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
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 ...
.
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 county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbour ...
(
Bush Hill Park
Bush Hill Park is an area of Enfield, located to the south-east of Enfield Town, on the outskirts of north London, and historically in Middlesex. Much of the district is a planned suburban estate, developed mainly in the late-19th and early-20t ...
and then to nearby
Edmonton
Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city an ...
). His father Harry Brooker was a professional musician, playing pedal steel guitar with
Felix Mendelssohn's Hawaiian Serenaders, and as a child Brooker learned to play piano,
cornet
The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B, though there is also a so ...
, and
trombone
The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate ...
. 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 southeastern Essex, England. It lies on the north ...
, 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
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 ...
. 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, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
,
the Animals
The Animals (also billed as Eric Burdon and the Animals) are an English rock band, formed in Newcastle upon Tyne in the early 1960s. The band moved to London upon finding fame in 1964. The Animals were known for their gritty, bluesy sound and ...
,
the Spencer Davis Group
The Spencer Davis Group were a British band formed in Birmingham in 1963 by Spencer Davis (guitar), brothers Steve Winwood (keyboards, guitar) and Muff Winwood (bass guitar), and Pete York (drums). Their best known songs include the UK numb ...
,
the Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically dr ...
, 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
Keith Stuart Brian Reid (born 19 October 1946 Allmusic.com biography by Jason Ankeny/ref>) is a lyricist and songwriter who wrote the lyrics of every song released by Procol Harum that was not previously recorded by someone else, with the excep ...
. "
A Whiter Shade of Pale
"A Whiter Shade of Pale" is a song by the English rock band Procol Harum that was issued as their debut record on 12 May 1967. The single reached number 1 in the UK Singles Chart on 8 June and stayed there for six weeks. Without much promotion, i ...
" 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 and first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, Hammond organs generated ...
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 and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list o ...
's band. With Brooker in the line-up, 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
Ad Visser (born 28 April 1947, in Amsterdam) is a Dutch VJ, presenter, writer, and music artist.
Career in the music industry
In 1965, Visser performed with his avant-garde pop trio Blurp on AVRO television.
He presented the AVRO programmes ...
.
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
St John's Smith Square is a redundant church in the centre of Smith Square, Westminster, London. Sold to a charitable trust as a ruin following firebombing in the Second World War, it was restored as a concert hall.
This Grade I listed
...
, in London. Brooker also toured with
Ringo Starr
Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...
's All-Starr Band in 1997 and 1999, and he was also a member of
Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings
Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings are an English blues rock band founded and led by bassist Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones. Other personnel have varied depending on availability, an arrangement described in ''The Telegraph'' as "a fluctuating squad ...
for several years, appearing on three of their albums and touring with the band. On 28 September 1996, as the Gary Brooker Ensemble, he organized 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
Michael Bywater (born 11 May 1953) is an English non-fiction writer and broadcaster. He has worked for many London newspapers and periodicals and contributed to the design of computer games.
Biography
Bywater was educated at the independent Nottin ...
,
Mark Brzezicki
Mark Michael Brzezicki ( , ; born 21 June 1957) is an English musician, best known as the drummer for the Scottish rock band Big Country. He has also played with the Cult, Ultravox, From the Jam, Procol Harum, Rick Astley, the Crazy World of ...
, and
Robbie McIntosh
Robbie McIntosh (born 25 October 1957) is an English guitarist. McIntosh is well known as a session guitarist and member of The Pretenders from 1982 until 1987. In 1988 he began doing session guitar work for Paul McCartney joining his band fu ...
.
Also in 1996, Brooker appeared in the
Alan Parker
Sir Alan William Parker (14 February 1944 – 31 July 2020) was an English filmmaker. His early career, beginning in his late teens, was spent as a copywriter and director of television advertisements. After about ten years of filming adverts ...
film adaptation
A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dia ...
of
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948), is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 21 musical ...
's ''
Evita'' starring
Madonna
Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...
,
Jonathan Pryce, and
Antonio Banderas
José Antonio Domínguez Bandera (born 10 August 1960), known professionally as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish actor and singer. Known for his work in films of several genres, he has received various accolades, including a Cannes Film Festival ...
. Playing the part of
Juan Atilio Bramuglia
Juan Atilio Bramuglia (January 1, 1903 – September 4, 1962) was an Argentine labor lawyer who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs during the administration of President Juan Perón.
Life and times
Early life and career
Bramuglia was born in ...
, 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.
Brooker contributed to
George Harrison
George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...
's albums ''
All Things Must Pass
''All Things Must Pass'' is the third studio album by English rock musician George Harrison. Released as a triple album in November 1970, it was Harrison's first solo work after the break-up of the Beatles in April that year. It includes the h ...
