Robert Plant says he's forever committed to Buddy Miller

As Robert Plant picked up one of the big prizes at a Nashville awards ceremony last night, he did more than just thank his touring bandmate Buddy Miller: He pretty much committed himself to having Miller involved in all of his musical projects from here on out.

Plant delivered his remark at the Americana Music Association's annual Honors and Awards ceremony, while accepting the Album of the Year award for his Band of Joy CD. Miller earned two awards of his own at the ceremony.

Before Plant and Miller co-produced the Band of Joy album released last year, they were already touring bandmates from the Raising Sand tour with Alison Krauss. Plant said it on that 2008 tour that he basically decided on sticking with Miller into the uncertain future: "When we toured the Raising Sand tour, I said to the forces that be, I said, 'We can't go anywhere without Buddy Miller,' and I'm never gonna go anywhere without Buddy Miller, ever."

The live audience in Nashville cheered Plant's comments about their hometown hero, who in a few minutes would be named Artist of the Year -- ironically, beating out Plant in the category.

Earlier, upon winning Instrumentalist of the Year, Miller had proclaimed himself "really, really not that good." He said, "I feel like I get away with murder with what I do." Miller mentioned Plant by name, along with Emmylou Harris and Jim Lauderdale, thanking these "wonderfully, incredibly talented people" for letting him "sneak in there behind them."

Plant was much more complimentary of Miller's abilities as an instrumentalist. To him, Miller is "the consummate player of all the licks and the beauty and the soliloquy of great American music that I'd ever heard in my life."

Plant thanked not only Miller in his acceptance speech but also Krauss and his more recent female collaborator, singer Patty Griffin. Said Plant, "When we were making the Band of Joy album, it got to Christmas a year or so ago, and I said to Buddy, 'There's something missing, and it's getting a bit too pastoral.' And so, I have to thank Patty Griffin for really turning the record round."

The British singer also recalled a pivotal encounter with Americana music from even before he was a teen-ager." When I was 12, I heard 'The Mountain's High' by Dick and Dee Dee," he said. "I never looked back. I just kept dreaming of American music and coming over here, and I did. I stole a great deal with my old companions."

The Band of Joy, with Greg Leisz filling in for the absent Darrell Scott, performed the song "Monkey" -- but not before Allman Brothers Band leader Gregg Allman got in a quick comment: "Did you ever think you'd be sittin' here in the Ryman [Auditorium] watching Robert Plant and the Band of Joy?"

The Only Sound that Matters (Band of Joy song of the week, No. 10 of 12)

Anybody who's only tangentially aware of Buddy Miller's hard-earned reputation as the go-to guy for musical assistance in Nashville might assume he grew up surrounded only by country music. That would be an incorrect assumption (Update: For more on this, check out this cover story from the Nashville Scene). Take, for instance, Miller's claim that he watched Led Zeppelin perform at the Fillmore East in New York on the band's first tour. Miller was there in the third row center, he says. He would have been 16 years old at the time, and half of Led Zeppelin was 20.

One of those 20-year-olds was Robert Plant, whose name unsurprisingly comes up in an interview with Miller published in the September 2010 issue of Acoustic Guitar magazine. The interviewer, Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers, comments, "It's a revelation to hear Robert Plant sing so softly on Raising Sand," to which Miller replies, "I know, but he sang softly a lot back then -- you just don't think about it." Miller's right. Back then, Plant sang softly on songs like "Tangerine" and "That's the Way."

Those two particular songs were both on Led Zeppelin III, which isn't soft the whole way through. It starts off with the Viking wail on "Immigrant Song," which certainly is not the only heavy electric number on Side A. Fittingly enough for the album's 40th anniversary this October, Plant will have a new CD out that was inspired by reflecting on that disc. "I was thinking about Zeppelin III," he said recently. "I was thinking about the mixture of acoustic and powerful electric."

Of all the cover songs that made the final cut for the Band of Joy album, the lightest in its original form is "The Only Sound that Matters," from the 2003 album Westernaire by the band Milton Mapes. "It's certainly been a song that, from the Milton Mapes catalog, has resonated with a lot of people, and it's always been one of my favorites -- one of our favorites -- to play," says singer and guitarist Greg Vanderpool in an interview for Lemon Squeezings.

Robert Plant announces 4 U.K. dates in September, October

Four U.K. dates have been announced via Robert Plant's official online mailing list.

The first show takes place Sept. 2 at the HMV Forum in London. Tickets to the London show go on sale July 7 at 9 a.m.

It is the only U.K. show so far announced that precedes the U.K. release of his new album, Band of Joy, on Sept. 13.

