He was considered a creative genius and at the same time a constant in his band’s 50-year stage career. With his biggest hit “A Whiter Shade Of Pale” Gary Brooker gave the hippies an anthem.
Gary Brooker performing with his band Procol Harum at the Isle of Wight festival in 1970.
(dpa) His voice shaped the attitude towards life in the “Summer of Love” from 1967: the former singer of the British rock band Procol Harum, Gary Brooker, is dead. As the group announced on Tuesday on its website, he died peacefully in his home last Saturday. The 76-year-old suffered from cancer.
Brooker’s first single as the band’s frontman, «A Whiter Shade Of Pale» from 1967, was also Procol Harum’s greatest success. The melancholic song, whose organ accompaniment was inspired by Johann Sebastian Bach, became one of the anthems of the “Summer of Love”, which marked the high point of the hippie movement.
The single sold more than ten million copies worldwide – and in 2009 it was voted the most-played song of the previous 75 years by a British radio station. Not only the music, but also the text was considered extraordinary and mysterious – its meaning was passionately debated.
The question of who should claim the copyrights was fought in court in 2009, with ex-band member Matthew Fisher being awarded part of the rights alongside Brooker. Fisher had played the famous organ.
Brooker also collaborated with other stars of his time such as Eric Clapton, as well as ex-Beatles Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. The former Beatles drummer wrote on Twitter in response to Tuesday’s death: “God bless Gary Brooker, peace and love to his family.”
Although Procol Harum was never able to build on the success of the first single, the band remained keen to experiment. Brooker, who was not only a singer but also a pianist and songwriter, traced his roots to blues musicians Ray Charles and Little Richard, the band’s website said.
One never tried to copy the hit, but always dared something new. His voice and his piano playing were “the only determining constant” in Procol Harum’s 50-year international concert career. The band paid tribute to Brooker as people of infectious kindness. “He was known for his individuality, integrity and occasional stubborn eccentricity,” it said.
Brooker, who grew up in Southend, Essex, formed his first band at the age of 14: The Paramounts even managed to land a record deal. After initial success, the group broke up. A short time later, Brooker founded Procol Harum.
As well as music, Brooker later discovered his passion for fishing, painting and inventing – and even had his own pub. Again and again he gave benefit concerts and was awarded a medal by the British royal family in 2003.