Queen Elizabeth II has named Robert Plant for an honorary title, according to reports. Led Zeppelin's former singer was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire, or CBE, in a list of honors released today.
He becomes the second member of Led Zeppelin to be named by the queen for a rank in the Order of the British Empire. In 2005, she bestowed a lesser honor upon Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page in 2005, naming him an Officer of the Order of the British Empire, or OBE.
So, Plant has made it onto a list of honorees. The queen names those who are to be given these titles, and there's an actual ceremony held later when the honorees hobnob with the royals. You can just picture this occasion in your mind.
Rarely have people ever refused royal honors. Might Robert Plant become one of them?
Plant has snubbed awards ceremonies in the past, but not showing up to the Grammys when he's been nominated or even guaranteed a Lifetime Achievement Award is one thing. A royal honor is another, and he knows this: He did show up alongside Page and John Paul Jones in Sweden in May 2006 to pick up the Polar Music Award honoring Led Zeppelin. That award comes from the Swedish royals.
Will it be any different when the Queen wants to meet up with Plant and congratulate him firsthand? Plant's not exactly a fan of the Royal Family, and he's made jokes about them in the past. But this may just be the time to swallow hard for a few minutes and go bask in an honor that not everybody gets in a lifetime.
Update, Jan. 7, 2009: Kevyn Gammond, who played guitar in the Band of Joy with Plant and John Bonham in 1966-1968 and then for Priory of Brion with Plant in 1999-2000, says Plant's honor is "very deserved" and "great news." Gammond, who is now a lecturer at Kidderminster College in England and founder of Mighty Atom Smasher (MAS) Records, told hometown paper The Shuttle that Plant "has done a great deal for many charities and organizations."
Update, Jan. 30, 2009: Plant reveals in a new interview why, after sufficient internal debate, he has opted to accept the title bestowed upon him by the queen.
Jason Bonham
Jason Bonham, son of the late John "Bonzo" Bonham, does not take lightly the responsibility of carrying on his father's legacy. Having made a head start at drumming while he was a child, Jason is now passing on the same lessons to a third generation of Bonham drummers.
John Bonham's death in 1980 left such an impact on the surviving members of Led Zeppelin that they knew immediately they could not continue as they were. Yet Jason Bonham's familiarity with the band made him a shoe-in to join his father's bandmates on the few occasions reunion concerts have taken place.
This year marked the 20th anniversary of Bonham's most successful album release to date, the Platinum-certified disc The Disregard of Timekeeping released by his band, Bonham. To mark the milestone, he recently toured with a new band and played under the banner of "An Evening with Jason Bonham."
In the past, Bonham has also toured and/or recorded with Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, Foreigner, UFO, Paul Rodgers, Joe Bonamassa, Virginia Wolf, Airrace, Healing Sixes and Motherland. He also acted in the movie Rock Star and appeared on the reality TV show "SuperGroup."
- What's the latest on Jason Bonham?
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Robert Plant becomes Led Zeppelin's second member honored by queen
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John Paul Jones is now in one of the hottest and hardest rock bands, Them Crooked Vultures. The frontman, handling lead guitar and vocals, is Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age. Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters is on drums. As for Jones, he offers not only bass and keyboard but also mandolin, keytar, lap steel and whatever else is needed.
One album was released in November, and another is forthcoming. A tour of North America completed in November, and the band now heads to Europe in December and Australia in January.
- What's the latest on Them Crooked Vultures, the group featuring John Paul Jones, Dave Grohl and Josh Homme?
- What else is John Paul Jones up to?
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I doubt Robert intends to refuse it since it's been announced on his official site.
ReplyDeleteOh, I hadn't noticed it was listed there. It doesn't surprise me though; Sam Rapallo updates all the official sites for Led Zeppelin, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones now, and he stays up-to-date with "official" news like that. But just because this is something Sam thought would be fitting for Robert's Web site doesn't guarantee anything about Robert's mindset.
ReplyDeletePeople who are nominated for honours are sent a letter asking if they will accept way before the list gets publicly announced.
ReplyDeleteRobert would have already accepted sometime in November. So there is no likelihood of him refusing it now.