Robert Plant - Pre-Zep History

[SteveAJones]

Did RP ever gig in Scotland pre LZ?

According to Chris Welch in his book 'Power & Glory' Robert completed three tours of England with BoJ in 1967, however I have only been able to confirm two dates (using quotes from a Robert Plant interview published in the Oct 23, 2005 Sunday Mail as a reference source):

Ayr Ice Rink in Ayr (1967)

YMCA in Kirkaldy (1967)

Edited to add: I have Harry Barber's Band of Joy book...if I can dig it out it may reveal additional details or possible leads.

Edited October 26, 2012 by SteveAJones

[SteveAJones]

There's also this email allegedly from John Hill (Summer 2009):

Hi, my name is John Hill.

You may or may not know that the very last line up of the Band of Joy consisted of Johnny Bonham, Mick Strode, Rob Plant, and myself. We did a tour round Scotland and the north in 1968. This was for the infamous Duncan McKinnon "Drunken Duncan", a superb man with a wonderful warm heart. It was right after this that Robert went to London and whilst stopping with Alexis Korner he was put in touch with Jimmy Page. The rest as you know is history.

This didn't help me and my best mate Bonzo at the time as we were about to rehearse a new line-up consisting of John, myself, Reggie and Chrissy Jones and a keyboard player that John found from a Liverpool band - I think they were known as the Peeps ?. I went on to join a band called the Wellington Kitch Jump Band with Chris Brown on hammond. Chris is also ex Band of Joy from the more well known line-up. Anyway, Bonzo finally got the message after several telegrams and wisely got his ass down to London.

Oh yes - I am still playing in a band called the Notorious Brothers. Check it out sometime - maybe the Monday of the fill your head with rock festy.

All the best and keep on rockin - John

---------------

Note: Apparently John Hill attended school with John Bonham...supposedly Hill was a bassist in a band called Uncle Joseph when Robert and John co-opted Hill to complete a tour of Scotland for the infamous promoter Duncan McKinnon.

[Blocoboy]

According to Chris Welch in his book 'Power & Glory' Robert completed three tours of England with BoJ in 1967, however I have only been able to confirm two dates (using quotes from a Robert Plant interview published in the Oct 23, 2005 Sunday Mail as a reference source):

Ayr Ice Rink in Ayr (1967)

YMCA in Kirkaldy (1967)

Edited to add: I have Harry Barber's Band of Joy book...if I can dig it out it may reveal additional details or possible leads.

Thanks..any clues are most welcome :-)

[Blocoboy]

Thought you might like this..taken a few months ago -

The original sign from the frontage of the Boat..imagine the tales it could tell :-)

[weslgarlic]

There was 6 Band of Joy demo tape songs

some can bee heard here

but he's supposed to have recorded a a tape of solo songs to take to record companies (post b.o.j pre-zep )

[SteveAJones]

Thought you might like this..taken a few months ago -

The original sign from the frontage of the Boat..imagine the tales it could tell :-)

WOW! That truly is awesome.

[Blocoboy]

I think it was 1974 when I managed to blag my way into the pub after many years of standing around the offie.

[walterswalk]

Thanks..any clues are most welcome :-)

According to Chris Welch in his book 'Power & Glory' Robert completed three tours of England with BoJ in 1967, however I have only been able to confirm two dates (using quotes from a Robert Plant interview published in the Oct 23, 2005 Sunday Mail as a reference source):

Ayr Ice Rink in Ayr (1967)

YMCA in Kirkaldy (1967)

Edited to add: I have Harry Barber's Band of Joy book...if I can dig it out it may reveal additional details or possible leads.

Ayr Ice Rink 4th October 1967 admission 4 shillings

[SteveAJones]

Ayr Ice Rink 4th October 1967 admission 4 shillings

Wonderful, walterswalk. Eye Thank Yew.

The above also suggests confirmation of October 7, 1967 at the Sedgley Parish Hall in Sedgley announced in the Wolverhampton Express & Star on October 6th. Until now it was not clear if this was the Robert Plant incarnation of the group.

Billed as Band of Joy with support from The Growing Concern.

Edited November 30, 2012 by SteveAJones

[walterswalk]

Wonderful, walterswalk. Eye Thank Yew.

The above also suggests confirmation of October 7, 1967 at the Sedgley Parish Hall in Sedgley announced in the Wolverhampton Express & Star on October 6th. Until now it was not clear if this was the Robert Plant incarnation of the group.

Billed as Band of Joy with support from The Growing Concern.

BOJ also played the Cosmopolitan in Carlisle round about this time as well, unfortunatly I don't have a date. Not in Scotland but damn close.

[Blocoboy]

^{A few more from the Derby Evening Telegraph-}

^{Friday 9th September 1966}

^{Thursday 3rd November 1966}

^{Friday 4th November 1966}

Edited December 13, 2012 by Blocoboy

[swandown]

I recently discovered that Robert's 1967 solo release "Long Time Coming" had originally been recorded by an obscure U.S. singer named Laura Lynn. I tracked down a copy of Laura Lynn's version and I've uploaded it here:

http://www.megafileu...raLynn-mp3.html

BTW, here are the original versions of some of Robert's other pre-Zep recordings:

You Better Run (by The Young Rascals, June 1966) -

Our Song (by Ornella Vanoni, February 1967) -

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkwTEWXW1MQ

I've Got A Secret (by The Sharpees, April 1966) -

Edited December 21, 2012 by swandown

[SteveAJones]

I recently discovered that Robert's 1967 solo release "Long Time Coming" had originally been recorded by an obscure U.S. singer named Laura Lynn.

