Record Store Day: Plant honored
Record Store Day is set for April 18, and this year Robert Plant has been named the 2026 Record Store Legend — a classic‑rock tilt that could shape the most sought‑after RSD exclusives. (billboard.com). Plant, 77, has been visiting shops in places like West Virginia, Kansas City, Raleigh, and Austin and his band Saving Grace plans to release a four‑track EP called Saving Grace: All That Glitters, while UNCUT flags special RSD titles from Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and Bruce Springsteen among the notable exclusives. ( ).
Robert Plant is the face of Record Store Day 2026, with organizers naming the 77-year-old Led Zeppelin singer their new “Record Store Legend” just 10 days before this year’s event on Saturday, April 18. (billboard.com) That title is rare: Record Store Day says Elton John received it in 2017, Johnny Marr received it in 2025, and Plant is now the latest artist chosen jointly by the United States and United Kingdom arms of the event. (recordstoreday.com) Plant did not just accept the plaque from a distance. Billboard and Record Store Day both say he visited Spillers Records in Cardiff, which bills itself as the world’s oldest record store, to mark the honor in person. (billboard.com, recordstoreday.co.uk) The choice fits the way Plant has been spending the past year. Billboard says he has been showing up at independent shops in places including West Virginia, Kansas City, Raleigh, and Austin, which turns the award into a recognition of actual store visits, not just classic-rock prestige. (billboard.com) Record Store Day itself is now in its 19th year, and the formula is simple: independent shops get limited-run records that fans usually have to buy in person, often on a first-come, first-served basis. Record Store Day’s United Kingdom site says thousands of stores worldwide take part with parties, performances, and special releases. (recordstoreday.co.uk) Plant also has skin in this year’s release list. Record Store Day says his band Saving Grace will put out a four-track extended-play record called *Saving Grace: All That Glitters* as an exclusive tied to the April 18 event. (recordstoreday.com) That matters because Record Store Day runs on scarcity. Uncut’s 2026 guide says some of the biggest draws this year include Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts’ *The Live Album*, Joni Mitchell’s *For The Roses* with her original rejected artwork, and Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s *Live From Asbury Park 2024*. (uncut.co.uk) So Plant’s award lands in the middle of a release slate that already leans heavily toward legacy rock names with deep vinyl audiences. When the honored artist is also issuing an exclusive record, that usually pushes collectors to treat that title as one of the day’s early targets. (recordstoreday.com, uncut.co.uk) There is another famous name attached to the event, but in a different role. Coverage of the 2026 rollout says Bruno Mars is this year’s official ambassador, while Plant is the artist being singled out for long-term support of record shops themselves. (aol.com, recordstoreday.com) By April 18, the practical question for fans will be less about who won the plaque and more about which stores got which copies. Plant’s honor gives Record Store Day a classic-rock centerpiece, and his own four-song release gives shoppers one more reason to line up early outside an independent shop instead of clicking “buy now” at home. (billboard.com, recordstoreday.com)
