Producer and multi instrumentalist Gurf Morlix has some photos of Robert Plant at work on his MySpace page. In the photos, Robert and Gurf are joined by Buddy Miller, Stuart Duncan, Dennis Crouch, and Jay Bellerose.

Gurf Morlix also worked on the recording of “What You Gonna Do Leroy” for Buddy and Julie Miller’s album “Written in Chalk”.

CMT’s Hot Dish column by Hazel Smith has a story about Alison Krauss and her current projects. Smith’s folksy style brings out the obscure information at times, like what’s on the breakfast menu.

Smith asked Krauss if she still heard from Robert Plant. Smith writes:

I asked her if she hears from Robert Plant, and she said she does — and that he’s coming back to Nashville. “He’s recording with Buddy Miller,” she said. Buddy is the great Americana singer, songwriter and instrumentalist who records with his wife, Julie, and often works with Emmylou Harris. Buddy was the guitar player for the Raising Sand tour Alison did with Plant.

Aidin Vaziri reports in the San Francisco Chronicle that Robert Plant joined Buddy Miller at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass 9. Vaziri writes:

Breaking in the new Towers of Gold Stage at the far end of Lindley Meadow just before noon, Nashville guitarist Buddy Miller brought out a couple of special guests - Emmylou Harris to sing devastating harmonies on his song “Wide River to Cross” and Robert Plant to unleash his leather lung wail on the Hank Snow standard “I’m Movin’ On.”

“This is like going to school for me,” said the Led Zeppelin frontman, who minutes earlier had been taking pictures of gophers digging in the lawn backstage.

Robert Plant was spotted in a Malibu shopping mall having a coffee and a read. On Friday, October 2, 2009 it was reported he would make an appearance with Buddy Miller at the Great American Music Hall.

The Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival begins this weekend as well. Keep your eyes peeled for possible appearances.

Paste Magazine has a great article about Buddy and Julie Miller and their latest album “Written in Chalk”. Writer Geoffrey Himes presents an overview of the couple’s musical oddessy leading up to the recording of the album, and including Buddy talking about asking Robert Plant to guest on the album:

“One day Robert said, “If you need me for anything, I’m right here,’ probably not thinking that I’d take him up on it,” Buddy says. “But the next time I went home, I packed up a portable recording setup and took it on the road. When we got to Toronto, I set it up in the band room between dinner and the show, and recorded the song right there. It was the touring band and Gurf Morlix, who happened to be at that show.

Blurt Online has an interview with Buddy Miller talking about his new album “Written in Chalk”. Miller talks about working with his wife Julie as well as other noted musicians including Robert Plant. Andy Tennille writes:

AT: Tell me about the track you recorded with Robert Plant.

BM: That was cool. We cut it between soundcheck and before dinner on his and Allison’s tour. I waited ‘til we were at a venue with a nice, big dressing room and asked the guys in the band if they’d be into it. They brought their drums and upright bass, and I set up some mics in the dressing room and just cut it live. We did it super fast and cut everything, including the vocals, live. I think we played the song twice through and got it.

That song probably wasn’t either of ours first choice. He had some ideas, and I had some ideas, and we talked about them. Somehow, we ended up with this old Lefty Frizzell song. It just seemed like it would be a cool duet. And it was. I loved that band and playing with Robert. He’s just a wonderfully generous guy.

AT: Did you know that you wanted to do a song with Robert, or was it that you had a particular song in mind and were looking for the perfect person to work with it on? How did it come together?

BM: We were playing in L.A. and I had a meeting with New West, my label. The record was done, so I went over there, but they said it’s too late to come out this year, which was last year. So I came back after the meeting and at dinner Robert said, “How’d it go with New West?” I told him everything went well, but it won’t come out until next year. After dinner, he said, “Well if you need me for anything, let me know.” It took me about a half a second to respond. I hate to take advantage of people but hey, if Robert Plant offers…

Randy Lewis reviews the upcoming Julie and Buddy Miller album “Written in Chalk” for the L.A. Times. He writes in part:

There’s a sense of timelessness rooted in rural America, along with a stripped-down musical ambience, that makes this a worthy companion to Robert Plant and Alison Krauss’ “Raising Sand,” for which Buddy was part of their touring band. That connection resulted in Plant’s guest spot on a delightfully squirrelly arrangement of Mel Tillis’ “What You Gonna Do Leroy,” recorded live in a dressing room during that tour last year.

Like Plant and Krauss, the Millers find light within the darker recesses of human experience, notably in the lusty “Gasoline and Matches” and the enigmatic character sketch “Memphis Jane.” And there’s real sweetness along with the sadness in “June,” written by Julie on the night June Carter Cash died.

From Buddy and Julie Miller’s record company, New West Records:

Following his show in Baltimore last Thursday evening, Buddy Miller was not feeling well. After consulting doctors at Johns Hopkins Hospital, tests revealed some heart blockage. It was determined that surgery was needed right away. He is now resting and recovering and expected to be released from hospital shortly. Buddy and his family would like to thank all for their well wishes and prayers.

The Poughkeepsie Journal is reporting that Buddy Miller suffered a heart attack. He was taken ill on Friday. According to the Tennesseean, Miller underwent triple-bypass surgery at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore. They report the surgery was successful and Miller will be recovering there for several weeks.

Buddy and his wife Julie Miller have a new album “Written in Chalk” due out on March 3. The album contains a guest vocal by Robert Plant. Buddy Miller is currently on tour with Emmylou Harris, Patty Griffin and Shawn Colvin. He was a member of the Raising Sand tour with Robert Plant, Alison Krauss and T-Bone Burnett.

The Buddy and Julie Miller album, Written in Chalk, will be released in March 2009. It includes the track “What You Gonna Do Leroy” which he recorded with Robert Plant in Toronto during the Raising Sand tour. Here is a video of Buddy talking about recording the album, as well as with working with Robert and Alison and recording with Robert.