Plant's three other U.K. shows take place in late October in Wales and England. They are:

• Oct. 26 at St. David's Hall in Cardiff (Tickets to the Cardiff show go on sale July 7 at 9 a.m.)
• Oct. 27 at Symphony Hall in Birmingham (Tickets to the Birmingham show go on sale July 7 at 9 a.m.)
• Oct. 31 at Palace Theatre in Manchester (Tickets to the Manchester show go on sale July 7 at 9 a.m.)

In addition to these four dates, Plant is also said to be performing "a one-off gig at a VIP launch party" held at Molineux Stadium in Wolverhampton. Steve Bull, who spent more than a decade playing for the Wolverhampton Wanderers football club, will be launching a charitable foundation on a date to be announced.

Plant is a longtime fan of the team and, since August 2009, a vice president of the club.

In an article in the Express and Star, Bull comments, "What a night it's going to be. 'Planty' live at Molineux -- incredible. If that doesn't pack the place, nothing will."

Meanwhile, back in the United States, Buddy Miller has been named August's "artist-in-residence" at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville. The co-producer of Plant's album, Miller is scheduled to perform at the venue on three consecutive Tuesdays in August.

According to a report from CMT online, the singer and guitarist is slated to perform with some of his favorite collaborators. There has been no word so far as to whether Plant will be one of Miller's guests on any of the dates, Aug. 10, 17 and 24.

Lemon Squeezings will be in attendance as Robert Plant's 12-city North American tour kicks off July 13 at the Orpheum Theater in Memphis.

Gospel flavor from Robert Plant's future touring bandmates at festival in Texas

Twice yesterday, I watched three-fifths of the lineup that will comprise Robert Plant's touring band this summer. Future Band of Joy members Buddy Miller and Patty Griffin played afternoon and evening sets together at the Old Settler's Music Festival in Driftwood, Texas. The presence of drummer Marco Giovino creates a quorum of the touring lineup backing Plant on a 12-city tour this July with additional dates said to follow.

Buddy Miller, as one of two guitarists on Plant's extensive "Raising Sand" tour in 2008, may have been just as responsible for the guitar sound night in and night out as was album producer T Bone Burnett. Much of the tremolo-preferring ambiance and chunky offbeat 9th-chords that marked Plant's latest outing is in evidence onstage for the current effort, a testament to the Nashville musician's influence on the sounds heard in 2008.

Miller is the one in producer mode now, being the focal point of Plant's forthcoming album, slated for release late this summer or in early fall on Rounder Records. Miller's also lent his talents to two other albums this year, including a disc showcasing himself and fellow guitarists Marc Ribot and Bill Frisell with multiple vocalists (no release date announced yet). Griffin's Miller-produced gospel effort Downtown Church, which was released in January on the Credential label, was a significant contributor to the festivities at the final night of the Old Settler's Music Festival; a good portion of the disc featured in Griffin's evening set on the Hill Country Stage.

Onstage, she credited Miller with teaching her "about all that gospel music." They're currently on tour supporting her disc, and this Austin-area festival date is their second stop in Griffin's home state. She said her producer is "a walking encyclopedia of all-American roots music [and has] 75,000 songs on his iTunes. He really does. He sent me about 500 songs just to get started, learning the gospel music." Hearing his gospel suggestions from the Bob Dylan songbook inspired her to write some original material modeled after it, specifically "Little Fire" on Downtown Church. (On the studio track, her voice is complemented by that of Emmylou Harris.)

Halfway through Miller's afternoon solo set on the Hill Country Stage, he welcomed his previously unannounced guest vocalist and brought her out to duet with him on some songs that were mostly featured on Written in Chalk, his 2009 album with wife and collaborator Julie Miller. The sharpest of these songs was "Gasoline and Matches," which might ordinarily be considered a little heavy for the Old Settler's Music Festival if it were not for Miller's onstage lead-in, the Lee Boys, a funky jam band centered around a master of the pedal steel guitar and some dance beats. This brought the swaying hippie sect in full force to the front of the stage under the sunshine.

Soon, that sunshine gave way to clouds, then drizzle, and all-out thunderstorms, before calming for the evening with an ongoing electrical light show on the horizon. The inevitable effects were mud everywhere and electrical hazards onstage crudely averted by the placement of sweatshirts on the electrical equipment mid-set. Griffin, in particular, said she was impressed with the dogged determination of the crowd to stick around with her for both sets. "You are some tough, tough Texans," she commented.

If either set contained any material destined for Plant's album, it wasn't announced to the audience. However, the onstage introduction of Buddy Miller in the afternoon included mention of the former Led Zeppelin frontman, courtesy of Roger Allen, who hosts "Lone Star State of Mind" Friday nights on KGSR 93.3 Radio Austin.

