Robert Plant's Real Name: Robert Anthony Plant

Quick answer: Robert Plant's full name is Robert Anthony Plant. He was born on August 20, 1948, in West Bromwich, Staffordshire, England. Robert Plant is his real name, and Anthony is his middle name. He was the lead singer and lyricist of Led Zeppelin, and his later solo work included Raising Sand (2007) with Alison Krauss, which won the Grammy for album of the year (Britannica; Library of Congress).

Real name and early life

Britannica gives his name "in full" as Robert Anthony Plant. The Library of Congress name authority files him as "Plant, Robert," citing "Plant, Robert Anthony; b. Aug. 20, 1948 in West Bromwich, Warwickshire, Eng." Britannica places West Bromwich in Staffordshire. The town's county is given differently in different references, but all agree on the town and date.

According to Britannica, his father, Robert C. Plant, was a civil engineer, and his mother, Annie Celia (née Cain) Plant, was of Romany descent. He grew up in nearby Worcestershire and attended King Edward VI Grammar School but left before graduating. As a teenager he idolized Elvis Presley, Muddy Waters, and Sonny Boy Williamson. Under pressure to train as a chartered accountant, he left home at 16.

Career highlights

While working in road construction, Plant founded Band of Joy in 1966 with his friend, drummer John Bonham. Britannica says he was not the first choice of manager Peter Grant or guitarist Jimmy Page. However, Page heard him sing with the band Obs-Tweedle in Walsall and invited him home, and the two bonded over music. In 1968 Plant joined the Yardbirds' new lineup and suggested Bonham as drummer. The group became Led Zeppelin, with Plant, Page, Bonham, and bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones.

Led Zeppelin IV, which featured "Stairway to Heaven," "Rock and Roll," and "Misty Mountain Hop," sold more than 37 million copies worldwide. Led Zeppelin stayed popular through the 1970s. The band ended after Bonham died in 1980.

As a solo artist, Plant explored early rock and roll with The Honeydrippers: Volume One (1984), with contributions from Page, Jeff Beck, and Brian Setzer. He later reunited with Page and Jones for special concerts, including at Led Zeppelin's 1995 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. His collaboration with bluegrass star Alison Krauss on Raising Sand (2007) won five Grammy Awards in 2009, including album of the year and record of the year.

Name notes for searchers

Robert is his given first name; he shares it with his father, Robert C. Plant. Anthony is his middle name, and Plant is his family surname. He has never used a stage name.