By the mid-1970s, Elvis Presley and Led Zeppelin represented two different generations of rock royalty. Yet when members of the British band finally found themselves face to face with the man who had helped inspire them, even some of the biggest rock stars in the world were reportedly awestruck. Then Elvis did something involving a wristwatch that instantly changed the mood.
One widely repeated version says John Paul Jones admired Elvis’s expensive gold and diamond watch, prompting Elvis to exchange it for Jones’s cheap Mickey Mouse watch. Accounts of the meetings vary, though, and a better-documented version places another watch exchange during a later gathering involving Jones, tour manager Richard Cole and Elvis.
When Led Zeppelin Met Elvis Presley | Letterman
Their first famous encounter came after Elvis performed at the Los Angeles Forum on May 11, 1974. He even acknowledged Led Zeppelin from the stage before members of the band met him afterward. Robert Plant later remembered spending roughly 90 minutes talking with Elvis about their musical roots and the Presley songs Plant loved singing during soundchecks.
The relationship did not end there. During a later meeting, Jerry Schilling’s account describes Elvis exchanging watches with Richard Cole before disappearing upstairs and returning with another extravagant watch for John Paul Jones. Whatever version of the Mickey Mouse story is told, Elvis’s habit of suddenly giving valuable possessions away fits the remarkable generosity remembered by people around him.
Robert Plant Shares Memories of Meeting Elvis Presley
Plant’s recollections make the story more meaningful than a strange celebrity watch exchange. Elvis had been one of his heroes long before Led Zeppelin existed. Years later, Plant still remembered Elvis entering the room, talking music with the band and eventually calling after him in the hallway while singing “Love Me,” turning a meeting between superstars into something surprisingly personal.
Elvis Presley changed popular music long before Led Zeppelin became one of rock’s biggest bands, yet their meetings showed how deeply his influence reached even among fellow superstars. Behind “Heartbreak Hotel,” “Hound Dog” and the image of the King was also a man capable of disarming his famous guests with humor and unexpected generosity. Watch the videos and hear Robert Plant reveal what it was really like when Led Zeppelin finally met Elvis.