"Black Dog" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin, the lead off track of their fourth album, released in 1971. It was also released as a single in the United States and Australia with "Misty Mountain Hop" on the B-side, and reached #15 on Billboard and #11 in Australia.

In 2010, the song was ranked #300 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Music sociologist Deena Weinstein argues, "Black Dog" is "one of the most instantly recognisable [Led] Zeppelin tracks".

Led Zeppelin bass player John Paul Jones, who is credited with writing the main riff, wanted to write a song that people could not "groove" or dance to with its winding riff and complex rhythm changes.

In an interview, Jones explained the difficulties experienced by the band in writing the song:

The song's title is a reference to a nameless black Labrador retriever that wandered around the Headley Grange studios during recording. The dog has nothing to do with the song lyrics (although the line "Eyes that shine burning red" is similar to the Black dog legend), which are about desperate desire for a woman's love and the happiness resulting thereby. Regarding the lyrics to the song, Plant later said, "Not all my stuff is meant to be scrutinized. Things like 'Black Dog' are blatant, let's-do-it-in-the-bath type things, but they make their point just the same." Plant's vocals were recorded in two takes.

Black dog may refer to:

Thomas Rhett Akins Sr. (born October 13, 1969) is an American country singer and songwriter. Signed to Decca Records between 1994 and 1997, he released two albums for the label (1995's A Thousand Memories and 1996's Somebody New), followed by 1998's What Livin's All About on MCA Nashville. Friday Night in Dixie was released in 2002 on Audium Entertainment. Overall, Akins's albums have accounted for fourteen singles on the Billboard country singles charts, including the Number One "Don't Get Me Started" from 1996.

Although he has not charted a single since 2006, Akins has written singles for other country music singers, including five Number One songs, "Gimmie That Girl" by Joe Nichols, "All About Tonight" and "Honey Bee" by Blake Shelton, "All Over Me" by Josh Turner and "Take a Back Road" by Rodney Atkins. He has also written singles recorded by Brooks & Dunn, Jack Ingram, and country-rap artist Colt Ford.

Rhett Akins was born on October 13, 1969, in Valdosta, Georgia. By age eleven, he and his two younger brothers had formed a band. Rhett attended University of Georgia and studied business but gave up his studies after a year. He then worked for his father’s oil and gas distribution company. In 1992, after performing in the theme park show "Music Country Music" at Fiesta Texas in San Antonio, Texas, Akins moved to Nashville, Tennessee, first working as a demo singer before Decca Records signed him to a recording contract.

Randy Travis (Born May 4, 1959) is an American country music singer and actor. Since 1985, he has recorded 20 studio albums and charted more than 30 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts, and 22 of these were number one hits. Considered a pivotal figure in the history of country music, Travis broke through in the mid-1980s with the release of his album Storms of Life, which sold more than three million copies. The album established him as a major force in the Neotraditional country movement. Travis followed up his successful debut with a string of platinum and multi-platinum albums.

By the mid-1990s, Travis saw a decline in his chart success. In 1997, he left Warner Bros. Records for DreamWorks Records and changed his musical focus to gospel music. Although the career shift produced only one more number one country hit "Three Wooden Crosses", Travis went on to earn several Dove awards, including Album of the Year three times. In addition to his singing career, Travis pursued an acting career, appearing in numerous films and television series, including The Rainmaker (1997) with Matt Damon, Texas Rangers (2001) with James Van Der Beek, and seven episodes of the Touched by an Angel television series. Travis has sold over 25 million records, and has earned 22 number one hits, 6 number one albums, 6 Grammy awards, 6 CMA awards, 9 ACM awards, 10 AMA awards, 7 Dove awards, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Nguyên Lê (b. 14 January 1959 in Paris, France) is a French jazz musician and composer of Vietnamese ancestry. His main instrument is guitar, and he also plays electric bass guitar and guitar synthesizer.

He has released numerous albums, both as a leader and as a sideman. His 1996 album Tales from Viêt-Nam blends jazz and traditional Vietnamese music. Nguyên Lê has performed with Randy Brecker, Vince Mendoza, Eric Vloeimans, Carla Bley, Michel Portal, Paolo Fresu and Dhafer Youssef.

In spring 2011 he released Songs of Freedom, an album with cover versions of pop hits from the 1970s.