Holy shit. That's a great discovery!

[swandown]

Holy shit. That's a great discovery!

Thanks. Laura Lynn's version was produced by Danny Kessler, who is also credited with co-producing Robert's version. But Kessler was based in America so I suspect that he did not have any direct involvement with Robert aside from suggesting the song.

BTW, I'm also trying to find the original version of Robert's 1967 song "Laughin', Cryin', Laughin'." It lists the songwriters as "N. Brandt" and "J. Principato", which I have determined to reference "Neil Brandt" and "Jesse G. Principato", two part-time songwriters based in New York. They sold several songs to the Eddie Kassner music publishing company, which had a very strong connection to Robert at the time (Listen's 1966 song "Everybody's Gonna Say" was published by Kassner).

It seems logical that "Laughin', Cryin', Laughin'" would have first been recorded by a U.S. artist, but I haven't found any evidence of it so far.

[weslgarlic]

Tracks post zeppelin that didn’t appear on "66 to Timbuktu" album appeared on the “ nine lives “ reissues , maybe they should reissue and expand "66 to Timbuktu" to include the solo tracks that didn’t appear from the first three singles, steal away , the rest of the unused Band Of Joy tracks & the pre-Zep solo demos recorded to send to record labels

Edited January 3, 2013 by weslgarlic

[Blocoboy]

Another Derby date.

Thursday 7th April 1966

[Ultra_Dog]

Thanks. Laura Lynn's version was produced by Danny Kessler, who is also credited with co-producing Robert's version. But Kessler was based in America so I suspect that he did not have any direct involvement with Robert aside from suggesting the song.

BTW, I'm also trying to find the original version of Robert's 1967 song "Laughin', Cryin', Laughin'." It lists the songwriters as "N. Brandt" and "J. Principato", which I have determined to reference "Neil Brandt" and "Jesse G. Principato", two part-time songwriters based in New York. They sold several songs to the Eddie Kassner music publishing company, which had a very strong connection to Robert at the time (Listen's 1966 song "Everybody's Gonna Say" was published by Kassner).

It seems logical that "Laughin', Cryin', Laughin'" would have first been recorded by a U.S. artist, but I haven't found any evidence of it so far.

Hi,

I am a personal friend of Neil H. Brandt. Yes, he did write the original song's lyrics. He has a couple of the original 45s on his wall. It is the B side of the single.

Today, Neil is not doing well and may not be long for this mortal world. This little piece of history may pass soon.

Maybe somehow Mr. Plant could send Neil a note. Just a thought...

[Janvier]

Quick mention of Robert Plant's pre-Zeppelin days in this interview with Jon Anderson.

" Jon Anderson is a natural raconteur. An original peace-loving hippie with an acoustic guitar, Anderson – Yes’ former frontman and songwriter – peppered his intimate Bluesfest sideshow at the Corner Hotel with tales of his career. Some of which included meeting a young Robert Plant – who was in a band called Listen at the time – supporting a group called The Undertakers whose frontman would jump out from a coffin and start singing; speaking with a Liverpudlian accent because he wanted to be a Beatle until his mum scowled at him, visiting Jamaica in the 1960s and not remembering any of it, and performing with Yes in Argentina to a crowd surrounded by heavily armed police force. "

Angela Allan for Soot Magazine, http://sootmagazine.com/2013/04/12/review-jon-anderson-of-yes/

[yialison]

RP in 1967

[SteveAJones]

RP in 1967

music-robert-plant-1967.jpg

BBC Broadcasting House is in Portland Place...CBS Records released three Robert Plant singles between March-July 1967.

Edited July 15, 2013 by SteveAJones

[thozil]

BBC Broadcasting House is in Portland Place...CBS Records released three Robert Plant singles between March-July 1967.

Steve, something about that photo just isn't right...it looks skewed. Looks like the body was pasted into the shot, and looks like the face of an older plant photoshopped in. the clothes are right, the hair is right, but the lines on the face and dimples just look wrong. My two cents...

[SteveAJones]

Steve, something about that photo just isn't right...it looks skewed. Looks like the body was pasted into the shot, and looks like the face of an older plant photoshopped in. the clothes are right, the hair is right, but the lines on the face and dimples just look wrong. My two cents...

Now that you mention it there doesn't seem to be any shadowing whatsoever on the sidewalk. Of course, it may have been an overcast day but still, it does look somewhat questionable. Let's see what we can find out.

[kollektionist]

Didn't see this one yet...

Tudor Club, Aug 6 (?), 1967

Edited August 26, 2013 by kollektionist

[Disco Duck]

Steve, something about that photo just isn't right...it looks skewed. Looks like the body was pasted into the shot, and looks like the face of an older plant photoshopped in. the clothes are right, the hair is right, but the lines on the face and dimples just look wrong. My two cents...

Also, iirc Portland Place is a street in London. Plant was still a struggling singer. How and why would he have been in London in 1967?

[Blocoboy]

Also, iirc Portland Place is a street in London. Plant was still a struggling singer. How and why would he have been in London in 1967?

Missed this for some reason..RP was on a mission.. "15 Nov 1967 : Robert Plant, a nineteen year old Wolverhampton pop-singer visits the office of the Charge d'Affaires of the Republic of China in Portland Place, London, to hand in a letter expressing his interest in the cultural revolution, currently taking place in that country, and offering his services and that of the Band of Joy to the Republic. In his letter he said: "We are prepared to play for a period of time, free of charge, as we feel very strongly about a united world."

Edited November 6, 2013 by Blocoboy