‘I couldn’t speak,’ says Robert Plant of his health. – 73-year-old rock star on ‘career killer’ disease
Robert Plant is best known as the lyricist and lead singer of the English rock band Led Zeppelin. The singer was a member of the band from its inception until its dissolution in 1980 following the death of drummer John Bonham. Although he is known for his impressive and wide vocal range, which can be heard on some of the band’s biggest hits such as Stairway to Heaven and Black Dog, years of touring have taken their toll on his vocal cords.
With the recent announcement that Plant will perform at this year’s highly anticipated Glastonbury festival alongside bluegrass star Aison Krauss, with whom Plant released a 12-track studio album last year, it is clear that any vocal cord issues are a thing of the past.
But there was a time when Zeppelin fans were concerned about the star’s singing career after he had surgery to remove nodules on his vocal cords. The plant previously stated, “I had a lot of trouble with my voice,” which affected huge stadium performances.
Plant recalled one particular story in which his vocal problems peaked. “I was in Australia once, in Melbourne,” he explained. I recall selling out some massive stadiums.
“The stage was on wheels, so if we had 10,000 people, that was fine, but if it was 12,000, they could wheel the stage back with a tractor pulling in.
“As the day progressed, more and more people arrived, and I found myself unable to speak.
“I went to the doctor, and he gave me some adrenaline and stuff.
“I turned several shades of different colors, slid down the wall, and sang the gig. The last thing a singer needs is the damage you can cause.”
These three-and-a-half-hour sets would be too much for the star, who would then undergo surgery to remove vocal nodules.
According to the British Voice Association, vocal nodules form due to trauma to the vocal folds.
When the vocal folds collide violently, swelling can form around the point of contact. Although a single trauma incident can be recovered with several days of voice rest, these episodes are frequently repeated, resulting in persistent swelling that necessitates treatment.
According to the website, swellings are initially described as “soft nodules,” but if ignored and allowed to progress, the persistent damage may begin to produce fibrous scar tissue.
This stiffens the affected area, making it less able to vibrate effectively. These are known as “hard nodules,” They are more difficult to treat because they do not resolve with voice therapy and necessitate surgery to restore the voice.
Although nodules may be hard to notice at first, the Voice Association warns that initially, after trauma, the voice may become “cloudy” or husky and less responsible over a certain pitch range.
“The voice is usually slow to warm up and may sound deeper, breathy, and weak, especially over the upper pitch range,” it says.
“The speaking voice may become noticeably hoarse and breathy over time. It may also begin to ‘cut out’ around certain notes, resulting in distinctive ‘voice breaks’. These are most noticeable when using the voice quietly.”
Surgery to remove vocal nodules was the preferred treatment in the past, but this was often unsuccessful and came with a chance of being a “career killer.”
Although it is unknown when Plant underwent vocal surgery. The Grunge, a popular music site, explains that from 1972 to 73, Plant’s vocals changed, hinting that he had undergone the potentially dangerous surgery, but was lucky not to have lost his singing ability.
Nowadays, surgical techniques try, whenever possible, to ensure that the gelatinous layer of the Lamina Propria – a thin layer of connective tissue that forms part of the respiratory tract – is preserved.
While the vocal folds may be initially a little stiff after surgery, voice therapy and good technique will shake the stiffness loose again, ensuring that clear vocal quality is restored following surgery.
In a more recent interview, Plant spoke about the dangers of COVID-19 and the effect it has had on his life. When asked about his health status back in 2020, he said: “I can tell you that I’m still breathing.
“I’ve got a warped sense of humor and can still sing a tune. But beyond that, don’t ask me what day it is because they’re all the same.
“Obviously, we all thought we could find a window, and this pandemic would blow away. In my estimation, we’ve never been so assailed on so many different sides — at least for the last hundred years since the Spanish flu kicked in.”
