Let’s go way back. What was your introduction to the blues? And did it come before the Paramounts and Procol Harum?
I’ve got a feeling I was already in the Paramounts when I first heard B.B. King’s “3 O’Clock News.” I think that was the introduction. And then I just started hunting out more stuff from there.
Was the blues your favorite and preferred style of music from the very beginning?
Well, up to that point, I’ve been very much a rock ‘n’ roll fan. As I say, after I started to get into BB King, then I looked around and found other people: Howlin’ Wolf, Muddy Waters.
You began having co-writing credits with Procol Harum around the time of 1969’s A Salty Dog. Did you have to push to be involved in the group’s writing, or was it welcomed?
It was usually Gary [Brooker]’s idea that I come up with something, just as a different sort of string to the band’s bow, as it were.
Procol Harum released your song “Whisky Train” as the single off of the 1970 album Home. That track seemed to hint at the direction that you’d follow in your solo career. Arguably, it fits into your body of work far more than it does into the Procol Harum catalog. Was there a specific moment during your time in the band at which you realized, “I really need to go my own way, go solo”?
I think it was when I was starting to write a bit more on Broken Barricades [1971]. I started to realize I was coming up with a lot of guitar-based songs, and that there wasn’t really space in Procol Harum for it all. So I would have to do my own thing, have my own band.
You mentioned Broken Barricades. My favorite performance by you during your years in Procol Harum is “Simple Sister.” That song has a very strong, sharp riff, and it also has the Procol Harum progressive, semi-orchestral approach. The song is credited to Brooker and lyricist Keith Reid; did you have a hand in writing that song’s signature guitar part?No, no. That was Gary’s song. And I really love the music.
Your 1973 album Twice Removed From Yesterday was a very strong debut, and it received very positive reviews. Yet it it didn’t really sell in great numbers. Did that muted success concern you at the time, a sort of, “Oh, what have I done?”
No, not at all. I mean, I was selling records, never mind about how many! It was good.
Your solo career did truly take off with 1974’s Bridge of Sighs and For Earth Below [1975].Were you at all surprised at the commercial success of those albums?
I think I was, a little bit. I think we all knew when were recording Bridge of Sighs that it had a real potency, but you can never tell how people will take to it, you know. So yeah, I think it was a bit of a surprise.
For Earth Below has just recently been reissued in expanded form, with bonus tracks, outtakes, alternates and a complete live show. It’s a really nicely put together package. How involved do you get in those expanded reissue-type projects?
The only thing I do… I have to pass everything new that they’re they’re adding. I have to hear it and pass it. Otherwise they put it all together at Chrysalis Records. And I think they do an excellent job.
Are there more such projects in the pipeline?
Yes. I think they’re wanting to do a reissue of the original live album [1976’s Robin Trower Live! recorded in Stockholm, Sweden]. So that should be interesting, with a remix.
After years with James Dewar on bass, did you change your approach to playing guitar at all when you made the two albums – 1981’s B.L.T. and Truce from ‘82 – with former Cream bassist-vocalist Jack Bruce?
No, I don’t think I did. I think my approach has always been that I’m trying to move forward and be creative. Working with Jack was different, but I don’t think it really changed anything about my own style.
Did that trio – you, Jack Bruce and drummer Bill Lordan – every play any live dates?
No, we didn’t. We talked about it, but by the time the second one was out, I was already moving on, thinking I’d like to try something else.
When you write lyrics, from where do you draw your lyrical inspiration?
I think it’s genuine creativity. I think that reading a lot gives you vocabulary; maybe phrases and stuff like that. But I think it’s just the blessing of creativity, really.
On your new album Come and Find Me, “Tangled Love” is certainly a standout track with Jess Hay’s lead vocal. To my knowledge, other than Sari Shore’s work on 2023’s Joyful Sky, it’s one of the few times that you’ve recorded with a female vocalist…
That’s right.
The female voice is a different instrument than the male voice. Does working with a female singer call upon or inspire you to bring a different approach to your playing?
To be honest, if it had been Richard [Watts] singing them, I don’t think I would play it any different. It’s just [about] choosing the right material I’ve written that I think might suit a female voice; that’s really the key. Obviously, on lots of [songs with a female singer] I have to play in a different key than they were written in. So that’s a sort of compromise.
Your guitar work is so fluid and precise. Do you practice?
Yeah, every day.
What is your practice regimen like?
Oh, I just basically doodle and try and come up with new songs as well at the same time. I’m always looking for new ideas on the lead stuff that gives me a little sting in the heart. And I have to play every day, because otherwise I lose my calluses. That’s a big deal.
What inspires you to keep recording and playing live after all these many years?
Well, I love it! I love playing the guitar, I love doing shows, and I love being in the studio. While I keep writing new material, I have to keep recording. And the natural follow-on from that is to play live as well.
What’s in the future for you after this run of live dates?
Well, I’ve got a live album coming out. It’s taken from the U.S. tour that we’ve just done. And I’m very happy with that. And in the new year, I’m going to finish off another studio album. So there’s a lot in the pipeline.
Robin Trower comes to Harrah’s Lake Tahoe on Friday, Sep. 26.