Severe Tropical Cyclone Waka (Fiji Meteorological Service designation: 03F, Joint Typhoon Warning Center designation: 07P) was one of the most destructive tropical cyclones ever to affect the South Pacific Kingdom of Tonga. Waka originated within the near-equatorial trough in mid-December 2001, although the system remained disorganized for more than a week. The storm gradually matured and attained tropical cyclone status on December 29. Subsequently, Waka underwent rapid intensification in which it attained its peak intensity as a Category 4 severe tropical cyclone (Australian tropical cyclone intensity scale) on December 31, with winds of . Shortly thereafter, it passed directly over Vavaʻu, Tonga, resulting in widespread damage. By January 1, 2002, the cyclone began to weaken as it underwent an extratropical transition. The remnants of Waka persisted for several more days and were last observed near the Southern Ocean on January 6, 2002.

Although the storm affected several countries along its path, Waka left the most significant losses in Tonga, where it killed one person and wrought 104.2 million paʻanga ($51.3 million USD) in damage. Hundreds of structures, including 200 in the island's largest city, and much of the nation's agriculture were destroyed. Winds in excess of  battered Vava'u, defoliating nearly every tree on the island. In addition to infrastructural and public losses, the environment was also severely affected; a native species of bat lost roughly 80% of its population due to the lack of fruit. Following the storm, Tonga requested international aid to cope with the scale of damage. Due to the severity of damage, the name Waka was later retired and replaced with Wiki. According to a study by Janet Franklin et al., storms similar in intensity to Waka, on average, strike Tonga once every 33 years.

Meteorological history

In mid-December 2001, at the end of a Madden–Julian oscillation pulse, twin equatorial monsoonal troughs developed in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres. Although warm sea surface temperatures of  in the region favored development of a tropical cyclone, the southern trough developed substantially slower than the northern one. On December 19, the southern component was classified as Tropical Depression 03F by the Fiji Meteorological Service; at this time the depression was situated just east of the Solomon Islands. The northern component eventually developed into Typhoon Faxai, an extremely powerful Category 5 equivalent cyclone. Unlike Faxai, the precursor to Cyclone Waka developed slowly, mainly because of moderate wind shear in the region. Moving southeastward, the system gradually became more organized. On two occasions, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert; however, the agency later canceled them both times. By December 27, the depression had entered a region of lesser shear, favoring significant development of the system. The following day, the JTWC classified the system as Tropical Depression 07P, when the storm was situated roughly  northwest of Pago Pago, American Samoa.

Tracking towards the southwest in response to a mid-level ridge to the southeast, the depression quickly intensified, attaining gale-force winds on December 29. Upon doing so, it was upgraded to a tropical cyclone and given the name Waka. Shortly thereafter, the storm underwent rapid intensification; roughly 24 hours after being named, Waka attained sustained winds of . During December 30, the center of the storm brushed Wallis Island before turning towards the southeast and accelerating due to an approaching trough from the northwest. Continuing to intensify, Waka passed directly over Niuafo'ou on December 31 with winds of . Later that day, the cyclone attained its peak intensity as a Category 4 severe tropical cyclone with ten-minute sustained winds of 185 km/h (115 km/h) and a barometric pressure of 930 mbar (hPa; ). The JTWC assessed the storm to have attained similar one-minute sustained winds upon peaking; however, this was due to discrepancies between the two warning centers. At this time, Waka displayed a well-defined, circular eye roughly  in diameter. Shortly after attaining its peak intensity, the center of Waka passed over Vava'u.

Continuing into the new year, Waka gradually weakened on January 1, 2002, as it entered a less favorable region for tropical cyclones. As a result, wind shear displaced convection from the center and its eyewall broke apart. Moving over decreasing sea surface temperatures, Waka began to undergo an extratropical transition, which it completed on January 2. Tracking southeastward, the remnant cyclone briefly slowed over open waters before again accelerating. Over the following few days, the system gradually weakened, with sustained winds decreasing below gale-force by January 5. The storm was last noted on January 6 near the Southern Ocean, about  north-northwest of Antarctica, at which time it had a pressure of .

Preparations and impact

Tonga
On December 30, just a day before Waka passed through Tonga, warnings were issued for numerous islands, including parts of Fiji and Samoa. Forecasts showed the storm passing directly over the low-lying Tongan capital of Nuku'alofa as a Category 3 cyclone. Owing to warnings from local media, all New Year's Eve celebrations were canceled as residents and tourists boarded up their homes. All airports in the region were shut down and ferry service was suspended. Many residents on the small island of Niuafo'ou, about  in size, evacuated to other islands prior to Waka's arrival.

When the storm was moving through the islands of Tonga at peak strength, a few islands recorded hurricane-force winds; the city of Neiafu measured the strongest winds, peaking at . In the southern islands, wind gusts up to  affected isolated areas. In the Haʻapai islands, sustained winds reached  and gusted to . Heavy rains also fell during Waka's passage, amounting to over  in Haʻapai.

Initial reports from Nukuʻalofa on December 31 indicated severe agricultural damage but few infrastructural losses. Following the passage of Waka, communication with Niuas and Vava'u were lost. According to local reports, high winds sandblasted Neiafu and downed nearly every tree. Surveys by the Red Cross revealed that roughly 200 homes in the city were severely damaged or destroyed and those left standing lost their roofs. Vava'u lost roughly 90% of its crops, including essential food crops such as taro, yams and bananas. In Ha'apai, one person died from cardiac arrest brought on by the storm. Fallen trees blocked numerous roads; power and water supplies were also interrupted to most residents. Severe damage also took place on Niuatoputapu where coastal homes were impacted by Waka's storm surge and several structures lost their roofs. In one instance, a yacht was brought onshore by the surge and crashed into a restaurant, destroying both.

According to damage surveys, 13 of the country's islands sustained damage; 470 homes and 6 schools were destroyed and hundreds more damaged. Damage throughout Tonga amounted to 104.2 million paʻanga ($51.3 million USD). In addition to infrastructural and public damage, the environment sustained catastrophic losses on Tonga. The Insular Flying Fox (Pteropus tonganus), a native species of bat, suffered great losses from Waka. Compared to pre-cyclone population levels, 79.8% (±9.9%) of the species was killed across six islands. This was due to widespread destruction of their natural food source, which decreased by 85% (±11.8%) following Waka. Trees across Vava'u were completely defoliated, although only 6.6% were killed, leaving no food for the bats. The greatest decline in bats was on Utula'aina Island at 95.7%; A'a Island sustained a complete loss of food-bearing plants. Six months after the storm, the bat population in Vava'u was still only 20% of the pre-storm level.

Elsewhere
During the cyclone's formative stages, it brought significant winds and swells to Tokelau, resulting in localized flooding and crop damage. American Samoa also experienced heavy rains, amounting to , and gusts up to . The winds downed a few trees and caused minor crop damage, with losses amounting to US$120,000. Large swells affected the island for roughly a week as the storm developed and moved away from the region. Cyclone Waka also affected Wallis and Futuna, prompting tropical cyclone watches and warnings from December 28 to 31, and later impacted Niue, prompting warnings there from December 30 to January 1. On Wallis Island, one home was destroyed and 50% of the banana crop was lost. A maximum of  of rain fell in Hihifo during the passage of Waka. A wind gust of  and swells up to  were recorded in Wallis. Niue received more significant damage, experiencing a storm surge of up to  and sea spray up to  inland. Numerous fallen trees and power lines blocked roads and left southern areas of the island without power for roughly six hours. Damage in Niue amounted to US$10,000.

After moving through the Tongan islands, the remnants of Waka brought large swells, estimated up to , to the North Island of New Zealand. Thousands of residents and tourists were in the region following the New Year's holiday. Meteorologists warned that the oceans would be increasingly dangerous and advised people not to venture into the water. Every lifeguard in Whangamatā, as well as former lifeguards, were called in to assist in keeping an estimated 8,000 people out of the water. Although most people stayed within a designated swimming area, several rescues had to be made. Rip currents also pulled 38 people out to sea in Mount Maunganui Main Beach; all were quickly rescued by lifeguards.

Aftermath

Within a day of Cyclone Waka's passage in Tonga, the Government of New Zealand deployed an aircraft to survey the scale of damage and reestablish contact with the Tongan Islands. This aircraft was sent in accordance with the FRANZ Agreement, enacted in 1992, which states that assets from one country would be used in relief operations. On January 2, the head of Tonga's Disaster Office announced that they would likely need international assistance to recover from the storm. Due to the substantial damage to agriculture, food shortages were expected to impact the region over the following months. By January 7, the Red Cross began sending supplies to Tonga. Hundreds of tents and tarpaulins were brought in by an Australian AC-130 to help with the recovery process. On January 12, a New Zealand Lockheed C-130 Hercules carrying US$700,000 worth of supplies flew to the area to deliver aid. An additional US$700,000 was given in relief funds to repair damage wrought by the storm. Of this, US$500,000 would be used to repair schools that were damaged or destroyed and the remaining US$200,000 would be used for emergency lighting, cooking and food supply recovery.

Further funds came from the United States Agency for International Development, which offered US$25,000 by mid-January. The French Polynesian assembly in Tahiti also provided US$770,000 worth of relief supplies and aid. The main industry of Tonga, tourism, was devastated by the storm as no tourists were allowed to travel to the region for at least two weeks after Waka's passage. The Government of Tonga requested a total of US$39.2 million in international aid, most of which was dedicated to rehabilitation of infrastructure. Medical supplies and personnel were later deployed by the World Health Organization. In early March, a relief fund based on donations was set up by the United Methodist Committee on Relief to provide US$210,000 for 30 families impacted by the storm. About 180 people were given assistance in rebuilding their homes by the Church World Service later that month. As food shortages became severe in April, emergency supplies were sent to the outlying Niuas islands of Tonga. In May, US$5.85 million was approved for emergency funds by the World Bank to assist in infrastructural rehabilitation.

Vava'u suffered a tremendous decrease in agricultural exports due to Waka, dropping 86.5% from the previous year. Despite substantial agricultural losses, the sector ended up expanding roughly 2% by the end of 2002 and the overall economy grew by 2.9%. Owing to the severity of damage wrought by the cyclone, the World Meteorological Organization retired the name Waka following its using.