"I want to talk to you [for] a second about what's about to happen," the DJ said onstage next to Miller, "because this guy has been traveling with Robert Plant." Cue the screams of appreciation from the diverse crowd. "He's winning all kinds of awards from all kind of people." Cue more screams. "He's actually been traveling with the Alison Krauss/Robert Plant show, and I think, this summer, you're gonna be back in Austin, Texas, playing with Robert Plant." Miller nodded. People screamed again. "Pretty good gig."

Robert Plant to tour with Patty Griffin, Buddy Miller; 12 summer dates announced for Band of Joy

Robert Plant will be joined on tour in a new lineup featuring Patty Griffin and Buddy Miller, according to an announcement posted this morning on Plant's official Web site.

His new band, given the recycled name Band of Joy after a pre-Zeppelin band he fronted and that at one time featured his future Led Zeppelin bandmate John Bonham, consists of the musicians who appear on his upcoming album, mentioned in today's statement not by name but tentatively scheduled for release on the Rounder label late this summer or early in the fall. Miller is listed as a co-producer of the album.

A dozen concerts have been announced for the Southern United States, opening July 13 in Memphis and so far continuing only until July 31. This is only the first leg of tour dates, according to the release. Onsale dates vary between March and April; links posted below contain more specific information.

• July 13: Memphis, TN - The Orpheum Theater Information available in May
• July 15: Little Rock, AR -  Robinson Center Music Hall Ticket Info
• July 16: Tulsa, OK - Brady Theater Ticket Info (on sale already)
• July 18: Albuquerque, NM - Sandia Casino Amphitheater Ticket Info
• July 20: Phoenix, AZ - Dodge Theater Ticket Info
• July 21: Tucson, AZ - Anselmo Valencia Amphitheater Ticket Info
• July 23: Dallas, TX Meyerson Symphony Hall Ticket Info
• July 24: Houston, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion Ticket Info
• July 26: Austin, TX - Stubbs Waller Creek Amphitheater Ticket Info
• July 28: Mobile, AL - The Saenger Theatre Ticket Info
• July 30: Clearwater, FL - Ruth Eckerd Hall Ticket Info
• July 31: Miami, FL - Bayfront Park Amphitheater Ticket Info

The full list of musicians joining Plant, Griffin and Miller in the Band of Joy, both in the studio and on the upcoming tour, also consists of:

• Darrell Scott, multiple instruments and vocals
• Byron House, bass and vocals
• Marco Giovino, drums, percussion and vocals

Miller is to play multiple instruments and sing, and Griffin is to sing. The Band of Joy is to be playing material from the new album. It would be Plant's first disc since Raising Sand in 2007, with Alison Krauss, who is mentioned in the release.

"Oh yes," Plant is quoted, as if responding to a question, "Alison and I get together quite often -- and sometimes we dance."

Of the new album, Plant says:

"It's been a blast working on these new songs -- and I'm enjoying such creativity and vitality. It's been a remarkable change of direction for all of us and as a group we all seem to have developed a new groove."

Cue the rimshot; Robert Plant's humor comes across even on Twitter

Delivering an entire joke, including the setup and punch line, in 140 characters or less has become an art form. Relaying comedy on Twitter is possible, and Twitter user @johnrags mastered the craft yesterday, when he shared a story about meeting Robert Plant while out for lunch in Nashville. Succinctly, he writes:

@Jereme_ & I are eating & Robert Plant sits at the table next to us... I say "I love your music." He says "I do too". sweet #onlyinnashville

Rimshot, please!

Plant's been spending time in Nashville in recent months, readying his ninth solo album. Tentatively titled It's Rude to Say No, the disc is produced by Buddy Miller, who played guitar and sang backup while Plant was on the road with Alison Krauss in support of their 2007 release, Raising Sand.

Plant and Miller played together twice in October 2009, and last year also saw the release of Miller's album with wife Julie, featuring a guest vocal from Plant recorded backstage during the Raising Sand tour.

Robert Plant solo album reported coming this year, produced by Buddy Miller

Update: LedZeppelinNews.com can report that Robert Plant's 2010 solo album is tentatively called It's Rude to Say No.

The first indications of what Robert Plant will do in 2010 have now been reported. Freelance writer Tom Netherland gets his scoop published in the Herald Courier, in a feature on one of the musicians reported to have played on recording sessions with Plant in Nashville just before Christmas.

"Look for Plant's Buddy Miller-produced album later this year," Netherland writes, nonchalantly dropping the first official confirmation published anywhere that the former Led Zeppelin singer was indeed working with Miller in Nashville shortly after Plant hand-wrote and signed the lyrics that fetched $2,225 for the Americana Music Association.

