David J. Ball (30 March 1950 – 1 April 2015) was an English

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...

player.

Career

In April 1971, he left Big Bertha and joined

Procol Harum Procol Harum () were an English rock band formed in Southend-on-Sea, Essex in 1967. Their best-known recording is the 1967 hit single " A Whiter Shade of Pale", one of the few singles to have sold over 10 million copies. Although noted for ...

after he saw an advertisement in ''

Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...

''. He replaced

Robin Trower Robin Leonard Trower (born 9 March 1945) is an English rock guitarist who achieved success with Procol Harum throughout 1967–1971, and then again as the bandleader of his own power trio known as the Robin Trower Band. Biography Robin Trowe ...

, who had left the group to form his own band. He can be heard on the group's live album, '' Procol Harum Live with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra'', but left the group during the recording sessions for their 1973 album '' Grand Hotel'', in September 1972. He then formed the group

Bedlam Bedlam, a word for an environment of insanity, is a term that may refer to: Places * Bedlam, North Yorkshire, a village in England * Bedlam, Shropshire, a small hamlet in England * Bethlem Royal Hospital, a London psychiatric institution and the ...

with his brother Dennis and drummer Cozy Powell, who released an album on

Chrysalis Records Chrysalis Records () is a British record label that was founded in 1968. The name is both a reference to the pupal stage of a butterfly and a combination of its founders' names, Chris Wright and Terry Ellis. It started as the Ellis-Wright A ...

, but the group disbanded after a brief period. He also recorded with

Long John Baldry John William "Long John" Baldry (12 January 1941 – 21 July 2005) was an English musician and actor. In the 1960s, he was one of the first British vocalists to sing the blues in clubs and shared the stage with many British musicians including ...

on Baldry's 1973 album ''Good to Be Alive''. He also played in the Nickey Barclay Band in London in the 1980s. In 1988, while working in

Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of ...

, he performed in the band Rashid Goes To Nizwa. For a time, he joined the Army. He last played with

Gary Brooker 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 ...

of Procol Harum in London, in July 2007. He also sometimes played with the Procol Harum tribute band, The Palers. In 2012 he released a solo album titled ''Don't Forget Your Alligator''. Ball died of bowel cancer on 1 April 2015 at the age of 65.

References

External links

ProcolHarum.com biography of Dave Ball
* 1950 births 2015 deaths Procol Harum members Musicians from Birmingham, West Midlands Deaths from colorectal cancer People from Handsworth, West Midlands {{UK-guitarist-stub