Measured out with coffee spoons: Perfect Lovers

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Perfect Lovers

Patty Griffin and Robert Plant

Who are these two musical favorites of mine kissing each other? And why?

I have loved the tiny flamed-haired Patty Griffin since her first album, "Living with Ghosts," in 1996. She's folk, she can rock, she can do gospel, she can go country. In 2007 she was the Americana Music Association's Artist of the year, and in 2011 she won a Grammy for Best Traditional Gospel Album for the wonderful Downtown Church, which includes her song Up to the Mountain in honor of MLK, Jr.

Everybody knows Robert Plant, lead singer and chest barer with the long golden mane and the tight jeans from one of the greatest classic rock bands ever, Led Zeppelin. He was a wild one, always happy, always having a good time on the road. Except that he wrote "All of My Love" to his son who died at age 5 of a stomach infection at home in the UK while Plant was on tour in the US. Most of his lyrics deserve more serious attention than they get, in my opinion, especially if you like Norse or Celtic mythology and weird rabbit holes to go down.

Then Plant discovered Americana and bluegrass. He made an award-winning CD with Alison Krauss, which is one of my all time favorites, in 2007. He appeared at Merlefest and seemed to be having the time of his life. Not too long after that he formed a band reviving the name of his very first band "Band of Joy" that was PURE AMERICANA. Buddy Miller suggested that Patty Griffin be added, mostly to sing back up, and she said yes to the demotion. They made one CD and toured for about a year in 2010-2011 and somewhere along the way, my favorite rock god and my favorite Americana singer-songwriter became a couple.

That CD "Band of Joy" was nominated for a Grammy as Best Americana Album in 2011 and Plant received the nomination for Best Solo Rock Vocal for "Silver Rider" from that CD.

Griffin and Plant now live together, dividing their time between Austin, Texas, and the UK, and he sings backup on HER albums. Can that wild man settle down to one woman, even at the age of 64? I hope so. I am just so jealous of her that I could cry if he didn't keep me laughing all the time.