Gary Brooker (29 May 1945 – 19 February 2022) was an English singer and pianist, and the founder and lead singer of the rock band Procol Harum.

Early life

Born in Hackney Hospital, East London, on 29 May 1945, Brooker grew up in Hackney before the family moved out to

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...

( Bush Hill Park and then to nearby

Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

). His father Harry Brooker was a professional musician, playing steel guitar with Felix Mendelssohn's Hawaiian Serenaders, and as a child Brooker learned to play piano, cornet, and

trombone The trombone (, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's lips vibrate inside a mouthpiece, causing the Standing wave, air c ...

. In 1954 the family moved to the seaside resort of

Southend-on-Sea Southend-on-Sea (), commonly referred to as Southend (), is a coastal city and unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in south-eastern Essex, England. It lies on the nor ...

, Essex, where Brooker attended Westcliff High School for Boys. His father died of a heart attack when Gary was 11 years old, forcing his mother to work in order to make ends meet, while Brooker himself took on a paper-round. When he left school, he went on to Southend Municipal College to study zoology and botany but dropped out to become a professional musician.

Career

Brooker founded the Paramounts in 1962 with his guitarist friend, Robin Trower. The band gained respect within the burgeoning 1960s British R&B scene, which yielded

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

the Animals The Animals, currently billed as Eric Burdon & the Animals (featuring original frontman Eric Burdon) and also as Animals & Friends (featuring original drummer John Steel (drummer), John Steel), are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Ne ...

, the Spencer Davis Group,

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, and many others. The Rolling Stones, in particular, were Paramounts fans, sharing the stage with them several times in the early 1960s. In 1966, Brooker founded Procol Harum with his friend Keith Reid. " A Whiter Shade of Pale" is the worldwide hit for which Procol Harum is best known, but Brooker's melancholic vocals and emotive, eclectic piano playing were a key part of the band's musical mix. In the early years Brooker,

Hammond organ The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert, first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding #Drawbars, drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, sound was created ...

ist Matthew Fisher, and Trower were the guiding musical forces behind the band, but after disparities in style became too much and Fisher and Trower left, Brooker was the clear leader. Brooker started a solo career and released the album ''No More Fear of Flying'' in 1979. The same year, Brooker joined friend and neighbour

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...

's band. With Brooker in the lineup, they released the studio album '' Another Ticket''. Clapton fired the entire band in 1981, but he and Brooker remained good friends afterwards, and were for many years neighbours in the Surrey Hills. Brooker joined Clapton for several one-off benefit gigs over the years. Brooker sang lead vocal on the Alan Parsons Project song "Limelight", on their 1985 album, '' Stereotomy''. Brooker sang the lead vocal of the song "No News from the Western Frontier", a single taken from the album ''Hi-Tec Heroes'' by the Dutch performer Ad Visser. A new incarnation of Procol Harum, led by Brooker, continued touring the world, celebrating its 40th anniversary in July 2007 with two days of musical revels at St John's, Smith Square, in London. Brooker also toured with

Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the group, us ...

's All-Starr Band in 1997 and 1999, and he was also a member of Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings for several years, appearing on three of their albums and touring with the band. On 28 September 1996, as the Gary Brooker Ensemble, he organised a charity concert to raise funds for his local church, St Mary and All Saints, in Surrey. The resulting live CD of the concert, ''Within Our House'', originally released on a fan club CD in a limited run of 1000 units, later became a collectable recording. His guests and supporting artists included Dave Bronze, Michael Bywater, Mark Brzezicki, and Robbie McIntosh. Also in 1996, Brooker appeared in the

Alan Parker Sir Alan William Parker (14 February 1944 – 31 July 2020) was an English film director, screenwriter and producer. His early career, beginning in his late teens, was spent as a copywriter and director of television advertisements. After abo ...

film adaptation A film adaptation transfers the details or story of an existing source text, such as a novel, into a feature film. This transfer can involve adapting most details of the source text closely, including characters or plot points, or the original sou ...

of Andrew Lloyd Webber's '' Evita'' starring

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

, Jonathan Pryce, and Antonio Banderas. Playing the part of Juan Atilio Bramuglia, he sang the song "Rainbow Tour" with Peter Polycarpou and Antonio Banderas. Brooker said that his greatest single earning in his career was from his appearance in the film. Gary Brooker Croydon May 2002

Brooker contributed to George Harrison's albums '' All Things Must Pass'' (1970), '' Somewhere in England'' (1981) and '' Gone Troppo'' (1982). On 29 November 2002 he was among musicians and singers participating in the Harrison tribute concert,

Concert for George The Concert for George was held at the Royal Albert Hall in London on 29 November 2002 as a Tributes to the Beatles, memorial to George Harrison on the first anniversary of his death. The event was organised by Harrison's widow, Olivia Harrison ...

, at which he sang lead vocals on their version of " Old Brown Shoe". In April 2005, as part of the Gary Brooker Ensemble, he played a sold out charity concert at

Guildford Cathedral The Cathedral Church of the Holy Spirit, Guildford, commonly known as Guildford Cathedral, is the Anglican cathedral in Guildford, Surrey, England. Richard Onslow, 5th Earl of Onslow, Earl Onslow donated the first of land on which the cathedral ...

in aid of the

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appeal, playing a mixture of Procol Harum and solo songs and arrangements of classical and spiritual songs. His guests and supporting artists included Andy Fairweather Low and Paul Jones (ex-

Manfred Mann Manfred Mann were an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. They were named after their keyboardist Manfred Mann (musician), Manfred Mann, who later led the successful 1970s group Manfred Mann's Earth Band. The group had two l ...