See also

2001–02 South Pacific cyclone season

References
General

Specific

External links

2001–02 South Pacific cyclone season
Category 4 South Pacific cyclones
Tropical cyclones in New Zealand
Tropical cyclones in Tonga
Tropical cyclones in Wallis and Futuna
2001 in Tonga
2002 in Tonga
2001 in Niue
2002 in Niue
2001 in Wallis and Futuna
Retired South Pacific cyclones
Tropical cyclones in Tokelau
Tropical cyclones in American Samoa
Tropical cyclones in Niue
Tropical cyclones in 2001

Cyclone Waka


The American Woolen Company Foxcroft Mill or Mayo & Son Woolen Mill is a group of seven historic buildings and three structures on East Main Street in downtown Dover-Foxcroft, Maine. The district is located on . The Foxcroft Mill is located on the west side of the Piscataquis River, which flows through downtown Dover-Foxcroft. The buildings were built between 1844 and 1941, and have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

History
The mill site has an industrial history dating to 1822, although the oldest surviving element of it, a foundation, dates to the 1844 mill built by James Mayo and several partners.  Over the next century it went through a number of ownership changes, and the complex grew to include all of the surviving buildings by 1941.  During this time the mill was one of the major employers in the region, producing woolen cloth which was carried by cart (and later truck) to the nearest railroad depot.  The oldest standing buildings in the complex are wood frame storage buildings, one dated to c. 1879 with Italianate styling, and a second whose date of construction is uncertain, but predates 1882.  One of the most unusual buildings is the 1908 concrete mill building, which is 23 bays long and three large bays wide.  It is one of the earliest known uses of concrete as a structural building material in the state.  The last building to be built, the 1941 storage and shipping building, was built on the foundations of Mayo's original 1844 mill, which was demolished to make way for it.

On December 11, 1946, an elevator dropped 35 feet at the mill, after which the cables and other items crashed through the roof. Two people were killed and 10 others were injured.

The textile business was shut down in 1953, and the complex was sold to Moosehead Manufacturing, which manufactured wood products (mostly furniture) on the premises.  That business closed in 2007.  The complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012.

In 2014, the complex saw major renovations done and was rebranded as "The Mill at Dover-Foxcroft". The renovations, which include the addition of both commercial and residential space, were the largest private sector investments in Piscataquis County, Maine in decades.

See also

National Register of Historic Places listings in Piscataquis County, Maine

References

External links
 official web site

Dover-Foxcroft, Maine
Textile mills in Maine
Industrial buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Maine
National Register of Historic Places in Piscataquis County, Maine
Woollen mills
American Woolen Company
Economy of Piscataquis County, Maine

American Woolen Company Foxcroft Mill


Cuce (Cyrillic: Цуце, ) is a historical tribe (pleme) and region in Montenegro, located in the area of the Katunska nahija from Old Montenegro.

History
The toponym Cuce is first mentioned in 1431 in documents from Kotor, then again in a chrysobull of the Cetinje Monastery from the end of the 15th century. In Ottoman defters from 1521 and 1523, Cuce is mentioned as a village. The majority of inhabitants migrated to Cuce in the 16th and 17th century, from Old Herzegovina and Old Kuči. In 1718, after the Peace of Passarowitz, the Cuce along with 9 other tribes of the Katun nahiya, became de facto independent from the Ottoman Empire.

In 1829 Bjelice struggled against Ozrinići and Cuce, two neighboring tribes, and Petar I Petrović-Njegoš sent Sima Milutinović Sarajlija and Mojsije to negotiate peace among them.

Smail-aga Cengic wrote a letter in 1838 to Njegos, complaining about the Cuce who had raided Ottoman territory.

Traditionally, the Vojvode (Dukes) of tribe were from the House of Krivokapić and the Serdari (Counts) were from the House of Perović. In the case of lower Cuce, Knez (Prince) Rogan founded the House of Roganović.

Anthropology
Jovan Cvijić extensively studied the tribes of Old Montenegro. Cuce are divided into Upper Cuce and Lower Cuce. Most of the inhabitants of Upper Cuce descend from Herzegovina, while the inhabitants of Lower Cuce generally descend from the Kuči tribe.

Kovači
Kovačevići
Krivokapići, brotherhood originally from Old Herzegovina
Banićevići
Šakići
Zviceri, originally from Old Kuči
Simovići
Živkovići
Mijanovići
Perovići
Đuričići (oldest family in Cuce)
Vujadinovići
Roganovići
Bigovići
Markovići
Stevovići
Ćosovići
Perišići
Popovići
Jovovići
Ivanovići, brotherhood originally from Old Herzegovina, descending from Šćepan Ivanov; today all four brotherhoods are included in the Krivokapići; slava of St. Nicholas
Mijatovići
Ivanovići
Zukovići
Đukanovići, base in Krajište
Đurovići
Cucovići
Otaševići
Tomanovići, originally from Old Kuči
Pešikan

The Djer-didije is a dance of the Cuce.

People
Nikac Tomanović, Montenegrin chief
Slavko Perović, famous Montenegrin politician.
Ilarion Roganović, Metropolitan of Montenegro (1860-1882)
Knez (Prince) Rogan, Montenegrin clan chief of Lower Cuce & eponymous founder of house Roganović
Krsto Zrnov Popović, leader of the 1919 Christmas Uprising
Radovan Krivokapić, Montenegrin football player
Miodrag Krivokapić, former Montenegrin football player
Goran Krivokapić, Montenegrin classical guitarist
Miodrag Živković (politician), Montenegrin politician
Zdravko Krivokapić, Montenegrin politician
Dragoljub Đuričić, prominent Serbian and Montenegrin musician
Miko Đuričić, prominent Montenegrin photographer
Nenad Knežević Knez, popular Montenegrin singer, by ancestry
Ranko Krivokapić, Montenegrin politician, by ancestry
Miodrag Krivokapić, Serbian actor; by paternal ancestry
Boris Krivokapić, Serbian professor of Public International Law and Human rights and author; by paternal ancestry
Milorad Krivokapic, Serbian-Hungarian handballer; by paternal ancestry
Milorad Krivokapić, former Montenegrin water polo player, by ancestry
Petar Banićević, Montenegrin actor
Ana Pešikan, former minister of science and technology in the Government of Serbia
Blažo Pešikan, former Montenegrin footballer

References

External links
Branko Krivokapić: Crnogorsko Pleme Cuce, O Sebi i Drugima

Tribes of Montenegro

Cuce


Albemarle Sound () is a large estuary on the coast of North Carolina in the United States located at the confluence of a group of rivers, including the Chowan and Roanoke. It is separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Currituck Banks, a barrier peninsula upon which the town of Kitty Hawk is located, at the eastern edge of the sound, and part of the greater Outer Banks region.  Roanoke Island is situated at the southeastern corner of the sound, where it connects to Pamlico Sound. Much of the water in the Albemarle Sound is brackish or fresh, as opposed to the saltwater of the ocean, as a result of river water pouring into the sound.

Some small portions of the Albemarle have been given their own "sound" names to distinguish these bodies of water from other parts of the large estuary. The Croatan Sound, for instance, lies between mainland Dare County and Roanoke Island. The water bordering the eastern shore of the island to the Outer Banks is commonly referred to as Roanoke Sound (this is also a historical name for the entire body of water now known as Albemarle Sound). The long stretch of water from near the Virginia state line south to around the Currituck County southern boundary is known as the Currituck Sound.

Albemarle Sound forms part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. Early English colonists, mostly migrants from Virginia, settled along its in the first permanent European settlements in what became North Carolina; these were known as the English Albemarle Settlements. Many inland Tidewater communities along the Albemarle today are classified as part of the Inner Banks region of the state.

History
The indigenous Pamlico and their ancestors lived in the region for thousands of years. They traveled the sound in dugout canoes, and trapped fish. The Pamlico often set up seasonal fishing camps for this purpose, retreating inland in winter weather.

In 1586 the first European explorers sailed up the  length of the Albemarle Sound. Half a century later, the first European settlers came south from Virginia, establishing agricultural and trading colonies along the shores of the Sound. The Albemarle Sound soon became an important thoroughfare: small trading ships called coasters carried cargo to and from other colonies, and larger merchant ships brought spices, silks, and sugars from the West Indies in exchange for products such as tobacco (a major export of the southern colonies), herring, and lumber.

In 1663, King Charles II of England designated Albemarle Sound as part of the Province of Carolina; it was assigned to eight Lords Proprietors. One of these royal beneficiaries was George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle, for whom the sound is named.

Ferries were a common method of transportation through the swamps surrounding the Albemarle Sound throughout the history of the region. One ferry that linked the towns of Edenton and Mackeys, North Carolina, continued in service from 1734 to 1938, when a bridge was built across the Sound. Another, longer bridge of more than  in length was built in 1990.

Fishing was a major industry in the Albemarle Sound from the colonial period. In late spring, when the fish runs started, planters set enslaved workers to fish for shad, striped bass, and herring. Fishermen sometimes had enormous nets, with some more than a mile (1600 m) long, and they were frequently staffed 24 hours a day. Herring was cut and salted for export to Europe, while shad was packed in ice and shipped up the Chowan River to be sold in northern colonies.

In more recent times of the twentieth century, regional striped bass tournaments attracted sports fishermen to the area. This was considered by many to be the greatest striped bass fishery in the world. But water pollution from industry, agriculture and other development in recent years has depleted the fisheries of the Albemarle Sound by seventy percent.

See also
 Museum of the Albemarle
 CSS Albemarle
 USS Albemarle (AV-5)

References

External links

 Elizabeth City Area Convention & Visitors Bureau

Sound
Estuaries of North Carolina
Roanoke River
Bodies of water of Dare County, North Carolina
Bodies of water of Currituck County, North Carolina
Bodies of water of Chowan County, North Carolina
Bodies of water of Washington County, North Carolina
Bodies of water of Camden County, North Carolina
Bodies of water of Pasquotank County, North Carolina
Bodies of water of Perquimans County, North Carolina
Bodies of water of Tyrrell County, North Carolina
Bodies of water of Hyde County, North Carolina
Sounds of North Carolina

Albemarle Sound


Robert Anthony Plant  (born 20 August 1948) is an English singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer and lyricist of the rock band Led Zeppelin from its founding in 1968 until their breakup in 1980; since then he has had a successful solo career, sometimes collaborating with other artists such as Alison Krauss. Regarded by many as one of the greatest singers in rock music, he is known for his flamboyant persona and raw stage performances.

Plant was born and brought up in the West Midlands area of England, where after leaving grammar school he briefly trained as a chartered accountant before leaving home at 16 years old to concentrate on singing with a series of local blues bands, including Band of Joy with John Bonham. In 1968, he was invited by Peter Grant and Jimmy Page to join The Yardbirds, which Grant and Page were attempting to keep going. The new version of The Yardbirds changed their name to Led Zeppelin, and from the late 1960s to the end of the 1970s the band enjoyed considerable success.

