After 52 years since its release in 1971, the mystery man of the Led Zeppelin IV album cover has been identified by a visiting researcher at the University of West England.
According to Stereogum, the researcher, Brian Edwards, came across the image while browsing through a photo album titled Reminiscences Of A Visit To Shaftesbury 1892 at the Wiltshire Museum. The album captioned the photo, “A Wiltshire thatcher” and exhibits a burly man stooped over, carrying an assortment of lumber on his back. With further research, Edwards discovered the man was widowed, living in a cottage on Shaftesbury Road. Born in Mere, England in 1823 during the Victorian era, the man died in 1893 and was said to be named Lot Long.
In a statement with The Guardian, Edwards shares, “Led Zeppelin created the soundtrack that has accompanied me since my teenage years, so I really hope the discovery of this Victorian photograph pleases and entertains Robert, Jimmy and John Paul.”
The album cover was founded by Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant, who stumbled upon the image at an antique shop in Pangbourne, Berkshire. Plant mistook the photo as a painting and–without a clue who this thatcher man was–designated the image as their fourth studio album cover.
The iconic album has sold over 37 million copies and includes one of their most well-known ballads, “Stairway To Heaven”. For the first time in 16 years, Plant performed the song at a charity event this past October. Along with “Stairway To Heaven”, the setlist also consisted of “Thank You” and “Black Dog”. To read more on this event and Plant’s performance, visit the link.
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