The documentary It Might Get Loud brings together a trio of guitar heroes and marks Jimmy Page's first return to action since Led Zeppelin's reunion show in 2007. James McNair meets the axeman

After more than two years off the radio airwaves, following a nervous breakdown and family disintegration, the award-winning presenter Andy Kershaw has confirmed that he is to make a comeback to BBC Radio 3.

Vocals - Robert Plant
But the Robert Plant from 1972. He had moves then that nobody else had and a voice that created what rock singers wanted to sound like from that point on. The lead singer has to be a good frontman and in his day he was the best.

United's long-overlooked playmaker tells Ian Herbert why he is finally in the spotlight

Garlanded with praise from the likes of Emmylou Harris and Don Was ("This might be the best record I've ever heard"), Written in Chalk has the nobility of old-time country music, but with a post-modern appreciation of blues, jazz and the innovations of artists such as Tom Waits and Robert Plant.

These have been a triumphant few days for two stalwarts of the entertainment business. Robert Plant, winner of five Grammys, and Mickey Rourke, named best actor at the Baftas, both inhabit different corners of the showbusiness universe. But there is a pleasing symmetry about the lives of these two veteran performers.

Led Zeppelin frontman strikes gold with his bluegrass collaboration

Forty five years ago this month, the Beatles arrived at Kennedy airport in New York to find thousands of screaming fans there to greet them. The British Invasion had happened; and at regular intervals since, the headline is resurrected to signal that British music acts have conquered America.

Perhaps the purest exponents of desert blues are Tinariwen. The band’s backstory is the stuff of legend – members of the loose collective fought in the Mali Civil War during the Nineties, and tales of the Tuareg musicians going into battle with both Kalashnikovs and guitars slung over their backs are legion. Their sound is unique – layered guitars interweaving with call and response vocals, handclaps and female throat singers.

When it comes to hiring drummers, the Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant has always been a hard taskmaster since John Bonham's death in September 1980 precipitated the end of the legendary rock group. Throughout his solo career, Plant has probably had his late friend and bandmate at the back of his mind, and has performed and recorded with musicians such as Phil Collins, Cozy Powell, Barriemore Barlow and Richard Hayward behind the kit.

Terry Pratchett, the author of the Discworld series of novels that have sold more than 55 million copies worldwide, said he was "stunned, in a good way" after receiving a knighthood in the New Year's Honours List.

After 14 years of rumours and false starts, Guns N'Roses are promising to release their new album. There's even a ticking clock on their website. Oh well; heavy metal bands never did like to rush things, says Andy Gill

A Led Zeppelin tour minus Robert Plant calls important issues into question

Arctic Monkey's frontman, Alex Turner has been nominated for a third successive year