Plant developed a compelling image as a charismatic rock-and-roll front man, comparable to contemporaries such as Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones, Roger Daltrey of the Who, Jim Morrison of the Doors, and Freddie Mercury of Queen. After Led Zeppelin dissolved in 1980,  Plant continued to perform and record continuously on a variety of solo and group projects.  His first well known post-Led Zeppelin project was The Honeydrippers, alongside former Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page, among others.  In 1988, he released the solo album Now and Zen, from which came the hit singles "Tall Cool One" and "Ship of Fools".  In the 1990s, another reunion project named Page and Plant released two studio albums and a live album from an MTV Unplugged performance, as well as winning the Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock Performance in 1998 for "Most High". In 2007, Plant began a collaboration with bluegrass artist Alison Krauss, releasing the album Raising Sand, which won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 2009 and produced the hit song "Please Read the Letter", which won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year the same year.  In 2010, he revived the Band of Joy (which shared its name with an early band he performed with in the 1960s), and in 2012 formed a new band, the Sensational Space Shifters, followed by a reunion with Alison Krauss in 2019.

In 1995, Led Zeppelin were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Rolling Stone ranked Plant as one of the 100 best singers of all time (2008); and was the top pick for the greatest lead singer in a 2011 readers poll. Hit Parader named Plant the "Greatest Metal Vocalist of All Time" (2006). Plant was named one of the 50 Great Voices by NPR. In 2009, Plant was voted "the greatest voice in rock" in a poll conducted by UK classic rock radio station Planet Rock. Billboard ranked him number 4 on their list of The 50 Greatest Rock Lead Singers of All Time (2023).

Early life and musical beginnings
Robert Anthony Plant was born on 20 August 1948, in the Black Country town of West Bromwich, Staffordshire, England, to Robert C. Plant, a qualified civil engineer who worked in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, and Annie Celia Plant (née Cain), a Romani woman. He grew up in the Hayley Green area of Halesowen, Worcestershire. Plant gained an interest in singing and rock and roll music at an early age; in an interview with Andrew Denton on the Denton talk show in 1994, Plant stated his desire, as a ten-year-old, to be like Elvis Presley:When I was a kid I used to hide behind the curtains at home at Christmas and I used to try and be Elvis. There was a certain ambience between the curtains and the French windows, there was a certain sound there for a ten-year-old. That was all the ambience I got at ten years old ... And I always wanted to be ... a bit similar to thatHe left King Edward VI Grammar School for Boys in Stourbridge in his mid-teens and developed a strong passion for the blues, mainly through his admiration for Willie Dixon, Robert Johnson and early renditions of songs in this genre.

He abandoned training as a chartered accountant after only two weeks to attend college in an effort to gain more GCE passes and to become part of the English Midlands blues scene. "I left home at 16", he said, "and I started my real education musically, moving from group to group, furthering my knowledge of the blues and of other music which had weight and was worth listening to".

Plant's early blues influences included Johnson, Bukka White, Skip James, Jerry Miller, and Sleepy John Estes. Plant had various jobs while pursuing his music career, one of which was working for the major British construction company Wimpey in Birmingham in 1967 laying tarmac on roads. He also worked at Woolworth's in Halesowen town for a short period of time. He cut three obscure singles on CBS Records and sang with a variety of bands, including the Crawling King Snakes, which brought him into contact with drummer John Bonham. They both went on to play in the Band of Joy, merging blues with newer psychedelic trends.

Led Zeppelin (1968–1980)

Early years

In 1968, guitarist Jimmy Page was in search of a lead singer for his new band and met Plant after being turned down by his first choice, Terry Reid, who referred him to a show at a teacher training college in Birmingham (where Plant was singing in a band named Hobbstweedle). In front of Page, Plant sang Jefferson Airplane's "Somebody to Love", leading Page to end his search. As recalled by Plant and Page:

With a shared passion for music, Plant and Page immediately developed a strong relationship, and began their writing collaboration with reworkings of earlier blues songs.

Initially dubbed the "New Yardbirds" in 1968, the band soon came to be known as Led Zeppelin. The band's eponymous debut album hit the charts in 1969 and is widely credited as a catalyst for the heavy metal genre. Plant has commented that it is unfair for people to think of Zeppelin as heavy metal, as almost a third of their music was acoustic.

In 1975, Plant and his wife Maureen (now divorced) were seriously injured in a car crash in Rhodes, Greece. This significantly affected the production of Led Zeppelin's seventh album Presence for a few months while he recovered, and forced the band to cancel the remaining tour dates for the year.

In July 1977, his son Karac died at the age of five while Plant was on Led Zeppelin's concert tour of the United States. Plant retreated to his home in the Midlands of England and, for months afterward, questioned his future.

Lyrics

Plant began writing song lyrics with Led Zeppelin during the making of Led Zeppelin II, in 1969. According to Jimmy Page:

Plant's lyrics with Led Zeppelin were often mystical, philosophical and spiritual, alluding to events in classical and Norse mythology, such as "Immigrant Song", which refers to Valhalla and Viking conquests. However, the song "No Quarter" is often misunderstood to refer to the god Thor; the song actually refers to Mount Thor (which is named after the god). Another example is "The Rain Song".

Plant was influenced by J. R. R. Tolkien, whose book series inspired lyrics in some early Led Zeppelin songs. Most notably, "The Battle of Evermore", "Misty Mountain Hop", "No Quarter", "Ramble On" and "Over the Hills and Far Away" contain verses referencing Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. Conversely, Plant sometimes used more straightforward blues-based lyrics dealing primarily with sexual innuendo, as in "The Lemon Song", "Trampled Under Foot", and "Black Dog".

Welsh mythology forms a basis of Plant's interest in mystical lyrics. He grew up close to the Welsh border and would often take summer trips to Snowdonia. Plant bought a Welsh sheep farm in 1973, and began taking Welsh lessons and looking into the mythology of the land (such as Black Book of Carmarthen, Book of Taliesin, etc.) Plant's first son, Karac, was named after the Welsh warrior Caratacus. The song "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp" is named after the 18th-century Welsh cottage Bron-Yr-Aur, owned by a friend of his father; it later inspired the song "Bron-Yr-Aur". The songs "Misty Mountain Hop", "That's the Way", and early dabblings in what would become "Stairway to Heaven" were written in Wales and lyrically reflect Plant's mystical view of the land. Critic Steve Turner suggests that Plant's early and continued experiences in Wales served as the foundation for his broader interest in the mythologies he revisits in his lyrics (including those myth systems of Tolkien and the Norse).

Page's passion for diverse musical experiences influenced Plant to explore Africa, specifically Marrakesh in Morocco where he encountered Umm Kulthum:

Both he and Jimmy Page revisited these influences during their reunion album No Quarter: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded in 1994. During his solo career Plant tapped into these influences many times, most notably on the 2002 album Dreamland.

Most of the lyrics of "Stairway to Heaven" from Led Zeppelin IV were written spontaneously by Plant in 1970 at Headley Grange while the track was being recorded. While never released as a single, the song has topped polls as the greatest song of all time.

Stage persona

Plant enjoyed great success with Led Zeppelin throughout the 1970s and developed a compelling image as the charismatic rock-and-roll front man, similar to his contemporaries the Who's singer Roger Daltrey, Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones, Freddie Mercury of Queen, and Jim Morrison of the Doors. With his mane of long blond hair and powerful, bare-chested appearance, Plant helped to create the "god of rock and roll" or "rock god" archetype. On stage, Plant was particularly active in live performances, often dancing, jumping, skipping, snapping his fingers, clapping, making emphatic gestures to emphasise a lyric or cymbal crash, throwing back his head, or placing his hands on his hips. As the 1970s progressed he, along with the other members of Led Zeppelin, became increasingly flamboyant on-stage, and wore more elaborate, colourful clothing and jewellery.

According to Classic Rock magazine, "once he had a couple of US tours under his belt, "Percy" Plant swiftly developed a staggering degree of bravado and swagger that irrefutably enhanced Led Zeppelin's rapidly burgeoning appeal." In 1994, during his "Unledded" tour with Jimmy Page, Plant himself reflected tongue-in-cheek upon his Led Zeppelin showmanship:

One of the oddest awards he received was the Rock Scene magazine "Chest O Rama". Readers of the magazine had to decide who had the best chest in rock, and Plant was the winner. When they contacted him about it, he replied: "I'm really greatly honoured although it's hard for me to be eloquent on the subject of my chest."

Solo career (1981–present)

Early career and success (1981–1993)

After Led Zeppelin disbanded in December 1980 (following the death of drummer John Bonham), Plant briefly considered abandoning music to pursue a career as a teacher in the Rudolf Steiner education system, going so far as to be accepted for teacher training. He nevertheless embarked on a successful solo career, helped by encouragement from Genesis drummer Phil Collins, who would go on to play with him. Plant's solo career began with the album Pictures at Eleven in 1982, followed by 1983's The Principle of Moments. Popular tracks from this period include "Big Log" (a Top 20 hit in 1983), "In the Mood" (1983), "Little by Little" (from 1985's Shaken 'n' Stirred), "Far Post" (the B-side of "Burning Down One Side"), which appeared on the soundtrack of the 1985 movie White Nights starring Gregory Hines and Mikhail Baryshnikov, and popularised by airplay on album-oriented rock stations), "Tall Cool One" (a No. 25 hit from 1988's Now and Zen) and later "I Believe" (from 1993's Fate of Nations). This last track, like Led Zeppelin's "All My Love", was written for and dedicated to his late son, Karac.  Whilst Plant avoided performing Led Zeppelin songs through much of this period (although he would occasionally improvise his unique Zeppelin screams into his set), his tours in 1983 (with Phil Collins on drums) and in 1985 were very successful, often performing to sold-out arena-sized venues. In 1986 Plant performed at the Birmingham Heart Beat Charity Concert with other famous Midlands musicians.

During the late 1980s and early 1990s Plant co-wrote three solo albums with keyboardist/songwriter Phil Johnstone. These were: Now and Zen in 1988, Manic Nirvana in 1990, and the 1993 Fate of Nations (which features Moya Brennan of Clannad and former Cutting Crew guitarist Kevin Scott MacMichael). Songs from this third album, plus a smattering of Led Zeppelin classics, made up the set-list for Plant's acclaimed sunset performance on the Main Stage at Glastonbury Festival, in 1993.  It was Johnstone who talked Plant into playing Led Zeppelin songs in his live shows, something Plant had always previously resisted, not wanting to be forever known as "the former Led Zeppelin vocalist".

