News How Robert Plant ended up covering The Drifters in the desert with Ali Farka Touré
Rock artists are the gift that keep on giving as it seems they always have interesting stories or pieces of music to talk about. Robert Plant, the lead singer of Led Zeppelin, is no exception to this, as his Desert Island Discs appearance was filled with exciting pieces of music and fun stories from his time touring with the band and as a solo artist.
Many of his songs came with tales about him discovering his love for music or living life on the road making music with Led Zeppelin, but one, in particular, stands out as it reminded Plant of a time when he found music in the most unlikely places. In the early 2000s, he went to a music festival deep in the desert, north of Timbuktu, where he heard ‘Diaraby’ for the first time.
“In the middle of it all, I saw some and heard some of the most remarkable music,” recalls Robert Plant. ‘Diaraby’ is a track by Ali Farka Touré which features Ry Cooper. It’s an incredibly ambient piece that combines more traditional African sounds with the electric guitar. It is one of the early showings of how genre-less music can be, which Plant has certainly leaned into more with his later solo work.
It’s likely hearing that song live will have had a significant impact on Plant, but another moment from that time that he holds dear was when he performed with Ali Farka Touré. With Led Zeppelin having such an influence, it is hardly a surprise the music travelled as far as it did, but the acknowledgement still took Plant off guard. What transpired lays the groundwork for a slightly odd but beautiful story.
“There was a little fire lit in a scoop in the night sky,” said Plant, “I mean, you’ve never seen a night sky like it. Ali Farka is just singing so quietly, playing the guitar and just singing these really soft melodies, and Ali Farka smiles at me and nods to me, and I think to myself, ‘hmm, this is interesting.’”
The subtle invitation was enough to get Robert Plant excited about an impromptu duet and to panic him about what to perform. “What on earth am I going to do?” he said, “well, the meter of the song is very liveable, it’s beautiful, so I quickly came up with the rash decision to sing the B side of a Drifters song from 1959. ‘Who’s gonna kiss you when it’s kissing time, kissing time.’ It was just so cool, and he said to me, ‘We know your voice; if you were a bird in the tree and we could see nothing but leaves, we’d know it was you.’”
There is no formula for being a musician who stands the test of time like Robert Plant has. There are some tips and tricks that help bands create a lucky hit, but to continue to resonate in the way Plant does all these decades after initially taking to the stage with Led Zeppelin, it requires artists to continue to experience music, remember why they love it and pass that down to their fanbase. Plant and his time with Ali Farka Touré will have no doubt helped him do this.
