Robert Plant honored

Robert Plant is getting a new plaque in a record shop, not a hall of fame. Record Store Day named the former Led Zeppelin singer its 2026 Record Store Legend on April 8, and the honor comes with a visit to Spillers Records in Cardiff, which bills itself as the world’s oldest record store. (recordstoreday.co.uk) (billboard.com) The timing is tied to this year’s Record Store Day on Saturday, April 18, 2026. Record Store Day says the event is in its 19th year and involves thousands of independent shops worldwide selling special releases and hosting in-store events. (recordstoreday.co.uk) (recordstoreday.com) This award is newer than the event itself. Record Store Day says Elton John was the first Record Store Legend in 2017 for the event’s 10th birthday, and Johnny Marr received the honor in 2025 before Plant took it in 2026. (goldminemag.com) (recordstoreday.co.uk) Plant fits the part because this is not just about old hit songs. Record Store Day said the award recognizes both his global music impact and his continued support for new artists, record shops, and the wider record-store community. (recordstoreday.co.uk) (officialcharts.com) The shop chosen for the ceremony adds another layer. Spillers Records opened in 1894 in Cardiff, and Billboard’s report on Plant’s visit framed it as the world’s oldest record store, which turns the announcement into a small piece of music-retail history as well as a celebrity tribute. (billboard.com) Plant is also attached to an actual release for the day, which is how Record Store Day usually turns an honor into foot traffic. Record Store Day says he will mark April 18 with an exclusive title, *Saving Grace: All That Glitters*, available through participating shops. (recordstoreday.com) (recordoftheday.com) That store-first model is the whole point of the event. Record Store Day says it was conceived in 2007 by independent record-store owners and employees, and the first one was held on April 19, 2008, to celebrate the culture around brick-and-mortar music shops. (recordstoreday.com) So the Plant announcement is really doing two jobs at once. It gives a 77-year-old rock star with a six-decade career a fresh public moment, and it gives independent vinyl shops another reason to get fans through the door on April 18 instead of sending them to a streaming app. (billboard.com) (recordstoreday.co.uk)