Legendary rocker - Robert Plant (replete with curly locks and pasty face due to unflattering stage lighting at the Ed Sullivan Theatre) - delighted fans and viewers alike last night when he sat down for a down-to-earth chat with late night talk show host Dave Letterman.
When asked about his musical roots, Plant moaned that radio in the 50's was pretty dire.
Consequently, he relied on innovative new sounds emanating out of Germany during that time frame, for inspiration.
Plant confessed that he was also initially influenced by Muddy Waters and the Memphis Blues.
He excitedly recalled that when he first heard - Heartbreak Hotel - the soulful quality of Elvis's voice resonated to the very core of his being.
On that note, Dave quizzed Plant about crossing paths with Elvis decades ago, during the early days of his heady career.
"We were invited up to his suite at this well-known Hotel. There were a couple of Gorillas guarding the door. The suite was something out of Get Smart, 'ya know - one room leading into another - that sort of thing. And, there were these babes with bee-hive hairdos - who all looked like Sandra Dee and Stella Stevens - hanging around the Hotel suite," he laughingly recalled with a smidgen of humor in his distinctive voice.
As to Elvis, well, that was quite a memorable meet-and-greet.
"Actually, when he stepped out of the bedroom, he sort-of glided towards me and gave the best Elvis impression he ever performed on stage," Plant joked in so many words.
According to Plant, Elvis was smooth, sensual, and debonair in person.
The musician noted that today he is greatly influenced by fok music and the Smokey Mountain sounds, which he asserted to Letterman, originated from Ireland and Scotland when immigrants first settled on U.S. Shores.
Not surprisingly, his number last night on stage was pretty easy-going and low-key.
Mellowing with age?
Ah, it happens to the best of us, eh?
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One of my favorite bands in sixties!