Although Led Zeppelin disbanded in 1980, Plant occasionally collaborated with Jimmy Page on various projects through this period, including forming a short-lived all-star group with Page and Jeff Beck in 1984, called the Honeydrippers. They released an EP called The Honeydrippers: Volume One, and the band had a No. 3 hit with a remake of the Phil Phillips' tune "Sea of Love", plus a follow-up hit with a cover of Roy Brown's "Rockin' at Midnight". The pair again worked together in the studio on the 1988 Page solo effort Outrider, and in the same year Page contributed to Plant's album Now and Zen. Also, on 15 May 1988 Plant appeared with Page as a member of Led Zeppelin, at the Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary concert (where he also performed in his own right as a solo artist).  Plant's live collaborations with other well-known musicians continued when he took to the stage with Queen at Wembley Stadium, for 1992's "The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert" for AIDS Awareness; where he sang Queen's "Innuendo" and "Crazy Little Thing Called Love", and Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir" and "Thank You".

Page and Plant (1994–1998)
Page and Plant became a full-fledged performing act from 1994 through 1998, releasing the No Quarter: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded album in 1994 and following with an enormously successful tour in 1995, including a return to the Glastonbury Festival. Fourteen years of speculation from their fans and occasional sniping between the two former members ended when they reconvened their former musical partnership to produce No Quarter. Having long resisted offers from MTV to reform to do an Unplugged show, they finally accepted as part of a deal that also allowed them to visit Morocco to record new material. The album combines the results of both of these projects. The Led Zeppelin material features new arrangements and new instrumentation, including strings, Egyptian musicians and the vocals of British-Asian star Najma Akhtar.

Page and Plant recorded their only post-Zeppelin album of original material on the 1998 album Walking into Clarksdale, an effort that was unsuccessful commercially, leading Plant to return to his solo career after another world tour. A song from this album, "Please Read the Letter", was re-recorded by Plant with Alison Krauss, and was featured on their 2007 album which won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year.

Priory of Brion and reunion with Page (1999–2001)
Starting in mid-1999, Plant performed until the end of 2000 at several small venues with his folk-rock band, named Priory of Brion. This band consisted of the original Band of Joy guitarist Kevyn Gammond alongside Andy Edwards (drums), Paul Timothy (keyboards), and Paul Wetton (bass). The Priory of Brion played around one hundred concerts across Europe at various small clubs and festivals. The band performed cover versions of songs that had influenced Plant in his formative years. Many of these cover versions would crop up later on his Dreamland album.

In 1999, Plant contributed to the tribute album for Moby Grape co-founder Skip Spence, who was terminally ill. The album, More Oar: A Tribute to the Skip Spence Album (Birdman, 1999), with the album title referring to Spence's only solo album, Oar (Columbia, 1969), contained Plant's version of Spence's "Little Hands". Plant had been an admirer of Spence and Moby Grape since the release of Moby Grape's eponymous 1967 debut album.

In 2001, Plant appeared on Afro Celt Sound System's album Volume 3: Further in Time. The song "Life Begin Again" features a duet with Welsh folksinger Julie Murphy, emphasising Plant's recurring interest in Welsh culture (Murphy would also tour in support of Plant).

In the summer of 2001, Plant reunited with Page for both a cover of "My Bucket's Got a Hole in It"  for a Sun Records tribute album and an appearance at the Montreux Jazz Festival, the last time they worked outside of Led Zeppelin together.

Strange Sensation and further collaborations (2002–2009)
In 2002, with his then newly formed band Strange Sensation, Plant released a widely acclaimed collection of mostly blues and folk remakes, Dreamland. Contrasting with this lush collection of often relatively obscure remakes, the second album with Strange Sensation, Mighty ReArranger (2005), contains new, original songs. Both have received some of the most favourable reviews of Plant's solo career and four Grammy nominations, two in 2003 and two in 2006.

As a former member of Led Zeppelin, along with Page and John Paul Jones, Plant received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005 and the Polar Music Prize in 2006.

From 2001 to 2007, Plant actively toured the US and Europe with Strange Sensation. His sets typically included recent, but not only, solo material and plenty of Led Zeppelin favourites, often with new and expanded arrangements. A DVD titled Soundstage: Robert Plant and Strange Sensation, featuring his Soundstage performance (filmed at the Soundstage studios in Chicago on 16 September 2005), was released in October 2006.

With Strange Sensation's Justin Adams he appeared at the 2003 Festival au Desert held in Essakane in the North of Mali, captured in a French-language documentary film entitled Le Festival au Désert (2004).

On 23 June 2006, Plant was the headliner (backed by Ian Hunter's band) at the Benefit For Arthur Lee concert at New York's Beacon Theatre, a show which raised money for Lee's medical expenses from his bout with leukaemia. Plant and band performed thirteen songs – five by Arthur Lee & Love, five Led Zeppelin songs and three others, including a duet with Ian Hunter. At the show, Plant told the audience of his great admiration for Arthur Lee dating back to the mid-'60s. Lee died of his illness six weeks after the concert.

An expansive box set of his solo work, Nine Lives, was released in November 2006, which expanded all of his albums with various B-sides, demos, and live cuts. It was accompanied by a DVD. All his solo works were re-released with these extra tracks individually.

In 2007, Plant contributed two tracks to the Fats Domino tribute album Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino, "It Keeps Rainin with the Lil' Band o' Gold and "Valley of Tears" with the Soweto Gospel Choir.

Plant performed with Strange Sensation guitarist Justin Adams and the West African riti (a one-string violin) master Juldeh Camara for the finale of the three day World of Music, Arts and Dance Festival in Abu Dhabi. Approximately 50,000 attended each of the free Womad concerts, which took place on the Corniche public beach from 23–25 April 2009.

Alison Krauss

In 2007 and 2008, Plant recorded and performed with bluegrass star Alison Krauss. A duet album, Raising Sand, was released on 23 October 2007 on Rounder Records. The album, recorded in Nashville and Los Angeles and produced by T Bone Burnett, includes performances of lesser-known material from R&B, blues, folk and country songwriters including Mel Tillis, Townes Van Zandt, Gene Clark, Tom Waits, Doc Watson, Little Milton and the Everly Brothers. In February 2008 the song "Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)" from Raising Sand won a Grammy for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals at the 50th Grammy Awards. In February 2009 at the 51st Grammy Awards, Raising Sand won 5 Grammys, for Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals, Best Country Collaboration with Vocals, and Contemporary Folk/Americana Album. The album has been successful critically and commercially, and was certified platinum on 4 March 2008.

Plant and Krauss began an extended tour of the US and Europe in April 2008, playing music from Raising Sand and other American roots music as well as reworked Led Zeppelin tunes. The album was nominated for the Mercury Prize in July 2008. Also in 2008, Plant performed with bluegrass musicians at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival. He appeared as a surprise guest during Fairport Convention's set at the 2008 Cropredy Festival, performing Led Zeppelin's "The Battle of Evermore" with Kristina Donahue as a tribute to Sandy Denny.

In 2021, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss released the 12-track studio album Raise the Roof, produced by T Bone Burnett, as a follow-up to Raising Sand. Accompanying the album's launch, Plant and Krauss performed a globally live-streamed set, broadcast from Nashville's Sound Emporium Studios.

Band of Joy (2010–2011)

In July 2010, Plant embarked on a twelve-date summer tour in the United States with his newly formed group called Band of Joy (reprising the name of his first band in the 1960s). The group included singer Patty Griffin, singer-guitarist Buddy Miller, multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Darrell Scott, bassist-vocalist Byron House, and drummer-percussionist-vocalist Marco Giovino.

A one-off show in the United States on 12 September 2010 at the Bowery Ballroom in New York City, was followed by an eleven-date autumn 2010 tour in Europe and a North America tour in 2011.

A new studio album called Band of Joy was released on 13 September 2010 on the Rounder Records label. The album was nominated for Best Americana Album in the 2011 Grammy Awards, and Plant's performance of "Silver Rider" on the album (a cover from the Low album The Great Destroyer) was nominated for Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance.

The band played their final scheduled show together at the Big Chill Festival at Eastnor Castle Deer Park in Herefordshire on 7 August 2011. The show ended with Plant bidding his bandmates "a fond farewell".

September 2011 – Plant played in Marfa, TX at El Cosmic Trans – Pecos Festival as part of a band called Crown Vic consisting of Patty Griffin, Dony Wynn, David Grissom, Glenn Fukunaga, Michael Ramos.

On 30 September 2011, Plant and Band of Joy played in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, as part of the 11th Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival.

Released in October 2011, Plant duetted with Alfie Boe on "Song to the Siren" for Alfie's sixth album, Alfie, which he also recorded himself on 2002's Dreamland.

Sensational Space Shifters (2012–2018)
It was first reported that Robert Plant's new band, the Sensational Space Shifters, would be debuting at 2012's WOMAD festival in Wiltshire, England. An intimate warm up gig was then announced in Gloucester on 8 May 2012 to a crowd of 400. Although it was initially reported that there were 10 members of the band, along with Plant the band consists of former Strange Sensation members, Cast guitarist Liam "Skin" Tyson, Justin Adams, Billy Fuller and John Baggott along with Dave Smith and Juldeh Camara. Patty Griffin was the special guest on the first few shows prior to her new album release and subsequent tour.

On 13 July 2012, the band released a download live album called Sensational Space Shifters (Live in London July '12). This album featured a mix of Strange Sensation and Led Zeppelin reinterpretations as well as covers and a spot by Patty Griffin. In addition to WOMAD and the Gloucester show, the Sensational Space Shifters were scheduled for the free Sunflower River Blues & Gospel Festival's 25th anniversary in Clarksdale, Mississippi on 10–12 August 2012.

Released in 2014, Lullaby and... The Ceaseless Roar is Plant's tenth solo album and the first studio recording with his band the Sensational Space Shifters.
On 28 June 2014, Plant and the Sensational Space Shifters played at the Glastonbury Extravaganza. The band featured West African musician Juldeh Camara, guitarists Skin Tyson and Justin Adams, drummer Dave Smith, Massive Attack keyboardist John Baggott, and bassist Billy Fuller. On 7 August 2014, Plant announced an autumn 2014 7-date North American tour from 25 September (in Port Chester, NY) to 7 October 2014 (in Los Angeles, CA).

To celebrate Record Store Day 2015 (Saturday 18 April), Plant released a special 10-inch live EP titled More Roar, which was limited to 10,000 copies. During a concert at Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City on 19 September 2015, Plant hinted at plans for a new album with the Sensational Space Shifters, stating, "We'll go make another record and then we'll come see you guys even more."

