Robert Plant named RSD legend
Record Store Day on April 18 will honor Robert Plant as the 2026 Record Store Legend, and Plant marked the announcement with a visit to Spillers Records — the world’s oldest record store — while also planning a four-track EP with Saving Grace called Saving Grace: All That Glitters ( ). That recognition slots Plant beside past recipients like Elton John and Johnny Marr and gives collectors a focal point for the 19th annual RSD events (everettpost.com).
Robert Plant is getting a new kind of rock-star tribute this month: not a hall of fame slot or a lifetime award, but the 2026 Record Store Legend honor tied to Record Store Day on Saturday, April 18. Record Store Day’s own announcement says Plant marked it by visiting Spillers Records in Cardiff, Wales, to oversee the installation of his plaque. (recordstoreday.com) That choice tells you what this award is really for. Record Store Day was created in 2007 by independent record store owners and staff, and the first event was held on April 19, 2008, so the 2026 edition is its 19th annual celebration of brick-and-mortar shops that still sell physical music. (recordstoreday.com, recordstoreday.co.uk) Plant’s stop at Spillers was not random local color. Spillers Records says it is the world’s oldest record shop, and Record Store Day used that setting to turn the award into a scene about music history living inside an actual store instead of a museum case. (recordstoreday.co.uk, billboard.com) The award is also a joint United States and United Kingdom gesture, which fits Plant’s place in rock history. Record Store Day’s announcement says Elton John was the first Record Store Legend in 2017, Johnny Marr received it in 2025, and Plant now joins that short list in 2026. (goldminemag.com, recordstoreday.co.uk) Plant is not just being honored at the event; he is also showing up in the bins. Nonesuch Records says he and Saving Grace will release a four-track vinyl extended play record called *Saving Grace: All That Glitters...* on April 18, with singer Suzi Dian and the same band from his recent *Saving Grace* album. (nonesuch.com) Record Store Day’s release page says the extended play record contains four new studio recordings, including versions of “Blackest Crow,” “Poison,” “Orphan Girl,” and “She Cried.” That matters because Record Store Day runs on scarcity and exclusives, and Plant is giving collectors a fresh item instead of a recycled greatest-hits package. (recordstoreday.com) In Cardiff, Plant used the visit to talk less like a celebrity endorser and more like a regular customer. Local coverage of the Spillers appearance says he called the shop an “institution” and praised independent record store owners, which lines up with Record Store Day’s pitch that stores are still community spaces, not just retail counters. (yahoo.com, recordstoreday.co.uk) So the story is bigger than one plaque. On April 18, Record Store Day gets a marquee name, Plant gets a new vinyl release in the same moment, and independent shops get a marketing hook built around one of rock’s most recognizable voices walking into one of the oldest stores still standing. (recordstoreday.com, recordstoreday.com, nonesuch.com)