The musician profiled in Netherland's piece, published Feb. 11, is singer-songwriter Darrell Scott, "who played such instruments as mandolin and glockenspiel" for the forthcoming Plant album. He is one of a few key players in a tight-knit band appearing on the record, Netherland reports.

While the other musicians comprising Plant's new studio lineup have not been identified, Scott does provide a few insights from the sessions. One is the revelation that Plant was singing classic songs including "Cindy," a traditional bluegrass number also recorded and performed under the title "Get Along Home, Cindy."

In the article, Scott discusses his impressions of working with Plant in the studio. He tells Netherland:

"Those two-plus weeks were some of the most memorable times I've ever had in the studio. ... The number-one thing is that Robert loves music. You think they're posing and just getting through it, but I was humbled with how Robert Plant loved the music -- old country, blues, rockabilly."

Scott has an album of his own on the way, tentatively a double album called A Crooked Road. In the meantime, his latest disc was Modern Hymns, released in 2008 by Appleseed Recordings. That album includes an appearance by Alison Krauss.

Scott also appears on Back to Love, the latest album by fellow American singer-songwriter Beth Nielsen Chapman. She will be alongside Plant onstage as his next scheduled live set, at the famed Abbey Road Studios in London, takes place Feb. 25 and creates a musical first for Plant: namely, performing onstage with a 72-voice choir.

That ensemble is the London Oriana Choir, which featured on Chapman's DVD release If Love Could Say God's Name, released in England in 2007.

The occasion is a concert called Sound & Vision, with funds to be raised to support the charity Cancer Research UK. The show is also scheduled to see sets from David Gray and Newton Faulkner. A patron of the charity, BBC Radio 2 DJ "Whispering" Bob Harris, is set to host the evening.

Harris, when he was host of BBC television's The Old Grey Whistle Test, interviewed Plant backstage at a Led Zeppelin concert in Brussels, Belgium, on Jan. 12, 1975. That historical moment is included on the official Led Zeppelin DVD, released in 2003.

Plant is quoted in a statement offered by the charity's publicity firm earlier this month. He says:

"Performing at Sound & Vision is something I'm really excited about. Cancer Research UK is a very worthwhile cause, and when Bob asked me to get involved I didn't hesitate. My set is quite different from anything I've ever done before, as I'll be performing with Beth and a full choir on stage. Cancer is a disease that affects so many people and Sound & Vision is a great way to raise money to fight it."

Harris also issued a statement on Plant's participation, saying:

"I'm thrilled and proud that Robert Plant is taking part in this year's Sound & Vision. We have a lot of history together -- he even performed an impromptu gig for my 60th birthday party -- so it's great to have him on board. It's truly inspiring to see him and so many other respected names from the music and photography industry come together to help raise money for Cancer Research UK's lifesaving work."

Three days remain in an eBay auction for two tickets to the event plus an official program autographed by Plant.

Chapman says she is looking forward to her performance with Plant:

"I'm so excited about performing at Abbey Road with Robert Plant and a 72 voice choir on Feb 25th! Also be performing will be David Gray & Newton Faulkner. It's to raise money for Cancer Research UK. It's going to be some night!"

All former members of Led Zeppelin gearing up for new projects

This is a big time for news featuring Led Zeppelin members. Let's get right to it.

John Paul Jones and the other members of Them Crooked Vultures start their tour of Australia and New Zealand next week. The first show is on Tuesday, Jan. 19. In the meantime, the band today offered in their e-mail newsletter an exclusive promo code for a 10% discount on new merchandise purchased through their online store. Between now and Jan. 18, just enter DOLESSGETMORE at the time of checkout to save on a new line of products including the iVulture iPhone case. Just in case you needed a reminder of what a Them Crooked Vultures show is like, you can watch their entire performance filmed in a TV studio in Paris last month. Don't forget, too, they're planning on getting a second album ready soon.

Jimmy Page was in Beijing today to announce his support of the upcoming Show of Peace concert. Reports from the press conference have so far been unclear as to whether Page actually said he would be performing at the April 17 show or merely supporting the event's mission. LedZeppelinNews.com is definitely seeking clarification on this point because, for instance, Page did not play guitar when he held a fundraiser in Brazil two months ago. However, he has been stating repeatedly in interviews that he intends to be seen in 2010 and presenting new music he's recorded. Maybe that means he has some great new pop songs he'll be performing with Lady Gaga and the Black Eyed Peas onstage in Beijing.

