Robin Trower

The Robin Trower story started in the mid-60s when he began his recording career in the Southend rhythm and blues band The Paramounts. But the first time Trower pinged on rock ‘n roll’s radar was in 1967 with Procol Harum – house band of the Summer of Love. Though he did not play on their mega-hit “A Whiter Shade of Pale,” he completed five albums and many tours with them before breaking away for a solo career in 1971. Trower admits that “the big break for me was Gary Brooker getting me to join Procol. That opened up the whole world. Without that, I would never been able to go on and do what I’ve done.” He rates leaving Procol Harum “the best career decision I ever made.”

Trower modeled his own band on the power-trio blueprint of Cream and Taste, and of course, the Jimi Hendrix Experience. His atmospheric, effects-laden Stratocastering brought inevitable initial comparisons with Hendrix, but he quickly made his own mark. Trower, along with the vocal talents of James Dewar, a hard-living Scot, whose voice will always be associated with the Robin Trower Band proved to be a musical powerhouse. Trower soon found himself outselling Procol by a considerable factor as he tuned in to the heavier zeitgeist of a new decade and his second album Bridge of Sighs reached the Top 10 in the States. This collection of songs is in every budding guitarslinger’s reference library and has influenced a generation of musicians. Trower’s follow up albums, In City Dreams and Caravan to Midnight demonstrated his maturing songwriting abilities and strong connection to the blues.

In the Nineties, a brief reunion with Procol Harum gave Trower breathing space to reassess the direction of his solo career. He was now, he concluded, aiming to fulfill himself musically rather than sell tonnage. As a result, Trower released 20th Century Blues on his own label, V12, in 1994 and saw him backed by drummer Mayuyu and bass player/vocalist Livingston Brown. As the decade progressed, Trower decided to take on a share of lead vocals. With his stock still high among hi fellow performers thanks to albums like 1997’s Someday Blues, the late 90s saw him hooking up with Roxy Music’s Bryan Ferry for two albums, Taxi and Mamouna plus a European tour. 2000’s Go My Way saw Trower sharing the spotlight with bassist/vocalist Richard Watts. As Trower later explained, Go My Way was an album he rated highly. “It’s really where I live, that kind of blues; slightly spacey… I just like it. I like some of the other areas as well, but that’s my hometown.” Trower continued releasing albums through the next decade including Living Out of Time (2003), Another Day’s Blues (2005), Seven Moons (2007), What Lies Beneath (2009) and The Playful Heart (2010). The 2012 set Roots and Branches was a revelation, a mix of covers –the roots – and new material – the branches. The entire set is tribute to an artist still growing in power and dexterity, but most of all in emotional expressiveness. Something’s About to Change, released in early 2015, confirmed a world-class musician at the top of his game. With his own V12 record label allowing Trower to bypass the spirit-sapping protocol of the conventional record industry, it comes to no surprise this album sounded so vital. Trower’s latest release, Where You Are Going To is more of a rocker, but is still squarely based in Trower’s love for blues.

The current century has seen Trower wowing fans old and new on both sides of the Atlantic. The stadiums he filled in the Seventies may be a fond memory, but the upside is that audiences in clubs and theatres can witness the magic at closer quarters. Make no bones about it, Robin Trower is an axeman’s axeman. He’s been a Fender Stratocaster endorsee ever since Jethro Tull’s Martin Barre let him try one before a gig in the early Seventies, and now has his own signature model – an honor accorded to few. Robin Trower live is an experience not to be missed. Whether you play guitar, or just enjoy a brilliant soulful player, come out and see the show.