. As he became more involved in the Birmingham music scene he found many other sources of inspiration, such as jazz, soul and West Indian rhythms. Possibly the strongest influence came from the new bands which were springing up on the West Coast of America. His favourite listening included Love, Buffalo Springfield and Moby Grape.

Robert made his first public performances as a teenager at Stourbridge's Seven Stars Blues Club. He had spells with several local bands including one called the Crawling King Snakes, where he first met John Bonham. In 1966 Robert was in a group called Listen when he attracted the attention of CBS Records. His first recording contract was to make three singles for CBS, but none of these made any impact.

Robert found a more settled home when he joined the Birmingham-based Band of Joy. The band went through several changes of personnel, but the best incarnation featured John Bonham on drums and Kevyn Gammond on guitar. The band were popular in the Midlands, and achieved minor success on the London club circuit as a support act, but they were unable to secure a recording contract.

When the Band of Joy split up in 1968, Robert worked with veteran blues bandleader Alexis Korner. But although he tried hard and showed promise, his career did not appear to be going anywhere in particular.

Robert Plant has never strayed far from his roots, both musical and geographic. He lived on a farm near Kidderminster through much of his career. His lyrics draw on his long-standing interest in Celtic legends, and his music is still faithful to his boyhood idols. But what sets him apart is that voice! Robert Plant is not just a singer. He uses his voice as a musical instrument in a unique way which no synthesiser can attempt. Dave Lewis comments that on the Headley Grange tracks "Plant's vocals are a little too back in the mix", but for me this often enhances the overall effect as the voice blends with the other instruments.