Brooker grew up in London and formed the Paramounts with guitarist Robin Trower when he was just 17. They gained a large following on the London club scene and ...
In 2005, former Procol Harum organist Matthew Fisher sued Brooker over a claim that he co-wrote “A Whiter Shade of Pale” and never received proper credit. Brooker was a tireless promoter of charities and in 2003 was given an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for his work. Once he added in Reid’s lyrics, Brooker had a masterpiece on his hands that would reach Number One all over the world and turn Procol Harum in a major band almost overnight. Louissier had done a fabulous version of what was called ‘Air On a G String’ which was also used in a set of good adverts in Britain. And all those things came together one morning [on ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale’] … a bit of Bach and ‘Air On a G String’ going through my head.” Brooker grew up in London and formed the Paramounts with guitarist Robin Trower when he was just 17. “He was notable for his individuality, integrity, and occasionally stubborn eccentricity.
Brooker co-wrote and sang the band's biggest hit, 1967's A Whiter Shade Of Pale.
But the group split in 1977 after a series of line-up changes. So we honestly believed that it was going to be a hit even before we had recorded it. "From the moment that we made it we knew it was special," Brooker said in 2017. One of the anthems of the summer of love, A Whiter Shade of Pale was an unusual song - from its surreal lyrics ("We tripped the light fandango") to the haunting organ line, and the melancholy arrangement, loosely based on Bach's Air on the G String. "He lit up any room he entered, and his kindness to a multilingual family of fans was legendary," they wrote in tribute. He was appointed an OBE in 2003, and A Whiter Shade of Pale was honoured by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018.
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.
Procol Harum singer and songwriter best known for the 60s single A Whiter Shade of Pale.
A Whiter Shade of Pale was released as a single and sailed into history. In 1991 Procol Harum reformed and released the album The Prodigal Stranger, the prelude to years of successful international touring. A Whiter Shade of Pale topped the charts in the UK, Australia and Canada, and went to No 5 in the US. It was by far the biggest hit of the group’s career, though a live version of Conquistador took them into the US Top 20 in 1972, and they revisited the UK Top 20 with Pandora’s Box in 1975. Reid and Brooker set about building a new group to perform their songs, with the name Procol Harum taken from a Siamese cat belonging to a mutual friend. Keith Richards told Melody Maker in March 1964 that the Paramounts were “one of the best groups to come up for a long time”. “When the guy lit up the cigar everything just went cool.” But A Whiter Shade of Pale was not just cool, but also stately and mysterious and determined not to give up its secrets easily.
Procol Harum frontman Gary Brooker has died, aged 76, while receiving treatment for cancer. A statement on the band's website reads: “With the deepest ...
In a statement, his current Procol Harum bandmates said: “Gary’s charisma was by no means confined to the stage. In the end, he was awarded 40% of the composer’s share of future publishing royalties. Born in London in 1945, Brooker moved with his family to Southend-On-Sea in Essex while he was still an infant.