Who are Robert Plant's predecessors?

The question that interests me is, who else, before Robert Plant, did that kind of blues styling in conjunction with an overdriven falsetto?

I mean, Steve Marriott sounds a lot like what Plant did later. But Plant was more shrill and piercing because his sound was produced differently. Marriott's sounds closer to a standard chest voice.

Willie Dixon, Robert Johnson, Bukka White, Skip James, Jerry Miller, and Sleepy John Estes are listed as early influences. Perhaps one of them?
 
The question that interests me is, who else, before Robert Plant, did that kind of blues styling in conjunction with an overdriven falsetto?

I mean, Steve Marriott sounds a lot like what Plant did later. But Plant was more shrill and piercing because his sound was produced differently. Marriott's sounds closer to a standard chest voice.

Willie Dixon, Robert Johnson, Bukka White, Skip James, Jerry Miller, and Sleepy John Estes are listed as early influences. Perhaps one of them?
Nothing I've heard from any of those folks has that "overdriven falsetto" thing happening. Some great stuff, but not that.

Steve Marriot sorta kinda, but Plant is the 8000 Watt version.
 
I met Little Richard at the Nashville Hilton one night a few years ago. He asked me what I listened to when I was coming up. I mentioned a few bands including Zeppelin. He said, “If you like Led Zeppelin then you like me.” He asked if I liked Jimi Hendrix too. I said, “Of course. I’m a guitar player.” He said, “ Well he was MY guitar player.”
He was one of the friendliest people I’ve ever met.
 
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I met Little Richard at the Nashville Hilton one night a few years ago. He asked me what I listened to when I was coming up. I mentioned a few bands including Zeppelin. He said, “If you like Led Zeppelin then you like me.” He asked if I like Jimi Hendrix too. I said, “Of course. I’ a guitar player.” He said, “ Well he was my guitar player.”
He was one of the friendliest people I’ve ever met.
Never met him, but that first year when my band moved to Southern Cal in 1986 to try out the bigger market, we were driving down Sunset strip on a Sunday afternoon, and looked over to see just the top of his head through the partly open window in a limo. Our singer saw him and said, "No way, that ain't no Richard Penniman!"

His ears perked up and he shot the window open and started waving at us with the biggest smile and the warmest most loving eyes I have ever seen. It was for me the greatest celebrity sighting of my entire life, and can't help but bring a tear to my eyes every time I recall it. I can picture the scene like it was yesterday...

Then again I still can't remember why I walked into the kitchen 10 minutes ago.
 
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