). On 28 October 2009, Brooker was presented with a BASCA in recognition of his unique contribution to music. In 2011 he organised and performed in a concert at his home Wintershall, in Bramley, Surrey, in aid of the charity HASTE (Heart and Stroke Trust Endeavour). His guest musicians included

Jeff Beck Geoffrey Arnold Beck (24 June 1944 – 10 January 2023) was an English musician. He rose to prominence as the guitarist of the rock band the Yardbirds, and afterwards founded and fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. In 1975, ...

, Andy Fairweather Low, Georgie Fame, and

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. In May 2012, Procol Harum were forced to cancel the remainder of their dates in South Africa after Brooker fractured his skull following a fall in his hotel room in

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

. The fall came on Brooker's 67th birthday. The band was part of the British Invasion Tour of South Africa along with the Moody Blues and

10cc 10cc are an English rock music, rock band formed in Stockport, southeast of Manchester, in 1972. The group initially consisted of four musicians, Graham Gouldman, Eric Stewart, Kevin Godley and Lol Creme, who had written and recorded togethe ...

. Brooker again fell injuring himself, during the interval of a Procol Harum concert at London's

Royal Festival Hall The Royal Festival Hall is a 2,700-seat concert, dance and talks venue within Southbank Centre in London, England. It is situated on the South Bank of the River Thames, not far from Hungerford Bridge, in the London Borough of Lambeth. It is a G ...

in March 2017. Returning to the stage after a longer than expected interval, Brooker's head was bandaged and it was later discovered that he had broken a finger. However, they continued touring until 2019, playing their final gig in Switzerland.

Personal life

In July 1968, Brooker married Françoise Riedo ("Franky"), a Swiss au pair, whom he met circa 1965. The couple had no children. Brooker was a supporter of the

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and played in concerts to raise funds for the organisation. On 14 June 2003, he was appointed a

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(MBE) in the 2003 Queen's Birthday Honours, in recognition of his charitable services. Brooker died from cancer at his home in Surrey on 19 February 2022, at the age of 76. A memorial concert was held in Guildford on 4 December 2023 with a number of top musician friends on stage (Paul Carrack, Mike Rutherford, Roger Taylor and Andy Fairweather Low amongst them) and others (Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Tom Jones, Nick Mason & Elton John) sending video tributes. Eric Clapton was unable to play but sent an opening message to the capacity crowd. The evening was professionally videoed in aid of The Royal Marsden Hospital and a Parkinson's charity.

"A Whiter Shade of Pale" authorship lawsuit

In 2005, former Procol Harum organist Matthew Fisher filed suit in the High Court against Brooker and his publisher, claiming that he co-wrote the music for the song. Fisher won the case on 20 December 2006 but was awarded 40% of the composers' share of the music copyright, rather than the 50% he was seeking and was not granted royalties for the period before 2005.

Solo discography

Studio albums

*1979: ''No More Fear of Flying'' (AUS #94) *1982: ''Lead Me to the Water'' *1985: ''Echoes in the Night''

Live album

*1996: ''Within Our House''

Singles

*1979: "Savannah" *1979: "Say It Ain't So Joe" *1979: "No More Fear of Flying" (NET #21) *1980: "Leave The Candle" *1982: "Cycle (Let It Flow)" *1982: "Low Flying Birds" *1982: "The Angler" *1984: "The Long Goodbye" *1985: "Two Fools in Love" *1987: "No News from the Western Frontier" (single in the Netherlands, taken from Ad Visser's album ''Hi-Tec Heroes'')

Contributor

*1970: '' All Things Must Pass'' (George Harrison) – piano *1971: '' Distant Light'' (The Hollies) – organ on track 11, "Long Dark Road" *1975: ''Peter and the Wolf'' (Jack Lancaster and Robin Lumley, producers) �
synthesizer
*1978: ''Juppanese'' ( Mickey Jupp – keyboards, organ, piano, producer (side 2) *1978: ''Five Three One – Double Seven O Four'' (The Hollies) – vocals on track 4, "Harlequin" *1981: '' Another Ticket'' (Eric Clapton) – track 8, "Catch Me If You Can" *1985: '' Stereotomy'' (Alan Parsons Project) – lead vocals on track 4, "Limelight" *1993: '' The Red Shoes'' (

Kate Bush Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, and dancer. Bush began writing songs at age 11. She was signed to EMI Records after David Gilmour of Pink Floyd helped produce a demo tape. In 1978, at the ...

) – Hammond on track 2, "And So Is Love", track 9, "Constellation of the Heart" and track 12, "You're the One" *1999: '' Drivers Eyes'' ( Ian McDonald) – track 11, "Let There Be Light" *2003: ''

'' (Memorial concert for George Harrison) *2005: '' Aerial'' (

) – organ, vocals

References

Sources

* * * *

External links

ClassicBands.com: Procol Harum

Gary Brooker at Discogs
*
Gary Brooker
at 45cat.com
"Gary Brooker, lead singer of English band Procol Harum, dies, aged 76"
– obituary by Harriet Sherwood at theguardian.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Brooker, Gary 1945 births 2022 deaths 20th-century English male musicians 20th-century English male singers 20th-century English singers 20th-century English pianists 21st-century English male musicians 21st-century English male singers 21st-century English singers 21st-century English pianists Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings members English male pianists Deaths from cancer in England English male singer-songwriters English singer-songwriters English rock singers Members of the Order of the British Empire Musicians from the London Borough of Hackney Procol Harum members Progressive rock keyboardists Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band members Singers from the London Borough of Hackney The Paramounts members