Growing up in the rural Midlands, Robert Plant, future Led Zeppelin frontman, didn’t have the luxury of major acts visiting his hometown. Unlike his city counterparts, Plant’s access to live music was limited, but he was deeply grateful for each opportunity to experience it.
Plant’s local venue, Stourbridge Town Hall, though modest and overshadowed by nearby Birmingham, became a crucial gateway for him. There, he witnessed performances that fueled his passion for music and introduced him to the power of live shows. Since streaming was far from reality and even radio offered little for young listeners, Plant’s options to discover new music were slim.
In a 2020 interview with LongLiveVinyl, Plant reflected on this time, sharing, “Radio wasn’t doing us youngsters any favours,” and he “didn’t have a record player as a young kid.” Thankfully, friendly neighbors helped open his musical world.
“They introduced me to a wide spread of black music and rock ‘n’ roll,” he recounted. “This music offered me an escape from the grind of education. In my early teenage years, the songs of Dion and The Belmonts or The Cleftones spoke about heartache and the fantasy of young love. The music celebrated the wonder of being a teenager, and it was a universal feeling.”
Hearing those records was an eye-opener, but witnessing his favorite artists live was life-changing. One pivotal experience was seeing The Rolling Stones share a bill with Bo Diddley and Little Richard in Wolverhampton, leaving an indelible mark on him.
Another unforgettable moment was watching Gene Vincent at his peak, where Plant described feeling a sense of “menace” in Vincent’s rebellious aura, something he “could lock into” as a young teenager. “Going to a concert at Stourbridge was like stepping into wonderland,” Plant said. “Gene Vincent’s presence represented teen rebellion, and it was powerful.”
Yet, perhaps the most significant live show Plant attended was by The Walker Brothers. Although they leaned more toward pop than rock, their performance had a transformative impact. The Walker Brothers were an American group who found fame in the UK, and for a brief time, they were adored by teenage girls across the country. While Plant wasn’t in their typical fanbase, their showmanship left an impression on him.
“I remember how you couldn’t hear a word over the hysterical screaming girls,” Plant recalled. “It was a shame because Scott was a fantastic singer and a real mood merchant. But the frenzy of it all really had quite an effect on me. It pushed a button and captured my soul. It was around then I started to believe you could do it yourself.”
Although not among Plant’s favorite bands, The Walker Brothers played a crucial role in igniting his own ambition to pursue music. Their live performance planted a seed that would ultimately grow into his iconic role with Led Zeppelin, marking the start of an extraordinary musical journey that redefined rock history.
