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Throughout his long and winding solo career,
guitarist Robin Trower has had to endure countless comparisons
to Jimi Hendrix, due to his uncanny ability to channel Hendrix's
bluesy/psychedelic, Fender Strat-fueled playing style. Born on
March 9, 1945, in Catford, England, Trower spent the early '60s
playing guitar in various London based outfits; the most successful
one being the R&B group the Paramounts, who specialized mostly
in covers, but managed to issue several singles between 1963 and
1965. It wasn't until 1967 that Trower received his big break
however, when he joined Procol Harum. The group had just scored
a worldwide smash hit with "A Whiter Shade of Pale," but the only
problem was that the band's leader, singer/pianist Gary Brooker,
didn't have a proper band to back him. Brooker was previously
a bandmate of Trower's in the Paramounts, and offered the guitar
slot in his new fast-rising project to his old friend. As a result,
Trower appeared on such Procol Harum classics as 1967's Procol
Harum, 1968's Shine on Brightly, 1969's A Salty Dog, 1970's Home
(which spawned the popular Trower tune "Whiskey Train"), and 1971's
Broken Barricades.
While Procol Harum helped launch Trower's career, the guitarist
realized there was limited space for his guitar work, and eventually
left for a solo career. Enlisting singer/bassist James Dewar and
drummer Reg Isidore (who was soon replaced by Bill Lordan) as
a backing band, Trower issued his solo debut, Twice Removed From
Yesterday, in 1973. The album barely left a dent in the U.S. charts,
but that would change soon enough with his next release, 1974's
Bridge of Sighs. With rock fans still reeling from Hendrix's death
a few years earlier, the album sounded eerily similar to the late
guitarist's work with the Jimi Hendrix Experience (especially
his 1968 release, Electric Ladyland), and as a result, the album
sky rocketed into the U.S. Top Ten, peaking at number seven.
Although Bridge of Sighs was to be his most popular solo release,
Trower's stock continued to rise throughout the mid-'70s, as he
became an arena headliner on the strength of such hit albums as
1975's For Earth Below, 1976's Robin Trower Live!, and Long Misty
Days, plus 1977's In City Dreams. Further releases followed, yet
by the dawn of the '80s, it became quite obvious that Trower's
star was rapidly fading, as each album sold less than its predecessor.
A brief union with ex-Cream bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce spawned
a pair of releases, 1981's B.L.T. and 1982's Truce, before Trower
returned back to his solo career.
The '80s saw Trower try and expand his audience with several releases
that attempted to update his blues-rock style (such as 1987's
slick produced Passion), but none returned the guitarist back
to the top of the charts. During the early '90s, Trower returned
back to Procol Harum for a brief reunion (1991's Prodigal Stranger),
before backing ex-Roxy Music singer Bryan Ferry on a few releases
(1993's Taxi and 1994's Mamouna, the latter of which Trower earned
a co-producer credit for). Trower continued to issue solo albums
in the 21st century (2000's Go My Way), while a steady stream
of live sets and compilations appeared. Trower returned to work
with Ferry once more on 2002's Frantic, again earning a production
credit. Reassembling most of his late-'80s band, Trower released
Living Out of Time in 2004 and returned with Another Days Blues
in late 2005.
This bio courtesy www.allmusic.com
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