'' (1970), ''
Somewhere in England'' (1981) and ''
Gone Troppo
''Gone Troppo'' is the tenth studio album by English rock musician George Harrison, released on 5 November 1982 by Dark Horse Records. It includes "Wake Up My Love", issued as a single, and " Dream Away", which was the theme song for the 1981 Han ...
'' (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 memorial to George Harrison on the first anniversary of his death. The event was organised by Harrison's widow, Olivia, and his son, Dhani, and arrang ...
, 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 in aid of the
tsunami
A tsunami ( ; from ja, 津波, lit=harbour wave, ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater exp ...
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 band, formed in London and active between 1962 and 1969. The group were named after their keyboardist Manfred Mann, who later led the successful 1970s group Manfred Mann's Earth Band. The band had two diffe ...
).
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
Eric Clapton
Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list o ...
,
Jeff Beck
Geoffrey Arnold Beck (born 24 June 1944) is an English rock guitarist. He rose to prominence with the Yardbirds and after fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. In 1975, he switched to a mainly instrumental style, with a fo ...
, Andy Fairweather Low,
Georgie Fame
Georgie Fame (born Clive Powell; 26 June 1943) is an English R&B and jazz musician. Fame, who had a string of 1960s hits, is still performing, often working with contemporaries such as Alan Price, Van Morrison and Bill Wyman. Fame is the on ...
, and
Lulu
Lulu may refer to:
Companies
* LuLu, an early automobile manufacturer
* Lulu.com, an online e-books and print self-publishing platform, distributor, and retailer
* Lulu Hypermarket, a retail chain in Asia
* Lululemon Athletica or simply Lulu, ...
.
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 ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the 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
The Moody Blues were an English rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1964, initially consisting of keyboardist Mike Pinder, multi-instrumentalist Ray Thomas, guitarist Denny Laine, drummer Graeme Edge and bassist Clint Warwick. The g ...
and
10cc
10cc are an English rock music, rock band formed in Stockport in 1972. The group initially consisted of four musicians – Graham Gouldman, Eric Stewart, Kevin Godley and Lol Creme – who had written and recorded together since 1968. The grou ...
. 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. 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 Grade I li ...
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 and death
In July 1968, Brooker married Françoise Riedo ("Franky"), a Swiss
au pair
An au pair (; plural: au pairs) is a helper from a foreign country working for, and living as part of, a host family. Typically, au pairs take on a share of the family's responsibility for childcare as well as some housework, and receive a mon ...
, whom he met circa 1965. The couple had no children.
Brooker was a supporter of the
Countryside Alliance
The Countryside Alliance (CA) is a British organisation promoting issues relating to the countryside such as farming, rural services, small businesses and field sports, aiming to "Give Rural Britain a voice".
History
The Countryside Alliance ...
and played in concerts to raise funds for the organization. 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 contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established 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 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"
*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
Ad Visser (born 28 April 1947, in Amsterdam) is a Dutch VJ, presenter, writer, and music artist.
Career in the music industry
In 1965, Visser performed with his avant-garde pop trio Blurp on AVRO television.
He presented the AVRO programmes ...
's album ''Hi-Tec Heroes'')
Contributor
*1970: ''
All Things Must Pass
''All Things Must Pass'' is the third studio album by English rock musician George Harrison. Released as a triple album in November 1970, it was Harrison's first solo work after the break-up of the Beatles in April that year. It includes the h ...
'' (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
Michael Graham "Mickey" Jupp (born 6 March 1944, in Worthing, Sussex, England) is an English musician and songwriter, mainly associated with the Southend music scene.
Career
Jupp played in several Southend bands after leaving art college in 196 ...
– 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. In 1978, at the age of 19, she topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks with her debut single " Wuthering Heights", becoming the first female ...
) – Hammond on track 2, "And So Is Love", track 9, "Constellations of the Heart" and track 12, "You're the One"
*1999: ''
Drivers Eyes'' (
Ian McDonald) – track 11, "Let There Be Light"
*2003: ''
Concert for George
The Concert for George was held at the Royal Albert Hall in London on 29 November 2002 as a memorial to George Harrison on the first anniversary of his death. The event was organised by Harrison's widow, Olivia, and his son, Dhani, and arrang ...
'' (Memorial concert for
George Harrison
George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...
)
*2005: ''
Aerial'' (
Kate Bush
Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer and dancer. In 1978, at the age of 19, she topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks with her debut single " Wuthering Heights", becoming the first female ...
) – organ, vocals
References
Citations
Sources
*
*
*
External links
ClassicBands.com: Procol HarumGary Brooker at Discogs*
Gary Brookerat 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 British male musicians
20th-century English male singers
20th-century English singers
20th-century pianists
21st-century British male musicians
21st-century English male singers
21st-century English singers
21st-century pianists
Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings members
British male pianists
Deaths from cancer in England
English male singer-songwriters
English pianists
English rock singers
Members of the Order of the British Empire
People from the London Borough of Hackney
Procol Harum members
Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band members
Singers from London
The Paramounts members