On 25 April 2015, Plant headlined a special event, "Lead Belly at 125" – a tribute to American Folk Legend Lead Belly at Kennedy Centre in conjunction with the Grammy Museum and performed with Alison Krauss, Viktor Krauss, Buddy Miller.

Plant covered Elbow's track, "Blanket of Night", featured on the British Red Cross' compilation LP "The Long Road", released on 4 March 2016. The LP aimed to raise awareness of the "struggles faced by refugees and asylum seekers at a time of increased global conflict and migration". "We have a worldwide international catastrophe," says Plant. "Talking about it is one thing, doing something about it is another. The position we are in, it's paramount we all do our best one way or another to help." Plant later confirmed that in October he would join artists including Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, Patty Griffin, for select dates on the Lampedusa Concerts for Refugees tour. The tour across 11 North American cities was a series of acoustic concerts intended to raise awareness of the worldwide refugee crisis and funds to support educational programs for refugees.

Plant's eleventh solo album, Carry Fire, was released on 13 October 2017 and was the second studio album to be supported by his band the Sensational Space Shifters. In 2018, Plant received the AMA Lifetime Achievement Award at the UK Americana Honors & Awards. Plant headlined the Sunday night of Iceland's Secret Solstice Festival in Reykjavík on 23 June 2019.

John Blease joined the Sensational Space Shifters in June 2018 and replaced Dave Smith on drums.

Saving Grace (2019–present)
On 7 March 2019, Plant performed at the Third Annual LOVE ROCKS NYC, a benefit concert for God's Love We Deliver at the Beacon Theatre in NYC, hosted by Bill Murray, Martin Short and Chevy Chase amongst others, featuring an all-star line up including Sheryl Crow, Buddy Guy, Hozier, Billy F Gibbons, Jimmie Vaughan. The concert was presented by John Varvatos and Greg Williamson.

Released via Plant's own Es Paranza label, a remastered version (with updated artwork) of Fate of Nations as part of 2019 Record Store Day with proceeds going to Greenpeace.

In 2019, Plant formed a low-key acoustic band called Saving Grace and performed support slots in February 2019 for Fairport Convention and Seth Lakeman In March 2020, Saving Grace announced a US tour scheduled for May 2020 that was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On 19 July 2021, Plant appeared onstage for his first post-pandemic show in Worthing, England, performing with his band Saving Grace for the first time since 2019. He went on to tour the UK with Saving Grace for their rescheduled shows.

Led Zeppelin-related projects and reunion rumours

Plant performed with living members of Led Zeppelin both on 13 July 1985 for Live Aid (with Phil Collins and Tony Thompson on drums) and on 15 May 1988 for Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary. At the 1988 reunion, Jason Bonham, the son of Led Zeppelin's late drummer John Bonham, played drums. Both sets featured only a few songs, performed with minimal rehearsal. Plant was unhappy with both performances, saying that "it was like sleeping with your ex-wife but not making love." At the 1990 Silver Clef Award Winners Concert at Knebworth, Plant was joined by Jimmy Page. Some of their set was released on the subsequent live album and video. In 1995, Led Zeppelin were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; Plant performed a medley of blues numbers at the induction show with Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, Jason Bonham, Steven Tyler and Joe Perry, then they were joined by fellow inductee Neil Young for "When the Levee Breaks".

After years of reunion rumours, Led Zeppelin performed a full two-hour set on 10 December 2007 at the Ahmet Ertegün Tribute Concert, with Jason again filling in on drums. Despite enormous public demand, Plant declined a $200 million offer to tour with Led Zeppelin after the 2007 show. In interviews following the 2007 show, Plant left the door open to possible future performances with Led Zeppelin, saying that he enjoyed the reunion and felt that the show was strong musically. Although Page and Jones have expressed the strong desire to tour as Led Zeppelin, Plant has consistently opposed a full tour and has responded negatively to questions about another reunion. In a January 2008 interview, he stated that he does not want to "tour like a bunch of bored old men following the Rolling Stones around." In a statement on his web site in late 2008, Plant stated, "I will not be touring with Led Zeppelin or anyone else for the next two years. Anyone buying Led Zeppelin tickets will be buying bogus tickets."

In February 2013, Plant hinted that he was open to a Led Zeppelin reunion in 2014, though suggesting that he was not the reason for Led Zeppelin's dormancy, saying that Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones "are Capricorns...They're quite contained in their own worlds and they leave it to me", adding that he was "not the bad guy" and that  "You need to see the Capricorns – I've got nothing to do in 2014".

In a spring 2014 interview with the BBC about the then forthcoming reissue of Led Zeppelin's first three albums, Page said he was sure fans would be keen on another reunion show, but Plant later replied that "the chances of it happening [were] zero". Page then told The New York Times that he was "fed up" with Plant's refusal to play, stating: "I was told last year that Plant said he is doing nothing in 2014, and what do the other two guys think? Well, he knows what the other guys think. Everyone would love to play more concerts for the band. He's just playing games, and I'm fed up with it, to be honest with you. I don't sing, so I can't do much about it", adding: "I definitely want to play live. Because, you know, I've still got a twinkle in my eye. I can still play. So, yeah, I'll just get myself into musical shape, just concentrating on the guitar."

On 30 July 2014, NME revealed that Plant was "slightly disappointed and baffled" by Page in an ongoing Led Zeppelin dispute during which Page declared he was "fed up" with Plant delaying Led Zeppelin reunion plans. Instead, Plant offered Led Zeppelin's guitarist to write acoustically with him as he is interested in working with Page again but only in an unplugged way. Page responded:

Personal life
Plant married Maureen Wilson on 9 November 1968. The couple had three children: daughter Carmen Jane (1968) (who later married Charlie Jones, Plant's bass player for solo tours); and sons Karac Pendragon (1972–1977), and Logan Romero (1979). The couple divorced in August 1983. In 1977, during Led Zeppelin's US tour, their five-year-old son, Karac, died of a stomach illness. The song "All My Love", co-written with John Paul Jones, is a tribute to him.

In 1991, Robert and Shirley Wilson (sister of ex-wife Maureen) had a son, Jesse Lee.

Plant is interested in Welsh history and donated money to the creation of a bronze statue of the Welsh prince Owain Glyndŵr, at Pennal Church, near Machynlleth, in Wales, unveiled in September 2004.  He is also believed to have contributed funds to a slate carving of Glyndŵr's coat of arms at the Celtica museum in Machynlleth. Plant is part of a Glyndŵr network, and attends meetings about him in Wales.

In the New Year Honours List 2009, Plant was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire "for services to music" and on 10 July 2009 invested by the Prince of Wales.

On 14 August 2009, football club Wolverhampton Wanderers announced that Plant has become the club's third vice-president. Plant officially received the honour before kick-off at the club's first match of the season against West Ham United. Plant was five years old when he first visited Molineux Stadium. He recalled in an interview with his local paper, the Express & Star, in August 2010: "I was five when my dad took me down for the first time and Billy Wright waved at me. Honest, he did. And that was it – I was hooked from that moment."

In late 2010, BBC Two aired a documentary titled Robert Plant: By Myself. It features Robert Plant discussing his journey with Led Zeppelin and various projects since.

In a July 2012 interview with The Independent newspaper, Plant stated he "eloped and ran off to Texas" with American singer Patty Griffin. Plant's UK-based manager later told E! News that Plant was apparently being cheeky when he used the word "eloped" to describe his home life, for "Robert has not married Patty Griffin," instead "He was just referring to the fact that he's been residing in Texas" with her. According to a July 2012 Ultimate Classic Rock article, Plant and Griffin had been dating for over a year, spending half of their time together in Austin, Texas. On 23 August 2014, The Independent indicated Plant had broken up with Griffin: ""Patty and I tried a sort of zig-zag across the Atlantic," Plant told the publication, "but she didn't share my penchant for cider and she used to marvel at the Black Country character I became after four pints of Thatchers. My feelings are very much ones of sadness and regret."

In early 2013, Plant contributed to a community buyout scheme to save the Bath music venue, the Bell Inn.

He currently resides at Shatterford, near Bewdley in the Wyre Forest District of Worcestershire.

In 2020, Plant donated money towards frontline medical supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic. The money went to the GoFundMe page of a small clothing manufacturer in Kidderminster, England that makes scrubs for local hospitals.

Legacy
Plant has influenced the style of many of his contemporaries, including Geddy Lee, Ann Wilson, Sammy Hagar, and later rock vocalists such as Jeff Buckley and Jack White who imitated his performing style. Freddie Mercury of Queen, and Axl Rose of Guns N' Roses were influenced by Plant. Encyclopædia Britannica notes that "Exaggerating the vocal style and expressive palette of blues singers such as Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters, Plant created the sound that has defined much hard rock and heavy metal singing: a high range, an abundance of distortion, loud volume, and emotional excess". Plant received the Knebworth Silver Clef Award in 1990.

In 2006, hard rock/heavy metal magazine Hit Parader named Plant as No. 1 on its list of the 100 Greatest Metal Vocalists of All Time, a list that included Rob Halford of Judas Priest (No. 2), Steven Tyler (No. 3), Freddie Mercury (No. 6), Geddy Lee (No. 13) and Paul Stanley (No. 18), all of whom were influenced by Plant. In 2008, Rolling Stone named Plant the 15th-greatest singer of all time on their list of 100 Greatest Singers of All Time. In 2009, he was voted the "greatest voice in rock" in a poll conducted by Planet Rock. He was included in the Q magazine's 2009 list of "Artists of the Century" and was ranked at number 8 in their list of "100 Greatest Singers" in 2007. In 2009, Plant also won the Outstanding Contribution to Music prize at the Q Awards. He was placed at No. 3 on SPINs list of "The 50 Greatest Rock Frontmen of All Time".

On 20 September 2010 National Public Radio (NPR) named Plant as one of the "50 Great Voices" in the world.

In July 2018, Plant won the Silver Cleff Integro Outstanding Award, announced by music charity Nordoff Robbins.

On 15 March 2022 Plant was the guest on BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs. His musical choices included "I Ain't Superstitious" by Howlin' Wolf and "Ohio" by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. His book choice was The Earliest English Poems, translated by Michael Alexander, his luxury item was a basket containing photos of homing pigeons and his favourite musical piece was "Serenade" by Mario Lanza.

