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The American country icon Robert Plant listens to 365 days a year: “What a singer”
Robert Plant says he listens to country singer George Jones every day, describing him as an “amazing singer”. Jones’s influence reflects Plant’s long-running move beyond the hard-rock image he gained with Led Zeppelin and the broader musical interests that have shaped his later career.
Plant told Uncut that exploring country music opened up a side of American music he had not previously encountered. He also named Jones, Roy Orbison and Charlie Rich as inspirations when discussing the romantic character of his later work. Jones died aged 81 in 2013; Keith Richards later praised him as a uniquely individual singer.
In short
- Robert Plant listens to George Jones every day.
- Country music broadened Plant’s musical horizons.
- Plant also cited Roy Orbison and Charlie Rich as inspirations.
Explained simply
Robert Plant is an English singer best known as the frontman of Led Zeppelin, the influential rock band formed in the late 1960s. Since the band’s heyday, he has made music in a range of styles, drawing on traditions beyond hard rock.
George Jones was a leading American country singer whose career spanned several decades. Country music has its own distinct history and sound, and Jones’s expressive singing also influenced musicians outside the genre, including Roy Orbison and Charlie Rich.
Plant’s interest in these singers helps explain the range of influences behind his later work. It also shows how musicians can draw on different traditions over the course of a career.
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