By his mid-teens, Robert had discovered the blues. Alongside various odd jobs, including laying tarmac and working at Woolworths, he became involved in the Birmingham music scene, met drummer John Bonham, and joined a succession of bands.

In 1968, Robert was invited by guitarist Jimmy Page to become the lead singer of Led Zeppelin. Throughout the band’s 12-year existence, he brought a mythical quality to the studio and a larger-than-life presence to the stage that had much to do with their many successes.

Robert first began contributing lyrics during the making of Led Zeppelin II, and from there he went on to write lyrics to most of the band’s songs, including ‘Immigrant Song’, ‘Stairway to Heaven’ – which he wrote spontaneously while the music was being recorded – and ‘Since I’ve Been Loving You’.

He has gone on to have a fascinating solo career, which has included collaborations with a range of different artists, notably Alison Krauss, a bluegrass-infused singer and fiddler, with whom Robert has been recording and performing since 2007. Their first record together, Raising Sand, won a Grammy for Album of the Year. He also teamed up with Jimmy Page and Jeff Beck in supergroup the Honeydrippers, and worked again with his former bandmate in Page and Plant from 1994 to 1998. Robert’s more recent projects include Sensational Space Shifters and Saving Grace.