Tours

Discography

Studio albums
Pictures at Eleven (1982)
The Principle of Moments (1983)
Shaken 'n' Stirred (1985)
Now and Zen (1988)
Manic Nirvana (1990)
Fate of Nations (1993)
Dreamland (2002)
Mighty ReArranger (2005)
Band of Joy (2010)
Lullaby and the Ceaseless Roar (2014)
Carry Fire (2017)

Compilation albums
Sixty Six to Timbuktu (2003)
Nine Lives (Box Set) (2006)
Digging Deep (2019)
Digging Deep: Subterranea (2020)

Live albums
Sensational Space Shifters (Live in London July '12) (2012)

Collaborative albums
The Honeydrippers: Volume One (1984)
No Quarter: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded (1994)
Walking into Clarksdale (1998)
Raising Sand (2007)
Raise the Roof (2021)

Notes

References

External links

 Led Zeppelin Official Site
 Official Robert Plant Homepage
 Robert Plant and Alison Krauss Official Site

1948 births
English heavy metal singers
English rock singers
English male singer-songwriters
English singer-songwriters
20th-century English male singers
21st-century English male singers
Blues rock musicians
Atlantic Records artists
British harmonica players
Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
Grammy Award winners
Kennedy Center honorees
Led Zeppelin members
Living people
Mercury Records artists
Musicians from Worcestershire
People educated at King Edward VI College, Stourbridge
People from Kidderminster
People from West Bromwich
Rounder Records artists
Swan Song Records artists
British people of Romani descent
English Romani people
Romani singers
Romani musicians
Musicians from the West Midlands (county)
The Honeydrippers members
Band of Joy members
Nonesuch Records artists
Sanctuary Records artists

Robert Plant


Glenn Stewart (born 11 January 1984) is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer who last played for the Leigh Centurions in the Super League. An Australia international and New South Wales  State of Origin representative , he previously played for the Manly Warringah Sea Eagles and the South Sydney Rabbitohs in the NRL, winning the 2008 and 2011 premierships as well as the Clive Churchill Medal with the former.

Background
He is the older brother of former teammate Brett Stewart.

Professional playing career

Manly-Warringah Sea Eagles

2000s
Glenn Stewart made his first grade debut for Manly in Round 20 of the 2003 NRL season, playing from the bench in a 26–20 win over the Brisbane Broncos at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane. The first time he and brother Brett played together in first grade was in Round 18 of the 2004 season when the Sea Eagles defeated the Wests Tigers 26–18 at the home of Manly, Brookvale Oval on 11 July.

Between 2003 and 2006, Stewart only played 19 games for the Sea Eagles, often finding himself in their NSW Cup side due to the presence of established back rowers Ben Kennedy, Anthony Watmough, Luke Williamson, and Manly club legend Steve Menzies. With Kennedy's retirement from playing at the end of the 2006 NRL season, coach Des Hasler gave "Gifty" his chance to cement a first grade place in the team from 2007. He grabbed the opportunity with both hands, playing 26 games for the season, mostly in the second-row.

Stewart played in the 2007 NRL Grand Final defeat by the Melbourne Storm. Early in the second half of the Grand Final, his brother Brett was knocked out in a legal tackle by the Storm's Michael Crocker and Billy Slater while attempting to catch a mid-field bomb.

In 2008, Stewart's form for Manly had started to make people sit up and take notice. He made his representative debut when he was selected on the bench for Country Origin in the annual City vs Country Origin match, played in his home town of Wollongong at the WIN Stadium (the game ended in a 22-all draw).

He again played in 26 games for the season, and played at lock forward in the record breaking 40–0 victory over the Melbourne Storm in the 2008 NRL Grand Final.

In August 2008, Stewart was named in the preliminary 46-man Kangaroos squad for the 2008 Rugby League World Cup, and in October 2008 he was selected in the final 24-man Australia squad. Stewart was one of five Manly players selected, the others being front rowers Brent Kite and Josh Perry, Anthony Watmough and rookie winger David Williams. Brett Stewart, who was in superlative form for Manly during the second half of the season and through the finals (ending the year as the NRL's leading try scorer with 22), was originally selected but was forced to withdraw with a shoulder injury.

Stewart played in the second row in Australia's shock 34–20 loss to New Zealand in the World Cup final played at Suncorp Stadium.

Following an outstanding season for the Sea Eagles, Stewart was voted the Dally M Second-Rower of the Year for 2008.

On 1 March 2009, Stewart played for Manly in their 28–20 victory over 2008 Super League champions Leeds Rhinos at the Elland Road ground in Leeds, England. It was Manly's first ever World Club Challenge victory after having lost their only previous game against Wigan in 1987. Again his brother Brett was the star for Manly, scoring two tries and setting up a third in the 5 tries to 4 win in front of 32,569 fans, including a number of Manly supporters who had travelled to England to watch the team play.

Stewart, made his test debut against New Zealand in Australia's opening RLWC 08 game on 26 October at the Sydney Football Stadium playing in the . He was selected for Australia in the 2009 Anzac Test match against New Zealand in Brisbane on 8 May 2009, with the Kangaroos reversing the WCF result by routing the World Champions 38–10. As of 2014, this was the last time Glenn Stewart played a test match for Australia.

Stewart who many fans and critics had taken note of his ball playing skills and that from lock he often played as an extra  for Manly on the right hand side of their attack forming a strong partnership with centre and captain Jamie Lyon, was to make his State of Origin debut for New South Wales in game 1 of the 2009 series at Melbourne's Etihad Stadium, but was ruled out with suspension. He went on to make his debut in Game 2 at Sydney's ANZ Stadium on 24 June where he was selected on the bench (Queensland won the game 24-14 and consequently the series having won Game 1).

After Manly lost their opening four games of the 2009 season, the season stabilised somewhat, though the Eagles were missing a number of players through injury for large periods of the season.

After scraping into the finals in 5th place, Manly were bundled out in the first week by Melbourne in a 40-12 hiding at Etihad Stadium.

2010s
Stewart was suspended for three matches for his role in the infamous "Battle of Brookvale" in which he traded blows with Melbourne's Adam Blair after they had both been sin-binned for their roles in an earlier brawl (which started the whole fracas in the first place). The timing of the suspension meant that for Stewart to play again in 2011 for Manly, the Sea Eagles had to make the 2011 NRL Grand Final. This they did with ease and coach Des Hasler immediately returned Stewart to the starting side for the Grand Final to be played against the New Zealand Warriors. Stewart repaid his coach's faith with a best on ground performance in Manly's 24–10 win (and 8th premiership) culminating in his winning the Clive Churchill Medal.

With less than one minute to go before half time, Stewart put in a grubber kick on his own 20m line for Manly winger Michael Robertson who regathered and raced 35m upfield before passing inside to hooker Matt Ballin who was then tackled only 5m from scoring a try. The resulting play saw halfback (and the NRL's Dally M Rookie of the Year) Daly Cherry-Evans score beside the posts to give Manly a 12-2 and ultimately winning lead going into half time. Sixteen minutes into the second-half Stewart then backed up his other winger William Hopoate and received a behind-the-back pass to score his first Grand Final try, joining his younger brother Brett who had scored the opening try of the game.

In Round 22 2013 against the Warriors, Stewart became the only lock in 2013 to have 4 try assists, In a game where Manly won 27–12 with Stewart having an involvement in every try scored for Manly.

As of 27 April 2014, the Manly Sea Eagles have never lost a game in which both Glenn and Brett Stewart have scored a try.

South Sydney Rabbitohs
On 22 April 2014, Stewart signed a two-year contract with the South Sydney Rabbitohs starting in 2015, after failing to gain a new contract from Manly. In Round 8 of the 2015 season, he suffered a thumb injury that saw him sidelined until Round 16.

Catalans Dragons
On 10 September 2015, Stewart signed a 3-year contract with French-based Super League club Catalans Dragons starting in 2016, after getting a release from the final year of his Rabbitohs contract.

Leigh Centurions

Stewart left the Catalans Dragons due to family reasons with the Leigh Centurions favourites for his signature Stewart signed for them on a 2-year deal but didn't have the best of seasons with Leigh relegated at the end of the campaign leaving his future with them unknown with Hull KR linked with the back rower

References

External links

Leigh Centurions profile
Catalans Dragons profile
Glenn Stewart Official Profile

1984 births
Living people
Australia national rugby league team players
Australian rugby league players
Catalans Dragons players
Clive Churchill Medal winners
Country New South Wales Origin rugby league team players
Leigh Leopards players
Manly Warringah Sea Eagles players
New South Wales Rugby League State of Origin players
Prime Minister's XIII players
Rugby league locks
Rugby league players from Wollongong
Rugby league second-rows
South Sydney Rabbitohs players

Glenn Stewart


Animal testing, also known as animal experimentation and animal research is the use of animals for experiments. Escherichia coli, Fruit flies, and mice are often used for animal testing. About 50 to 100 million vertebrate animals and many more invertebrate animals are used around the world every year. The source of the animals are different according to the country and species. Most animals used for experiments are bred for this purpose. But others may be caught from the wild or bought from people who buy them from animal shelters.

Animals are used for experiments inside universities, medical schools, farms, large companies and other places that provide animal-testing services. People who support animal testing argue that almost every medical discovery in the 20th century used animals in some way. They say that even complex computers cannot model connections between molecules, cells, tissues, organs, organisms, and the environment. Many important discoveries were made because of animal testing. But some scientists and animal rights organizations such as PETA do not support animal testing. They say that it is cruel, poorly done, and costly. Others argue that animals have the right not to be used for experiments, and that model organisms are different from humans. The limits to animal testing is different in various countries.

Definitions

The words animal testing, animal experimentation, animal research, in vitro testing, and vivisection have similar meanings,differently. "tatiosion" means to "cut up" a living animal. It was used only in experiments that dissected live animals. The word "vivisection" is sometimes used negatively about any experiment with live animals. For example, the Encyclopædia Britannica described "vivisection" as: "Operation on a living animal for experimental rather than healing purposes; more broadly, all experimentation on live animals". However, dictionaries note that the wider definition is "used only by people who are opposed (dislike) to such work". The word makes people think of torture, pain, and death. People who dislike animal testing often use the word "vivisection", while scientists usually use the expression "animal experimentation" instead.

History

The earliest mention of animal testing is in the writings of the Greeks in the second and fourth centuries BCE. Aristotle (Αριστοτέλης) (384 – 322 BCE) and Erasistratus (304 – 258 BCE) where some of the first people to try out experiments on living animals. Galen, a doctor in second-century Rome who was known as the "father of vivisection", dissected pigs and goats. Avenzoar, an Arabic doctor in twelfth-century Spain, tested out surgical processes on animals before applying them to humans.