Jason Bonham has confirmed reports that he has been involved in a supergroup recording with producer Kevin Shirley. Bonham tells Spinner that the group is called Black Country and consists of guitarist Joe Bonamassa, along with singer/bassist Glenn Hughes, formerly of both Black Sabbath and Deep Purple. A separate report says the group also includes Derek Sherinian, who has played keyboards for Dream Theater, among other acts. Bonham tells Spinner:

"I just literally went into the studio last week for two days with one person I'd done an album with before, very quickly [Joe Bonamassa]. And then the other was a friend of my father's I got to meet later on [Glenn Hughes]. ... And we're working on a new project with a working title of Black Country. ... We just went in with Kevin Shirley and played riffs and just jammed for two days. And that's really exciting."

That leaves Robert Plant, who hasn't said publicly what his plans are for 2010 -- other than worrying about incontinence, of course. However, two of Plant's gigs last October were with Buddy Miller, who performs tonight at the Belcourt Theatre in Nashville along with Marc Ribot and Bill Frisell. For now, the three amigos are playing one show only, but plans may change as the trio is said to be "fresh from a collaborative recording session" and performing songs from their upcoming album to be released later this year. Miller has also been booked for the Old Settler's Music Festival in Austin, Texas, on April 17; currently, there is no word on his lineup at that appearance.

Page and Plant's supporting cast branches out

While we wait to hear what kind of "big project" Jimmy Page could be working on in the new year, and if Robert Plant's recent work with Daniel Lanois and Buddy Miller might hold any promise for the future, there's news this week from two of the most recent figures in their working history.
On the Page side, filmmaker Davis Guggenheim is now pushing another movie, his first since "It Might Get Loud." That documentary covers what inspired three guys from different backgrounds and with different motivations all to the same instrument. Guggenheim's new directorial effort, "Waiting for Superman," is scheduled to make its world premiere as it competes at next month's Sundance Film Festival.
Oh, the topic? Guggenheim documents flaws in the education system (see http://thefilmstage.com/2009/12/02/sundance-announces-competition-films-for-2010-festival/), a topic far removed from the guitar documentary. Not that anybody was expecting the man behind "An Inconvenient Truth" to keep on churning out Page-centric movies for the rest of his career or anything, but they did a fine job on the one. "It Might Get Loud," by the way, is available for download on iTunes this coming Tuesday and is also headed to theaters in England next month.
On the Plant side, Raising Sand producer T Bone Burnett has landed himself a regular gig as executive musical producer for a TV show. This press release explains what the show "Tough Trade" is all about, but the point is this would certainly detract from any time he would have available to produce the next album with Robert Plant and Alison Krauss.
You have to wonder how long ago Burnett knew he wouldn't have another Plant/Krauss album in the hopper. As of January, they were in pre-production with Burnett on board. As of July and August, they were still in pre-production but with Burnett's future on the project hanging in the balance. Krauss said they didn't want their second album to sound the same and weren't sure if Burnett would be back on the project again after all. Now, with this TV show gig, Burnett's a little busy to be devoting time to a new album.
As reported by LedZeppelinNews.com, Plant's been spotted in the studio recording some demos with U2 producer Daniel Lanois, although it hasn't been publicly revealed why they were together. My personal opinion, and I'll be clear that this is a guess only, is that Plant is checking Lanois out as a possible producer for a new album with Krauss. Plant's taking the reins while Krauss is busy with Union Station for the next year or so. Any recording Plant has done with singer Trixie Whitley may have been intended for Plant to test out what his voice sounds like with that of a female singer under the production of Lanois. If Krauss isn't ready to move forward in the direction Plant likes, he might decide to keep Trixie Whitley and record with her.
Also, it's possible Plant and Krauss were discussing music this week. He's been spotted in Nashville a few times recently, including once this week with Krauss at Bongo Java -- this reported spotting came from a source using Twitter. As for what they're up to, and what Buddy Miller may or may not have to do it all, this is all just conjecture here.

Robert Plant performs second gig with Buddy Miller in San Francisco; circumstances may hint toward Plant's next project

Robert Plant was spotted by a photographer at a mall in Malibu, Calif., for this photo printed by British tabloid The Sun on Sept. 29. Yet four hundred miles from Malibu, Plant made his third and fourth onstage performances all year long in a single weekend. Both times, he played with Nashville session musician Buddy Miller over the weekend in San Francisco, including at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival yesterday.

The San Francisco Chronicle on Sept. 27 highlighted a complete lineup of performers who were scheduled to appear over three days at the free concert at Speedway Meadow in Golden Gate Park. Almost prophetically, Robert Plant's name did appear in the middle of it all, though not as a scheduled performer.

Update: Footage from the show

He was mentioned only as someone with whom Miller, the expert sideman, has recently played. Other names touted in this capacity were John Fogerty, Alison Krauss and Emmylou Harris. Interestingly, though, the authors called Miller "a magnet for guests on his set."

