Artist

Robin Trower

Catford, United Kingdom • b. 1945

Robin Trower is a musician from Catford, United Kingdom, active since 1945. Their discography on Gatefold includes 24 records.

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Albums tracked

103

In collections

1945

Since

Biography

Robin Trower (born March 9, 1945 in Catford, England) is a British blues rock guitarist who achieved success with Procol Harum during the 1960's, and then again as the leader of his own power trio. Perhaps Trower's most famous album is Bridge of Sighs (1974). This album, along with his first (Twice Removed from Yesterday) and third (For Earth Below) solo albums, was produced by his former Procol Harum band mate, organist Matthew Fisher. Those who

The Arc of Robin Trower

The pivots — what forced Robin Trower to reinvent.

The Power Trio Breakthrough
Trower left Procol Harum in 1971 to escape the piano-dominated arrangements and build something centered entirely on the guitar. He recruited bassist and singer James Dewar and drummer Reg Isidore, setting up a power trio format that allowed his heavy, atmospheric blues to breathe. Producer Matthew Fisher, his former bandmate, helped capture this massive sound on the 1973 debut Twice Removed From Yesterday and the landmark 1974 follow-up Bridge of Sighs. The music was defined by slow, heavy tempos, deep grooves, and Trower’s signature Uni-Vibe-drenched Fender Stratocaster tone.
The Funk and Arena Expansion
As the mid-seventies rolled in, pressure from Chrysalis Records and the reality of playing massive American arenas pushed Trower to modify the formula. He replaced Isidore with Sly & the Family Stone drummer Bill Lordan, bringing a syncopated, funk-influenced bounce to albums like For Earth Below. They added rhythm guitarist Rusty Allen on In City Dreams to thicken the live sound, but the move diluted the stark, atmospheric space that had made the trio so powerful. The records grew slicker, the tempos sped up, and the raw blues feeling got lost in the polish of late-seventies radio production.
The Jack Bruce Collaboration
After the classic lineup splintered at the end of the seventies, Trower looked for a creative jolt by teaming up with former Cream bassist and vocalist Jack Bruce. They recorded B.L.T. and Truce in rapid succession in 1981, bringing back a heavy, improvisational power-trio dynamic that recalled the best parts of the early seventies. Bruce’s aggressive, wandering basslines and operatic vocals forced Trower to play with a frantic, renewed energy. It was a brief, volatile partnership that pulled Trower out of his late-seventies creative slump and restored his status as a heavy blues heavyweight.

Influences

Jimi Hendrix — Trower saw Hendrix perform live in London in the late sixties and immediately transitioned from playing Gibsons to Fender Stratocasters. You can hear this obsessive emulation in the heavy use of the Uni-Vibe pedal and the wah-wah work on the track 'Too Rolling Stoned.' Trower has openly admitted in interviews that Hendrix was the catalyst for his entire solo career.
Albert King — Trower frequently cites King as his primary influence for single-note string bending and phrasing. The slow-burn intensity and wide, dramatic vibrato on 'Bridge of Sighs' are direct stylistic descendants of King's signature playing style. He learned how to make a single note carry an entire measure by studying King's minimalist approach.
B.B. King — Trower's early blues education came from the classic fifties and sixties recordings of B.B. King. The clean, stinging treble-pickup tone and vocal-like soloing style on 'Day of the Eagle' mirror King's legendary phrasing. Trower has regularly praised King's economy of notes as the gold standard for lead guitar.
Otis Rush — The dramatic, minor-key blues tension that defines Trower's heaviest work was heavily shaped by Otis Rush's Cobra Records catalog. You can hear the influence of Rush's stinging, urgent vibrato and dark chord progressions on the track 'I Can't Wait Much Longer.' Trower regularly covered Rush's signature songs in his early live sets.
Hubert Sumlin — As the main guitarist for Howlin' Wolf, Sumlin's quirky, angular riffs and raw fingerstyle attack caught Trower's ear during the British blues boom. You can hear the influence of Sumlin's sharp, sudden riffs in the rhythmic backbone of 'Hannah.' Trower's ability to play off-beat, driving rhythm parts behind a vocalist comes directly from studying Sumlin's work.