Animals have often been used in the history of scientific study. In the 1880s, Louis Pasteur showed the germ theory of medicine by putting anthrax in sheep. In the 1890s, Ivan Pavlov famously used dogs to describe classical conditioning. On November 3, 1957, a Russian dog, Laika, became the first animal to orbit the earth. In the 1970s, antibiotic treatments and vaccines for leprosy were made using armadillos, then given to humans. In 1974, Rudolf Jaenisch produced the first genetically changed mammal. He put DNA from a virus into the genome of mice. Genetic study grew quickly after that. In 1996, Dolly the sheep was born—the first cloned mammal.

In the 20th century, toxicology testing became important. In the 19th century, laws about drugs were less strict. Drugs did not have to be checked for safety. But in 1937, a drug called Elixir Sulfanilamide  killed more than 100 people. They caused great and long lasting pain, vomiting, and fits. After that, the U.S. congress made laws that said that drugs had to be tested on animals before they could be sold. Other countries passed similar laws.

Even back in the 17th century, people disagreed about animal testing. In 1655, Edmund O'Meara said that "the miserable torture of vivisection places the body in an unnatural state." O'Meara and others said that animals could be affected by pain during vivisection, making results unreliable. Others also disliked animal testing because they felt that animals should not be hurt for humans. Others opposed animal testing for different reasons: many believed that animals were not as good as humans and that they were so different that results of animal testing would not work on humans.

Supporters had different views. They argued that experiments on animals were necessary for knowledge. Claude Bernard, the "prince of vivisectors" and the father of physiology famously wrote in 1865 that "the science of life is a superb and dazzlingly (brightly) lighted hall which may be reached only by passing through a long and ghastly kitchen". He declared that "experiments on  entirely conclusive for the toxicology and hygiene of  effects of these substances are the same on man as on animals, save for differences in degree". Because of Bernard, animal testing became a regular scientific method. Surprisingly, though, his wife, Marie Françoise Martin, began the first anti-vivisection society in France in 1883.

In 1896, Dr. Walter B. Cannon said, "The antivivisectionists are the second of the two types Theodore Roosevelt described when he said, 'Common sense without conscience may lead to crime, but conscience without common sense may lead to folly, which is the handmaiden (servant) of crime.' " The public first began giving its attention to the supporters and opposers of animal testing during the brown dog affair in the early 1990s. In the brown dog affair, hundreds of medical students and anti-vivisectionists and police argued over a memorial to a vivisected dog.

References

Further reading
 Conn, P. Michael and Parker, James V (2008). The Animal Research War, Palgrave Macmillan,
 Guerrini, Anita (2003). Experimenting with humans and animals: from Galen to animal rights. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press. .

Other websites

Animal rights
Animals and humans

Animal testing


Vladislav Mikhailovich Topalov (Russian: Владислав Михайлович Топалов; born 25 October 1985) better known as just Vlad Topalov (Влад Топалов) is a singer, dancer and actor born in Moscow, Russia. He is most famous for his singing career, when he rose to fame as the blond-haired member of the group Smash!!. The group broke up in 2006. Since then Topalov has pursued a solo career.

SMASH!!

In 2000 Sergey Lazarev and Vlad Topalov started the boy band Smash!!. Shortly after they were signed by Universal Music Records in Russia and were one of the biggest Russian pop groups in 2002–2003. The duo had five No. 1 hits, numerous awards and sold millions of records in Russia, CIS and East Asia (including Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand) during their brief career as a group.

At the beginning of 2002 the duo shot their first video clip for the song "Should Have Loved You More". That August Smash!! won the 'New Wave' contest in Jūrmala and in October 2002 Smash!! released their first single "Belle". The video for "Belle" topped MTV Russia's chart for 6 months and entered the list of top 20 clips of the past five years. The story behind this song tells about the formation of the duo Smash!!, apparently Vlad and Sergey rehearsed the song as a birthday present to Vlad's father, but after he heard the song he immediately told all his friends and ended up on the radio as one of his friends started playing at a local station.

In February 2003 the band finally released their debut album, Freeway. Over a million discs were sold in Russia and other nations in the Commonwealth of Independent States. Smash!! subsequently toured Russia throughout 2003.

The following year Freeway was released in East Asian countries including; Korea, China, Taiwan, Thailand, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, India, and the Philippines. The release of the album was followed by the promotional tour in the South-Eastern Asia, during which the band shot a video clip for the cover-version of George Michael's song "Faith" in Shanghai.

In May 2004 Smash!! in cooperation with the Italian band Earphones recorded the song "Obsession". When the song entered the radio rotation, it immediately gained the top of hit parades and became the top summer hit 2004. That year Smash!! received the award of the MTV Russian Music Awards (RMA in short) 2004 as the pop-project of the year, and the award of the sound-track as the band of the year.

On 1 December 2004 Smash!! released the second album, 2Nite. The band split up only one week after the release,

Evolution and the breakup of the band (2006)
Vlad Topalov released one more album, Evolution, under the band's name, with seven musicians, due to the band's contract obligations with Universal Music. After that, Vlad followed Sergey's footsteps and also went solo, which led to the formal discontinuation of the band.

Smash!! reunited for a short performance in RMA 2006, where Sergey and Vlad sang Belle.

In 2008 Topalov claimed that he was a regular user of cocaine and ecstasy pills and his drug use was a reason in the breakup of the band.

Studio albums

"Smash!!" albums
2003 – Freeway
2004 – 2Nite

Solo albums
 2005 – Evolution (This album was marked like Smash album but only Topalov took part in recording)
 2006 – Odinokaya Zvezda/Одинокая звезда (Lonely Star)
 2008 – Pust' Serdtse Reshaet/Пусть сердце решает (Let heart decide)
 2008 – I Will Give It All To You

References

1985 births
Living people
Singers from Moscow
Russian pop singers
Russian State University for the Humanities alumni
Russian child singers
20th-century Russian male singers
21st-century Russian male singers

Vlad Topalov


John Anthony Powers (August 22, 1922 – December 31, 1979), better known as Shorty Powers, was an American public affairs officer for NASA from 1959 to 1963 during Project Mercury. A U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel and war veteran, he was known as the "voice of the astronauts," the "voice of Mercury Control," and the "eighth astronaut", a nickname he received for his 5-foot, 6-inch (1.68 m) height. In the mid-1960s, he was a TV commercial spokesperson for Oldsmobile.

Biography

Powers was born August 22, 1922, to first generation Welsh immigrant parents in Toledo, Ohio. Powers father's last name was actually Power, however, upon signing the immigration documents, Power became Powers. When Powers was an infant his family moved to Downers Grove, Illinois, where he was a cheerleader at Downers Grove North High School, from which he graduated in 1941. After graduation, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1942 and became a C-46 and C-47 pilot with the 349th Troop Carrier Group. He was one of six pilots who volunteered to learn the technique of snatching fully loaded troop gliders off the ground, and spent the end of World War II ferrying gasoline in cargo planes to Gen. George Patton's command in Germany.

Powers left the service in January 1947; but was recalled to active duty in December 1948 and flew as part of the Berlin Airlift, making 185 round-trip flights. He later volunteered for the Korean War. He flew 55 night missions in B-26 bombers with the 13th Bombardment Squadron and received the Bronze Star Medal, the Air Medal, the Distinguished Flying Cross and a combat promotion to Major.

Following Korea, Powers bounced around the Air Force, helping establish the first Community Relations Program in 1955. After being assigned to the personal staff of Maj. Gen. Bernard Schriever with the Air Research Development Command in Los Angeles, he handled the public dissemination of information related to the Air Force's ballistic missile program.

Project Mercury

Powers' experience with public affairs caught the attention of the newly formed NASA, and he was detailed to NASA's Space Task Group in April 1959 as its public affairs officer at the request of T. Keith Glennan, NASA's first administrator. Very early on April 12, 1961, John G. Warner, a UPI rewrite-man in Washington, D.C., roused Powers from sleep at Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia seeking comment on the flight of Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin, the first person in space. Powers replied, in part, "We're all asleep down here," which made headlines.

He served as mission commentator for the six crewed Mercury flights, introducing "A-OK" into the American vocabulary to signify procedures during the missions had proceeded as planned. He claimed astronaut Alan Shepard first used the expression during his Freedom 7 flight, but communication transcripts later showed he had not. In his 1979 book The Right Stuff, Tom Wolfe wrote that Powers had borrowed it "from NASA engineers who used it during radio transmission tests because the sharper sound of A cut through the static better than O".

Powers enjoyed the limelight, and was accused of scheduling news conferences so he could appear live on national television and occasionally twisting the facts. For example, he told reporters the day before Gus Grissom's flight that the astronaut had gone fishing that day and had cooked and eaten his catch, which would have violated his pre-flight diet.

Manned Spacecraft Center Director Robert Gilruth announced Powers' reassignment on July 26, 1963, reportedly following a dispute with NASA Headquarters over handling publicity for the final Mercury flight. Powers objected to the HQ decision to release the mission's 22-orbit flight plan in advance. He was succeeded by Paul Haney on September 1, and Powers soon resigned.

Later years

Powers retired from the Air Force in 1964 and opened a public relations firm in Houston. He became part owner of KMSC-FM in Clear Lake, Texas (the call letters standing for the Manned Spacecraft Center), where he anchored live coverage of Gemini and Apollo flights, distributed to radio stations across the country. He also served a spokesman for products including the 1965 Oldsmobile Delta 88 (touting its "Super Rocket V-8" engine), Carrier air conditioners, Triptone motion sickness pills, and Tareyton cigarettes (which claimed to use the same charcoal-activated filter used for the astronauts' oxygen supply). He lectured extensively about the space program, and served as emcee at the dedication of the Clear Lake Theatre Time Capsule on April 20, 1966. In 1967, he authored a newspaper column syndicated nationally by Field Enterprises called "Space Talk", answering readers' questions.

Powers was married three times and was the father of three children. He married Sara Kay McSherry, women's editor of the Indianapolis News, on August 7, 1965.

Powers moved to Phoenix, Arizona in 1978, and died there at his home on December 31, 1979, at age 57 from a gastrointestinal hemorrhage related to chronic alcoholism.

Film and TV

Powers appeared as himself in the 1963 episode entitled "Junior Astronaut" of CBS's sitcom, Dennis the Menace, starring Jay North in the title role.

He was the narrator for the 1966 Jerry Lewis space comedy, Way...Way Out.

He is referenced in the 1988 cult  film, Miracle Mile, by actor Kurt Fuller when, as Soviet warheads appear over Los Angeles, a drug-addled, panicked character in the movie yells, "Talk me down, Shorty Powers".

He appears in Season One, Episode Three of the alt-historical 2019 TV series For All Mankind.

He is portrayed by actor Danny Strong in the Disney+ series The Right Stuff (2020), based on the 1979 book of the same title by Tom Wolfe.