During Miller's 11:45 a.m. set on the Towers of Gold stage, Plant was one of two special guests who appeared. He was brought in "to unleash his leather lung wail on the Hank Snow standard 'I'm Movin' On,'" according to Aidan Vaziri in the San Francisco Chronicle. There's also a remark attributed to Plant in the article: "This is like going to school for me."

As for Miller's other onstage guest during his festival set, Vaziri reports that Emmylou Harris, who later concluded the night with her own set, joined Miller in singing his "Wide River to Cross." Although Miller's tour dates don't reflect it on his own Web site, he'll be accompanying Harris on tour all this month, opening for her.

Plant had also performed in San Francisco on Friday night at a charity show where Miller performed as part of the backing band for Boz Scaggs. Twitter user Stax provided some information about this earlier appearance: "Plant sang several songs with Buddy's band and later sat in with Boz Scaggs and the Blue Velvet Band (with James Cotton). Plant was visibly excited to be sharing the stage with Cotton, singing Jimmy Reed's 'Baby what you want me to do.' To answer your question, yes, one of the songs Plant played with Buddy was 'What You Gonna Do, Leroy.'"

Last year, while Plant and Krauss began their world tour in support of their album Raising Sand, Miller was the capable guitarist at stage right for every show. He did not perform on their album, but Plant did appear on the disc released this March by Buddy and Julie Miller, Written in Chalk.

A year ago, Plant issued a statement saying he would not tour for two years and would not partake in any recording sessions with Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones or Jason Bonham. At the time, Led Zeppelin reunion rumors were widely reported in the press, even with one account claiming Plant had agreed to participate in a Zep reunion tour.

Progress on a follow-up album has been the subject of some confusion in recent months. In an interview published in the Sunday Express this August, Krauss was so unsure of how to describe their album because it evidently hadn't yet been recorded and the personnel hadn't yet been nailed down for sure. The Sunday Express's Charlotte Heathcote reported that Plant and Krauss hadn't "even decided whether they should ask influential producer T-Bone Burnett, who gave Raising Sand its stripped-back sound, back on board."

The only date currently on Krauss's official tour schedule is Oct. 12, when she and her band, Union Station, are to perform during the Rounder Records 40th Anniversary Celebration at the Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville. There is no official word on whether Plant will be in Nashville to attend Rounder's celebration.

(Coincidentally, John Paul Jones is scheduled to appear in Nashville exactly one week earlier; he and Them Crooked Vultures are booked for a show at the War Memorial, the band's first show outside of Austin for this tour. From Nashville, the band heads directly to Columbus, Ohio, for a show the following night.)

Over the summer, Krauss and Union Station were recording a new album. A Rounder spokesperson confirmed to LedZeppelinNews.com in June that Krauss was planning to tour with Union Station in 2010.

Robert Plant to join Buddy Miller onstage in San Francisco tonight; John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham also gigging in U.S. this evening

Boz Scaggs is hosting the second of two charity gigs in San Francisco tonight, and word was released only hours in advance that Robert Plant would be making an appearance.

Plant will be sitting in on a song with Buddy Miller, a Nashville native and recent recipient of multiple Americana awards. Miller was part of the touring band that accompanied Plant and Alison Krauss worldwide last year.

Plant really seems to have caught the Buddy Miller bug. Last July, they recorded a track together backstage at one of their gigs. It appeared this March on Buddy's latest album with his wife, Julie Miller. But before that, on Sept. 18, 2008, Plant and Buddy Miller played their song together in front of an audience during their first onstage appearance without Krauss.

The only other times Plant has graced a stage this year were on April 25 at a Womad concert in Abu Dhabi and on Sept. 11 at a charity concert in London, both times with Justin Adams, formerly Plant's guitarist in the Strange Sensation, and Adams's latest touring companion, Gambian musician Juldeh Camara.

Buddy Miller has been doing a lot of things too. The poor guy, who had a heart attack last year, is said to be pulling long hours working every week and suffering from the affliction of not knowing how to say no to people.

But judging from the vacant touring schedule currently shown at www.buddyandjulie.com, he hasn't had anything scheduled since July. This may mean Miller's date book is wide open if Plant suggests they do something a little more permanent together than just tonight's one song at the charity gig.

The other possibility is that Miller simply hasn't gotten his scheduled gigs up on that site and he really is booked. For instance, in addition to assisting Boz Scaggs this week, he's booked to appear at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival tomorrow. There, just as tonight and last night, Miller's part of Boz Scaggs & the Blue Velvet Band, which also features blues harmonica player James Cotton among others. They play at the Rooster Stage at 2:30 p.m. tomorrow, and the festival is a free three-day concert at Speedway Meadow in Golden Gate Park. Who knows if Plant may show up there too!

