Procol Harum Frontman Gary Brooker Dead at 76

[rdmtimp]

Source: Rolling Stone

Procol Harum frontman Gary Brooker, who led the band throughout their 55-year history and co-wrote and sang their 1967 classic “A Whiter Shade of Pale,” died at his home from cancer on Saturday, Feb. 19. He was 76.

“His first single with Procol Harum, 1967’s ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale,’ is widely regarded as defining ‘The Summer of Love’, yet it could scarcely have been more different from the characteristic records of that era,” Procol Harum said in a group statement. “Nor was it characteristic of his own writing. Over thirteen albums Procol Harum never sought to replicate it, preferring to forge a restlessly progressive path, committed to looking forward, and making each record a ‘unique entertainment’.”

“He lit up any room he entered, and his kindness to a multilingual family of fans was legendary,” they continued. “He was notable for his individuality, integrity, and occasionally stubborn eccentricity. His mordant wit, and appetite for the ridiculous, made him a priceless raconteur (and his surreal inter-song banter made a fascinating contrast with the gravitas of Procol Harum’s performances).”

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 even shared bills with the Rolling Stones on several occasions; but the group found little success with their studio recordings outside of a 1964 cover of “Poison Ivy” that became a minor hit in England.

Read more: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/procol-harum-frontman-gary-brooker-dead-obituary-1310688/

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This one really hurts. Another giant gone.

[Croney]

1. I thank him for my song.

[highplainsdem]

2. Oh, no. RIP.

[bullwinkle428]

3. K&R. The guy was a fantastic live performer, even well into his later years,

on top of the creative genius he brought to music.

[Ron Obvious]

4. Whiter Shade of Pale

The only slow dancing or indeed dancing of any kind I did was to this song. Lovely memories....

RIP Gary. Thanks for the memories!

[BlueJac]

6. One of the best songs of all time!

[Tom Rinaldo]

11. Procol Harum had a version with two extra verses

Here it is performed live:

[Budi]

5. I read the story of how they came to write "Whiter Shade of Pale"

At a party one night it was observed, a girl having had way too much to drink, she turned "a whiter shade of pale".

The comment on that observation became the title to the song.

The song, immortalized in a generation's personal hall of fame, is still one of the best of a certain place in time.

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

Thanks for posting rdmtimp

[highplainsdem]

7. Producer Tony Visconti wrote about his reaction to the demo of "A Whiter Shade of Pale,"

when he was possibly the first American to hear the song, when Procol Harum's British producer played it for him in NYC:

https://democraticunderground.com/103470529


I can't remember where I was the first time I heard it, but I remember being amazed by it.

[turbinetree]

8. There is another song that I remember about Procol Harum...Conquistador (Live, 1971

[Delphinus]

9. ...

[Tom Rinaldo]

10. He was an incredible musician. And Procol Harum was a hugely under rated band

Yes, "A Whiter Shade of Pale" seared into my brain the first instant I heard it and has never left it since, but there was so much more the group achieved that was also great. Their sound was so unique and powerful at the time, with the classical tinged interplay of organ and piano, the searing lead guitar of Robin Trower, and the complex emphatic drumming of B. J. Wilson. Gary had such a soulful amazing voice.

I saw Procol Harum perform live three times, the first time as the opening act at the Fillmore East. They were brilliant live. Though I also liked their, I was totally transfixed by their first three albums, "Procol Harum", "Shine On Brightly", and "A Salty Dog." They remain true classic works of art. I am deeply saddened by this news. Procol Harum deserves to be in the Rock and Roll Hall of fame, I am sorry that Gary won't be there to see that day should it ever come.

This is one of my favorite songs by them (even though Robin didn't get a chance to shine on it), a single that unfortunately failed to top the charts at the time : Homburg