Gary Brooker

The pianist and singer composed the band's music for five decades, including the hit “A Whiter Shade of Pale.”

In 1977, Mr. Brooker declared, “For the time being, Procol Harum had nothing more to say.” He joined Eric Clapton’s band in the late 1970s, touring and recording, and he made solo albums. “We don’t do a lot of grooves, but we do a good bit of rock,” he told Goldmine. “Down in the core, though, there’s the music where I’m trying to reach the people and to make them feel something that’s right. The title track of Procol Harum’s 1969 album, “A Salty Dog,” featured a dramatic orchestral arrangement by Mr. Brooker, and the band soon began performing with orchestras. Its 1973 album, “Grand Hotel,” reveled in orchestration; its 1974 release, “Exotic Birds and Fruit,” emphatically rejected it. Although “A Whiter Shade of Pale” was both its first and biggest hit, and the band steadfastly avoided showmanship, Procol Harum sustained a five-decade career. But I mean, if I saw a tear roll down their face, that would be a good reaction — to reach people in their emotions, in the inside somewhere, not just on the surface.” By the time the Paramounts broke up in 1966, they had shared bills with the Rolling Stones and the Beatles; later, he would play studio sessions and concerts with the former Beatles. Matthew Fisher’s organ opened with a stately melody, and Mr. Brooker sang a countermelody, somberly offering the surreal paradoxes of Mr. Reid’s lyrics. Harry Brooker died when Gary was 11, and Gary’s mother found work on a factory assembly line. “We always try to be progressive in what we do. “Prog — it was not invented when we started,” he told Goldmine magazine in 2021. He composed nearly all of Procol Harum’s music; Keith Reid, who did not perform with the band, provided lyrics that invoked literary and historical allusions and spun tall tales, sometimes at the same time.

Band pays tribute to musician 'notable for his individuality, integrity, and occasionally stubborn eccentricity'

A few even believed it was a retelling of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. According to Procol Harum’s statement, Brooker, who grew up in Southend, Essex, later added angling, painting, inventing and owning a pub to his other interests. Some believed it was the story of a doomed sexual encounter, others that it was an account of a hallucinogenic drugs trip. He was notable for his individuality, integrity, and occasionally stubborn eccentricity. His mordant wit, and appetite for the ridiculous, made him a priceless raconteur … It added: “Gary exhibited and developed a highly individual talent.