Plant's impromptu appearance in San Francisco tonight could not have come on a more interesting night, which is also seeing Jason Bonham at the Mirage in Las Vegas with Slash and Friends, plus John Paul Jones playing twice in one day at the Austin City Limits Festival in Texas: first with Sara Watkins (as confirmed by LedZeppelinNews.com in advance of the set) and second with Them Crooked Vultures. I have been following all three of these events on Twitter tonight.

Buddy Miller, John Fogerty honored at Americana Music Awards

A CD that Robert Plant appears on was named Album of the Year at the 2009 Americana Music Awards ceremony last night.

Multi-instrumentalist and singer Buddy Miller won the Artist of the Year category, while he and his wife Julie Miller picked up Duo/Group of the Year, the category Plant and Alison Krauss claimed a year ago.

Meanwhile, the Buddy and Julie Miller album Written in Chalk received last night's top honor in the Americana Music Association's annual awards ceremony held last night at the Sommet Center in Nashville.

Plant duets with Buddy Miller on one track on that album, "What You Gonna Do Leroy." Also playing lap steel on the track is Gurf Morlix, who was awarded Instrumentalist of the Year.

It was the first time since 2006 that somebody other than Buddy Miller won in that category.

It was another one of Miller's duets on Written in Chalk, with Patty Griffin on the song called "Chalk," that took home Song of the Year. The song was written by Julie Miller.

The Americana Music Association also presented a lifetime achievement award to American rocker John Fogerty. The former Creedence Clearwater Revival singer was on hand to receive the award, one day after performing a surprise set at Nashville's Mercy Lounge.

Miller is among the musicians on Fogerty's latest solo offering, The Blue Ridge Rangers Rides Again. It is the follow-up to a disc of his in 1972.

Plant was not known to be in attendance last night, although it is possible he will rear his head in Nashville again next month as his current record label, Rounder, prepares an evening celebration in honor of the label's 40th anniversary.

Krauss is scheduled to perform with her band, Union Station, at an Oct. 12 event, to be held at the Grand Ole Opry House. The show is to be filmed for an upcoming PBS television special.

As for a second album with Plant and Krauss, it has previously been reported that progress in pre-production this January was sidetracked prior to their Grammy sweep in February.

While Plant was spotted in Nashville midway through the year, a source familiar with behind-the-scenes operations indicated to LedZeppelinNews.com midway through the year that, on one hand, Krauss had "declared a moratorium on all work for 12-18 months with Robert because she wants to do an album and extended tour with Union Station." On the other hand, the source said, Plant was left "frustrated" as he "wants to finish the thing off and be done with it."

The last time Krauss is known to have publicly addressed any further collaboration with Plant came this July, when she commented to the U.K. Telegraph that their second album would "be different, as if we hadn't made the first." The writer of that article said Plant and Krauss had only "listening meetings about potential material" pertaining to their next musical project together.

Robert Plant guest vocal on Buddy & Julie Miller album now available

Robert Plant's guest vocal on Buddy and Julie Miller's song "What You Gonna Do Leroy" is now available for listening and for purchase.

The song, which can be heard in the embedded video above, is available not only on the Millers' album, Written in Chalk, but also as a $0.99 MP3 download.

Buddy Miller, who is recuperating from open heart surgery after a recent heart attack, conducted an interview that is used in an electronic press kit issued by his record label, New West Records (see below).



In the EPK, Miller describes how the collaboration with Plant came about. He says it started with a conversation during Plant's tour last year with Alison Krauss, on which Miller was playing guitar and singing backup:

"Robert just happened to ask, 'Oh, how's it going with the record?' And he said, 'Anything you want me to do? I'm glad to help out. So, I thought about it for a good half-second.

So, I brought out a bunch of mics on the tour, and -- I think it was in Toronto, we had a nice-sized dressing room. So, after our soundcheck at the venue, I asked the guys, 'Hey, can you bring stuff up to the dressing room?' And we moved the pool table out of the way and set up some mics, and he set up a couple of little drums and a bass, and we sang it live, and that's the way it went down. It felt great."

Lyrically, this song echoes the recurring theme present throughout Led Zeppelin's "The Lemon Song," "Black Dog" and "Black Country Woman." Here, again, is the lovestruck protagonist who brings home his hard-earned pay and gives it to the woman who turns around and gives his money to another man. She's spent his money, took his car. She didn't have to leave him a total disgrace. And the guy, all the while, takes it. He has all the evidence before him saying she's been seeing another man, and yet he can't seem to up and quit her. He admits he should have quit her a long time ago.

