Robert Plant Reveals He Secretly Wanted to Play Bass for 1 Band
Most Led Zeppelin fans don’t know that lead singer Robert Plant is also a bass player. He even played a bit on one of the band’s earlier albums! Even though the rock legend was stuck on vocals when performing with Zeppelin, he has dabbled in other instruments over the years. In 2005, he admitted he wanted to play bass for a band many have compared to the one that made him famous.
Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin said he’d ‘love to play bass’ with The Black Keys
Known for playing blues rock, The Black Keys formed in 2001 in Akron, Ohio. Made up of Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney, the duo blew up after licensing their music for commercial use. The band caught the attention of many people in the industry, including the Led Zeppelin frontman.
In a 2005 interview with Rolling Stone, Plant listed them among the bands he was listening to at the time.
“I’m very happy listening to The Black Keys,” Plant said. “They’re Akron’s most feted sons, and they owe a lot to Skip James, as do I. So I listen to a lot of desert stuff, some very old blues like Lemon Jefferson, and the Black Keys.”
The classic rock crooner didn’t stop there, though. While fans knew Plant played the harmonica, few knew he’d played “occasional bass” for Led Zeppelin.
“I’d love to play bass with them for a bit,” he said, referring to The Black Keys. “In truth, I was an occasional bass player. It says so on Zeppelin I, next to my name: vocals, harmonica, and occasional bass. Very occasionally — once, I think, since 1968. How in God’s name that ended up on the cover is so funny. I’m sure Jonesy [John Paul Jones] didn’t like it [laughs]. But I suppose every time he fucked up, he could say it was me.”
Robert Plant and The Black Keys have crossed paths
While it’s unclear if Plant has ever met the duo, he has definitely had the opportunity. According to Live For Live Music, both Plant and The Black Keys performed at the 11th annual Mountain Jam Music Festival in 2015. Plant played a few Led Zeppelin covers at the event with his former band, the Sensational Space Shifters.
The musicians crossed paths again a few years later to celebrate Led Zeppelin’s 50th anniversary. To honor the band that inspired them, The Black Keys created a curated playlist of 11 Zeppelin songs they felt demonstrated the band’s evolution. As reported by Rhino, they introduced the playlist with a quote by Carney of The Black Keys, which read:
“In 1991, my Dad checked out Led Zeppelin II from the Akron public library and asked me to take a listen. It changed my life.”
Robert Plant on tour with Alison Krauss
Most recently, Plant reunited with country-bluegrass singer and violinist Alison Krauss to record a follow-up album to their 2007 hit Raising Sand. After 10 years apart, they released Raise the Roof in 2021. According to BlabberMouth, Plant described the album as “such a far cry from everything I’ve done before.”
“I love the whole kaleidoscope of music that I’ve explored, but this is a place where you can think within the song, you can decide how to bring home an emotion. It’s another blend that we’ve got, and long may we have more of them.”
Billboard reported Raise the Roof was nominated for three Grammy Awards at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards in 2023, including Best Americana Album, Best American Roots Song for “High and Lonesome,” and Best Country Duo/Group Performance for “Going Where the Lonely Go.”
According to plantkrauss.com, Plant and Krauss are touring around the United States and Canada between April and July.
