The death of John Bonham in September 1980 not only wrote the final chapter for Led Zeppelin, but it also made Robert Plant, the band’s lead singer, question whether he wanted to continue with music at all. Plant had already lost much of his passion for the rock and roll lifestyle in the wake of the death of his son Karac in 1977. Bonham’s death just furthered his ambivalence.
Plant was so disillusioned that he actually applied for a program that would have allowed him to become a teacher. But Professor Plant would have to wait. A few musician friends of his managed to jar him from his funk by reconnecting him to what he loved about music in the first place.
The Honeydrippers, which consisted of Plant and a bunch of musicians that had already played together some before he joined, took on a series of live shows in 1981. They played gigs unannounced in the UK so they wouldn’t draw attention. And instead of hard rock, they stuck to old blues, R&B, and classic rock and roll covers.
Both of those records largely backed away from the heavier style of Led Zep, instead concentrating on moodier, mid-tempo songs characterized by Plant’s questing, introspective lyrics. Neither album was a big hit, although they received plenty of critical acclaim.
But then a funny thing happened to resurrect The Honeydrippers. The famed record executive Ahmet Ertegun came up with the idea of a project that would include covers much like what The Honeydrippers played on their low-key ’81 tour. He contacted Plant, who agreed to record a mini-album (five songs) under The Honeydrippers banner.
