SUBJECT: Robert Plant
VITAL STATISTICS: Singer and songwriter. Born Aug. 20, 1948, in Staffordshire, England.
CLAIMS TO FAME: Front man for legendary 1970s rock supergroup Led Zeppelin, which racked up six No. 1 hit albums between 1969 and 1979. Band`s song, ”Stairway to Heaven,” from its 1971 ”Led Zeppelin IV” album, reigned as an FM radio classic throughout the 1970s. As a solo artist, Plant has a pair of million-selling albums to his credit, 1983`s ”The Principle of Moments” and 1988`s ”Now and Zen.”
CHILDHOOD IDOL: Elvis Presley. ”I guess what attracted me about Elvis was the sex and the vocal style-black music sung by a white guy,” says Plant. STARTING OUT: A longtime blues fan, Plant played in a number of local blues and blues/rock bands as a teenager in the early and middle 1960s and recorded two solo singles for CBS, ”Our Song” and ”Long Time Coming.”
ZEPPELIN TAKES FLIGHT: Plant, who had previously worked with drummer John Bonham in a group called Band of Joy, teamed up with him again in 1968 in guitarist Jimmy Page`s new blues/rock group, the New Yardbirds, which also included bassist John Paul Jones. The quartet, which soon changed their name to Led Zeppelin, landed a record deal with Atlantic and released a highly successful self-titled debut LP in January of 1969. The group continued until 1980, when the band broke up following Bonham`s death.
FLYING SOLO: Launched solo career in 1982 with the album, ”Pictures at Eleven,” followed by a 1983 world tour.
LATEST LP: ”Now and Zen”
ON THE MEANING OF ”ZEN”: There`s nothing heavy about the album title, says Plant. ”It`s just the sense of humor I`m into. It has to do with looking back and seeing the whole (Led Zeppelin) thing and taking everything for what it was, without spending so much time trying to put a value on it in contemporary terms.”
ON THE ROAD: Currently on the fall/winter leg of his 1988 tour, with a band featuring Phil Johnstone on keyboards, Doug Boyle on guitars, Charlie Jones on bass and Chris Blackwell on drums and percussion.
WHERE TO CATCH HIM: Tuesday at Rosemont Horizon.
