With the combination of a powerful voice and electrifying stage presence, Robert Plant became a rocker that every self-respecting fan of music needed to see live at least once. He got his start in professional music back in 1968 when he became the lead singer of Led Zeppelin.
After working his way into Jimmy Page’s good graces, Plant began to write songs for the band, including hits such as “Immigrant Song,” “Thank You,” and “The Rain Song.” Plant enjoyed success with the band from his time joining until 1980, when Led Zeppelin disbanded following drummer John Bonham’s death.
Eric Clapton
Take a look at that “Greatest Of All Time Guitarists” list again, and you're going to see Eric Clapton. He's also going to be near the top A LOT. He's also going to be found on lists of best musicians overall, too. This English master of rock and blues jumped between a number of different bands before landing with the Yardbirds in 1963, though he left just a few years later.
He then joined John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers. After Mayall, Clapton, drummer Ginger Baker, and bassist Jack Bruce formed what is widely regarded as the first supergroup, Cream.
Eric Clapton Today
Due to tensions between Bruce and Baker, Cream didn't last all that long, disbanding in 1968, only two years after its formation. Clapton went on to produce a successful solo career, selling more than a hundred million records and becoming one of the best-selling musicians around the world.
He's garnered plenty of acclaim for his work, too, earning eighteen Grammy Awards. He won a Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. Even though he's into his seventies now, Clapton isn't ready to hang it up just yet and has plans to go on tour in Europe in 2021.
Robert Plant Today
A few years before the end of the band, Plant's five-year-old son Karac died while Plant was touring. Plant spent some time questioning his future. After the end of Led, he considered leaving music but eventually decided to try his hand at a solo career and went on to garner quite a bit of success.
Aside from his solo albums, Plant has also had big musical collaborations. His unique style not only made him a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, but it also influenced plenty of names you might also be familiar with, including Axl Rose of Guns N' Roses, Freddie Mercury of Queen, and Jack White of The White Stripes.
Anthony Kiedis of The Red Hot Chili Peppers
Best known as a founding member and lead vocalist of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Anthony Kiedis is a singer-songwriter and rapper. The start of this band was about as serendipitous as you could come up with. A local California band asked Kiedis to be their opening act in 1983, and Kiedis roped in a couple of classmates, Hillel Slovak and Michael Balzary (later known as Flea), as well as drummer Jack Irons to back him up.
After the show, the band decided to try and do something, and that lineup became the first iteration of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, though not the one that went to stardom.