"What You Gonna Do Leroy," which bears a traditional country sound, adds some new specifics to the plight of the protagonist, whose name in this instance is Leroy. His woman is getting all fancied up to go to the grocery store when the cabinets were already full. And then there's no word from her by the middle of the night, and she hasn't gotten home. Then she announces she's going to leave home to stay with her mother for a week, but her mother can't confirm this. But instead of leaving this woman (or, perhaps, dumping this never-ending, nagging, doubting woman for another -- for instance, her sister), Leroy finds it sufficient to keep on loving her. His refrain: "Whatcha gonna do when you love a woman like that?"

Miller and Plant trade vocals on the track, sharing and trading off lines and verses. They are joined by fellow touring mates Jay Bellerose on drums, Dennis Crouch on bass, and Stuart Duncan on fiddle. Adding lap steel to the track is Gurf Morlix, who once said the following about Plant:

"My theory is if we could somehow remove Robert Plant from the fabric of time, it would therefore remove all the heavy metal stuck-pig-squealing vocals we've been subjected to over the years. Robert Plant was possibly the single most powerful influence on heavy metal. Now, I actually like Robert. I loved the first few Led Zeppelin albums a lot. I think he currently makes good music. He sings well, and is so at ease on stage. He seems very comfortable in his body. I have a lot of respect for Robert.

"We are, of course, speaking hypothetically about cause and effect. I don't think the effect would be all that good for Robert."

On a final note, I find the varying perceptions of Plant among these American musicians hilarious. For all the fun Plant attests to have playing with American musicians, it's funny to find out what they thought of him before they met -- such as in the case of Mike Seeger, who joined Plant and Krauss in recording the final track on Raising Sand. I'll never forget that Seeger told me he didn't know who Plant was before they met in the studio.

Robert Plant to grace two albums set for release in March

Scott Matthews, who supported Robert Plant and Alison Krauss on tour earlier this year, gets a little help from his friend on his upcoming sophomore album. The disc, which is titled Elsewhere, is expected to be released in March and feature one song Matthews had the pleasure of recording with Plant. It is a piece Matthews wrote called "12 Harps."

It is one of two albums to be released in March that feature guest vocals from Plant.

The Galway Advertiser in Ireland last week published a long interview that mentions several things Matthews has in common with Plant. Besides both being singers from the Black Country and fans of the Wolverhampton Wanderers football club, they share some common musical influences.

Both name Jeff Buckley as a powerful and emotional singer, and Matthews's voice has been compared to the late singer's.

As attributed to Matthews in the Galway Advertiser:

"My dad's record collection had a lot of 1960s classics and my mum liked Motown. ... There was always good music in the house. I got into the guitar and discovered Led Zeppelin. I was really into their acoustic stuff like Led Zeppelin III. I got a lot of inspiration from that and the kind of ethnic stuff they did as well.

"I have some issues with my vocals. ... Maybe it's a little insecurity on my part but a lot of people tell me that my voice suits the kind of music I do. Robert Plant himself said that was one of the things he noticed and that he really liked my voice. That was such a good thing to hear and a real boost to my confidence.

"I got to know him before recording the second album and I had a song in mind for him called '12 Harps.' It has leanings towards acoustic Led Zeppelin with mandolins. For me to be singing in the same room with Robert Plant - I was so scared. With [Jimmy] Page, [John Paul] Jones, and [John] Bonham behind him, what he did with his voice back then in Zeppelin is pretty untouchable. The sheer range and dynamic he’s got. He’s 60 now and his voice is more mature and has a real resonance in it. It's one of the stand out tracks on the album!"

Starting tonight, Matthews plays three consecutive nights throughout Ireland, and he says he hopes to play a lot of his new material. He is booked to play at Dolans in Limerick tonight, at Roisin Dubh in Galway tomorrow, at the Spirit Store in Louth on Dec. 6, and at Auntie Annie's in Belfast, Northern Ireland on Dec. 8.

The other track Plant has recorded for another album set to drop in March is called "What You Gonna Do, Leroy." It will be included on Buddy and Julie Miller's Written in Chalk, due March 3 on New West Records.

The track is described in a Dec. 2 press release as "a swampy stomp written by Mel Tillis and originally performed by Lefty Frizzell."

Plant joined Miller onstage on Sept. 18 for a live performance of that song.

This year, Buddy Miller played guitar and pedal steel backing Plant and Alison Krauss on their Raising Sand tour. While Plant and Krauss earned Americana awards in September for Album of the Year and Duo/Group of the Year, Miller earned his own Americana award for Instrumentalist of the Year.