Robin Leonard Trower, “The White Hendrix,” celebrates his 71st birthday today. Never a carouser, the most underrated guitar player in rock history is probably at home rehearsing for his up-coming tour of the Eastern US. He’s been wowing audiences with his guitar virtuosity, a blend of blues, rock and ethereal effects and bending, for over 50 years.
Robin was born in Catford, England, and had a normal childhood until age 14, when he was captured by aliens: Elvis and his guitar player, Scotty Moore. His dad bought him a guitar and he took to it intuitively. Just three years later he “turned pro” forming The Paramounts, with Gary Brooker. The band played R&B covers, and Robin was especially taken with James Brown, B.B. King and Howlin’ Wolf.
After splitting up in 1966, Robin formed a short-lived trio, Jam, while Brooker formed Procol Harum. Robin re-joined his mate within a matter of months, and played on Procol Harum’s first 5 albums (though not on “Whiter Shade of Pale”). The band was on tour in Germany when Robin got his first look at another act on the bill, Jimi Hendrix. It was, he has said “a life changing experience.”
In another life-changing event, Robin, who had always used Gibson Les Paul guitars, picked up a Fender Stratocaster that Jethro Tull guitarist Martin Barre was trying out. Robin plugged the Strat into his rig and . . . the skies cleared, the sun came out, angels sang, etc. “This is it!” he screamed, having found the sound he’d been looking for, and that would characterize his tone to this day.
Robin struck out on his own in 1971, forming Jude, with ex-Jethro Tull drummer Clive Bunker, ex-Stone the Crows bassist Jimmy Dewar, and vocalist Frankie Miller. They broke up without recording an album and Robin then founded the Robin Trower Band, a power trio a la Cream and Hendrix. Jimmy Dewar played bass and sang, and Reg Isadore was the drummer. They debuted January 29, 1973, on a bill with Jethro Tull. After one album, Isadore was replaced by Bill Lordan, formerly with Sly & The Family Stone. That lineup would stick together until the early 80s, when Dewar came down with a rare, disabling and incurable neurological disease.
Robin Trower Band: Jimmy Dewar - Reg Isadore - Robin Trower (on the Thames, London)Robin has produced 20 studio and 11 more live albums, the best known of which is his second album Bridge of Sighs (1974). It peaked at No. 7 on the US charts. The following album, For Earth Below, made it to No. 5. Curiously enough, “Bridge of Sighs” was not named for the Venice, Italy, landmark, but for a newspaper headline about a racehorse of that name. Robin has also produced 5 albums with bassist Jack Bruce, 3 others with Bryan Ferry, and re-joined Procol Harum in the 90s for 2 albums.
Robin Trower is more popular and his music better known in the US than the UK. He attributes that to the fact that his music is so firmly rooted in American blues and rock. He cites Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top as a current guitarist he admires. And, I would challenge anyone to listen to Stevie Ray Vaughan next to Robin Trower and not be struck by the similarities. There’s a story that Stevie was doing a sound check in a little bar in Texas, and his brother Jimmy Ray was listening. Jimmy supposedly sniped out “Hey, nice playing there, Robin Trower.” Legend has it that Stevie went crazy and started a brawl with his brother. It must have been a brother thing, and not liking to be called an imitator, because the comparison was no insult.
Here’s a very good quality recording of Robin’s full concert in Bonn, Germany, fittingly, on his birthday in 2005.
Catch Robin Trower at the Tangier in Akron, OH, on May 1st.
Happy Birthday, Robin!
P.S. We also say good-bye to Sir George Martin, the so-called 5th Beatle for his contributions to the group in the recording studio. He was 90.
