Gary Brooker (Procol Harum)
May 1945 – February 2022
A few weeks ago, we got the news that Gary Brooker of the band Procol Harum had died. Gary was ‘the’ voice of the band. He was also the pianist and co-wrote many of the songs with lyricist supreme, Keith Reid.
Gary was the founder of Procol Harum and the one member who played with the band from its inception in 1966 until 2019 when his cancer finally forced him to stop touring.
Gary was a highly regarded musician playing along side people like George Harrison, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Bill Wyman, Ringo Starr,
I fell in love with the band when I first heard Whiter Shade of Pale
While many of you may not know of Procol Harum, the one song that continues to be played, and was their first hit, is Whiter Shade of Pale, co-written by Brooker, Keith Reid and organist Matthew Fisher. The lyrics of that song have been a long-time mystery – even to fans of the band. Here they are:
We skipped the light fandango
Turned cartwheels 'cross the floor
I was feeling kinda seasick
The crowd called out for more
The room was humming harder
As the ceiling flew away
When we called out for another drink
The waiter brought a tray
And so it was that later
As the miller told his tale
That her face, at first just ghostly
Turned a whiter shade of pale
She said "there is no reason"
And the truth is plain to see
But I wandered through my playing cards
Would not let her be
One of sixteen vestal virgins
Who were leaving for the coast
And although my eyes were open
They might have just as well've been closed
And so it was that later
As the miller told his tale
That her face, at first just ghostly
Turned a whiter shade of pale
And so it was that later
As a keyboardist, who has played organ and piano in rock bands for many years, I had always been influenced by Procol Harum. I got to see them a number of times, including one concert in Aix en Provence, shortly after a MIPIM conference ended.
In 1991, a friend alerted me to a show at Town Hall in midtown Manhattan. I called and they were sold out. Not one to give up easily, I wrote a letter to the head of ticket sales at the venue. It related my history as a fan of the band and the influence they, and especially organist had had on me. Amazingly, I got a call, “We received your heartfelt letter and there will be a ticket waiting for you at the box office!” There’s still more: When I picked up the ticket, the woman who had helped me said that she was also giving me a ticket to the ‘after party’ across the street. I was so overwhelmed.
The concert was great – the auditorium filled with serious Procol Harum fans. After the show I went across the street. It was a relatively small group of fans and record industry folks. I saw Gary Brooker and Keith Reid talking to a couple of people and ambled over to them, standing off to the side. Gary made eye contact with me, suggesting I just hang for a few minutes. I got a chance to talk with Gary and Keith for a while.
Organist Matthew Fisher was sitting on a couch in the corner, seemingly not interested in engaging with anyone. So, I didn’t approach him.
The next day, I sent flowers to the woman who made this experience possible. She called me: “Thank you for the flowers. Did you get a chance to talk with Matthew?” I told her that I hadn’t. “I gave him your letter and he was looking forward to meeting you!” Crazy, right? Or maybe not so. It validated the power of honest and open communication and not being afraid to take a shot at things.
If you are interested in learning more about Gary and Procol Harum here is a fan managed website
Like many fans, we were hoping that Gary would beat the cancer and go on the road one last time – as the band had planned.
But alas…
