Legendary vocalist Robert Plant has contributed to Patty Griffin’s forthcoming album Crown of Roses, which is scheduled for release on July 25.
Plant lends his voice to the track “Long Time,” providing backing vocals, as recently confirmed.
The collaboration between Plant and Griffin stems from their shared history both professionally and personally. Their connection began when they performed and recorded together during Plant’s Band of Joy era, which kicked off in 2010. The two artists eventually entered into a romantic relationship and lived together in Texas for several years before parting ways around 2013.
In a 2014 interview with The Independent, Plant reflected on their transatlantic relationship, saying: “Patty and I gave it a go, making trips back and forth across the Atlantic. But she didn’t quite take to my fondness for cider, and she often found my Black Country persona—especially after a few pints of Thatchers—quite amusing. It’s bittersweet. There’s definitely sadness and regret on my part, but I also came to realize I needed to return home to truly understand what I had been missing. I guess it’s a tale as old as time.”
This isn’t the first time Plant has appeared on Griffin’s records. He was featured on her 2013 album American Kid, her self-titled 2019 release, and again on Tape in 2022.
Their duet history also includes a cover of Toussaint McCall’s “Nothing Takes The Place Of You,” which they recorded together for the 2013 film Winter in the Blood. That song later appeared on Plant’s 2020 career-spanning collection Digging Deep: Subterranea. Another highlight from that compilation was their rendition of Charlie Feathers’ “Too Much Alike,” a previously unreleased track.
Griffin has already released the first single from Crown of Roses, titled “Back at the Start,” though Plant does not appear on that particular song.