References

Notes

Benedict, Howard "'Voice of the Astronauts' Shorty Powers Dead" (January 3, 1980), The Associated Press
"Shorty Powers, 'voice of the astronauts,' is found dead at 57" (January 3, 1980), St. Petersburg Times, p. 1-A

External links

13th Bomb Squadron Alumni
Col. Shorty Powers Squadron—Civil Air Patrol, Illinois Wing

1922 births
1979 deaths
United States Air Force officers
United States Army Air Forces pilots of World War II
United States Air Force personnel of the Korean War
American Korean War bomber pilots
Recipients of the Air Medal
Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)
Project Mercury
NASA people
Alcohol-related deaths in Arizona
People from Toledo, Ohio
People from Downers Grove, Illinois
Military personnel from Illinois

John A. Powers


A Passion for Churches is a 1974 BBC television documentary written and presented by the then Poet Laureate Sir John Betjeman and produced and directed by Edward Mirzoeff. Commissioned as a follow-up to the critically acclaimed 1973 documentary Metro-land, the film offers Betjeman's personal poetic record of the various rituals taking place throughout the Anglican Diocese of Norwich and its churches in the run-up to Easter Sunday using the framing device of the Holy sacraments.

Created with the approval of the Bishop of Norwich, Maurice Wood, the 49-minute film was shot on location in Norfolk and parts of Suffolk throughout the spring of 1974 on 16 mm colour film by cameraman John McGlashan. For the film, John Betjeman wrote an original poetic commentary consisting of blank verse, free verse, and prose and he appeared on-screen in several segments to describe features of ecclesiastical buildings and to reminisce about his lifelong "passion for churches".

The programme was praised by critics upon its original BBC 2 screening in December 1974 and gained high audience appreciation figures. It has since been repeated on BBC Four in 2006. It was released on a limited-edition DVD in 2007.

Production

Background

Following the success of the 1973 film Metro-land, which documented life in suburban London, Edward Mirzoeff was commissioned to create a new documentary with John Betjeman. Mirzoeff noticed that aside from suburban themes, the Church of England was the other major influence on Betjeman's poetry. His proposal to the poet was for a study of the Church of England to be titled Failed in Divinity, a line derived from Betjeman's poetic autobiography Summoned by Bells, in which the poet relates how he was sent down from the University of Oxford after failing a compulsory examination on divinity. In Mirzoeff's first treatment, Betjeman would have embarked on a journey around Britain studying fine cathedrals, churches and their congregations. Betjeman ruled against the title, but liked the idea, although he was keen that the film should be primarily about the Church and its people, and not himself.

Following this early proposal, Mirzoeff and Betjeman realised that a study of the whole Church would be too ambitious, and instead decided to set the film within one diocese. Betjeman initially suggested the Diocese of Southwark, owing to a friendship with the then-Bishop of Southwark, Mervyn Stockwood. Mirzoeff was not keen, given that Southwark was primarily an urban diocese. A disastrous meeting with the bishop (who was "high-handed, arrogant and very, very rude") led to that idea being scrapped.

Film editor Ted Roberts suggested the Diocese of Norwich, as Norfolk is noted for the density of its medieval churches in a variety of urban, coastal and rural locations. In addition, Betjeman was close friends with Lady Wilhelmina "Billa" Harrod (to whom he had once been engaged), who resided at The Old Rectory, Holt. She was greatly involved with saving redundant churches and was personal friends with the Bishop of Norwich, Maurice Wood, and was also able to provide the crew with accommodation. Early location-scouting proved fruitful, and the production was bolstered by a meeting with Bishop Wood in March 1974, during which the bishop, after initial reluctance, gave the production his blessing. Filming began in April 1974.

Filming

The documentary was shot on 16 mm colour film by cameraman John McGlashan, who had also worked on the BBC's M.R. James series of adaptations A Ghost Story for Christmas, of which the early installments were entirely filmed in Norfolk (Betjeman was a fan of Jamesian ghost stories, and often read them to the crew while travelling to locations). McGlashan was also a part-time priest for a Liberal Catholic church, and was able to bring to the production additional knowledge of the Sacraments.

After deciding against the original "Failed in Divinity" preface, it was decided to open the film with Betjeman remembering a Norfolk rowing holiday from his youth in which his father pointed out the tower of St Peter's church in Belaugh. This moment, he said, led to his lifelong "passion for churches", a phrase that would eventually form the title of the film. The crew decided to film Betjeman revisiting this location on the River Bure, although on several occasions the poet nearly capsized his rowing boat.

The production work was exhaustive, involving the filming of numerous churches in Norfolk, both ancient and more modern. Many of the clergymen featured in the programme were discovered by accident or by word-of-mouth. For example, the production researcher managed to find, on request, a vicar who had an extensive model railway in his rectory, another whose ministry was based on water (the Chaplain of the Broads) and a vicar whose congregation at the time numbered zero.

Several of the services featured in the film were one-off events. For example, the wedding was shot at Lyng, where the bride's father was the rector. The bridegroom, Nigel McCulloch, went on to become the Bishop of Manchester. The production encountered difficulties with obtaining some footage; while filming a Seaman's Mission from Great Yarmouth, a wave flooded the boat, ruining the sound-recording equipment, and a sequence featuring an open-air service taking place at daybreak on Easter Sunday at the most easterly point of the UK – at Ness Point, Lowestoft – was nearly missed after the sound recordist overslept.

Poetry
The commentary alternates between blank verse, free verse, and prose. Although Betjeman had accompanied the production on most of its shoots, his poetic commentary was only written in the weeks after the film had already been edited by Roberts. According to Mirzoeff, he would run sequences from the film for hours, searching for inspiration in the rhythm of the editing, sometimes sitting in a small cupboard to help himself concentrate. Betjeman's daughter, Candida Lycett Green recalls that "JB put everything into it that he could muster: the film was about all that he loved about England - its people, its church and its architecture. Throughout his life he had been able to find poetry where others had never thought to look."

Mirzoeff notes that he found writing the text for A Passion for Churches more of a strain than for his previous film since he had to take into consideration both his own beliefs and those of his friends. Sometimes members of the crew would help him by writing their own verses for him to use or modify. One particular sequence proved so difficult to write that Betjeman flew into a rage after the director pressured him to hurry the composition along. Mirzoeff suggests that several sequences, such as the scene about redundancy and death, provoked verse of much greater "complexity and depth" than any heard in his previous screen appearances.

Synopsis

The film is roughly based on themes suggested by the Anglican sacraments. It opens with Betjeman's recollection of how a boating holiday by Belaugh in Norfolk inspired his "Passion for Churches". After a montage of church architecture with the musical accompaniment of the barrel organ of Bressingham, the focus shifts to St Margaret's, Cley next the Sea, where Betjeman introduces the viewer to its features. The scene then switches to a baptism in Trunch and later a children's service in Mattishall. Also seen are the restoration of the medieval screen at Ranworth and examples of surviving Norwich glass at East Harling. Betjeman then journeys to Norwich, which has more surviving medieval churches than London, Bristol and York combined. At Norwich Cathedral, the centre of the diocese, he attends a Mothers' Union meeting with the Bishop, and later the institution of a new rector to the living of Holt. Betjeman tells the viewer about the Elizabethan vicarage of Great Snoring. Later seen are a vicar busily writing his newsletter at Weston Longville, a parish meeting at Letheringsett and a fête at South Raynham. Betjeman presents the three-storey pulpit of St Mary's Bylaugh and the brass-rubbing at Felbrigg. A wedding takes place in Lyng and in the tower of Wiveton, change ringers explain their addiction to bell-ringing.

Betjeman explores the ruins of St Benet's Abbey before seeing its modern equivalent at a convent of Anglican nuns at the Community of All Hallows, Ditchingham. Betjeman then takes the North Norfolk Railway to Walsingham to see the Anglican pilgrims going to the church of Our Lady of Walsingham. After a look at the Queen's church in Sandringham and the unusual Victorian church at Booton, choir practices are seen in progress at Martham and Wymondham Abbey. Exulting the work of Sir Ninian Comper at Lound, Suffolk, Betjeman recalls that he looked like Colonel Sanders. As Easter Day approaches, Betjeman reflects on the furthest reaches of the diocese - a parish church in Flordon that no one attends, as well as the fate of those churches declared redundant; conversion into hospitals, an artists' studio, a shoe store and dereliction (St Peter, Corpusty). We see the water-borne ministries of the Chaplain of the Missions to Seamen, Great Yarmouth, visiting the crew of Smith's Knoll Lightship, and the Chaplain of the Broads invites holidaymakers to Easter service at Ranworth. Easter Day breaks at Ness Point Lowestoft with a service to greet the rising sun. Ladies from the Almshouses in Castle Rising process to church in their Jacobean uniform. The film concludes back in Norwich as parishioners of St Peter Mancroft, and parishioners from churches all around the county summoned by bells, walk to worship.

Reception and release
Mirzoeff recalls that A Passion for Churches created a minor internal disagreement at the BBC since the film, produced by the General Features Department, discussed a subject considered to be the territory of the Religious Broadcasting Department. The head of the department insisted on a screening, but was placated by the presence of the poet and Prime Minister Harold Wilson's wife, Mary, at a private showing held in November 1974, and he gave the film his approval.

Critical reception to the film was generally very positive: The Times Literary Supplement named it "Sir John's masterpiece to date" and the Financial Times described it as "extremely good". Television playwright Dennis Potter was also highly complimentary, writing his New Statesman review in verse as a tribute. Only the Eastern Daily Press felt that the film was too short and lacking in detail. But it responded favourably to the repeat, claiming that its original criticisms had led to the film being much improved. In fact not one single frame had been changed. Audience response was recorded as "exceptionally enthusiastic" and Betjeman himself was pleased with the result, although of his films he still favoured Metro-land.

A Passion for Churches was revived by BBC Four in 2006 to mark the centenary of the poet's birth. It was subsequently released on a limited-edition DVD in 2007 with notes by the producer and two additional short films by the poet.

References

Works cited
John Betjeman, Candida Lycett Green (ed), John Betjeman: Coming Home : an anthology of his prose 1920-1977 (Methuen, 1997)
Edward Mirzoeff, Viewing notes for A Passion for Churches (BBC TV, 1974) - DD Home Entertainment 2007
A. N. Wilson, Betjeman, (Hutchinson, 2006)

External links

1974 documentary films
1974 films
1974 television specials
BBC television documentaries
Documentary films about poets
Documentary films about Christianity
Films directed by Edward Mirzoeff
1970s English-language films
1970s British films
English-language documentary films

A Passion for Churches