Gary Brooker

Gary Brooker, MBE, (born 29 May 1945) is an English

singer, songwriter, pianist and founder and lead singer of
the rock band Procol Harum. He was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire in the Queens
Birthday Honours on 14 June 2003, in recognition of his
charitable services.

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, has

continued touring the world, celebrating its 40th anniversary in July 2007 with two days of musical revels at St
Johns Smith Square in London. Brooker also toured
with Ringo Starr's All-Starr Band in 1997 and 1999, and
1 Biography
he was also a member of Bill Wymans Rhythm Kings
for several years, appearing on three of their albums and
touring with the band. On 28 September 1996, as the
1.1 Early life
Gary Brooker Ensemble, he organized a charity conBrooker was born in Hackney, East London, but grew cert to raise funds for his local church, St Mary and All
up in the seaside resort of Southend-on-Sea, Essex, Eng- Saints, in Surrey. The resulting live CD of the concert,
land. As a youngster, he learned to play piano, cornet and Within Our House, originally released on a fan club CD
trombone. He attended Westcli High School for Boys. in a limited run of 1000 units, has since become a collectable recording. His guests and supporting artists included Dave Bronze, Michael Bywater, Mark Brzezicki
and Robbie McIntosh.
1.2 Career
Also in 1996, Brooker appeared in the Alan Parker
lm adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webbers' Evita starring
Madonna, 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 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 Animals, The Spencer
Davis Group, The Rolling Stones, and many others. The
Rolling Stones, in particular, were Paramounts fans, giving them guest billing on several memorable shows in the
early 1960s.

On 29 November 2002, he was among musicians and

singers participating in the George Harrison tribute concert, Concert for George, at which he sang lead vocals on
In 1966, Brooker founded Procol Harum with his friend their version of "Old Brown Shoe". Brooker contributed
Keith Reid.[1] "A Whiter Shade of Pale" is the worldwide to Harrisons albums All Things Must Pass, Gone Troppo
hit that Procol Harum is best known for, but Brookers and Somewhere in England.
melancholic vocals and emotive, eclectic piano playing
In April 2005, as the Gary Brooker Ensemble, he played
were a key part of Procols musical mix for the entire
a sell-out charity concert at Guildford Cathedral in aid of
course of the bands career. In the early years Brooker,
the Tsunami appeal, playing a mixture of Procol Harum
Hammond organist Matthew Fisher and Trower were the
and solo songs and arrangements of classical and spiritual
guiding musical forces behind the band, but after disparisongs. His guests and supporting artists included Andy
ties in style became too much and Fisher and Trower left,
Fairweather-Low and Paul Jones (ex-Manfred Mann).
Brooker was the clear leader until the band broke up in
1977. Brooker started a solo career and released the al- In May 2012, Procol Harum were forced to cancel the
remainder of their dates in South Africa after Brooker
bum No More Fear of Flying in 1979.
fractured his skull following a fall in his hotel room. The
The same year, Brooker joined friend and neighbour Eric
fall came on Brookers 67th birthday. The band was part
Clapton's band. With Brooker in the lineup, they released
of the British Invasion Tour of South Africa along with
'the studio album Another Ticket. Clapton red the entire
the Moody Blues and 10cc.[2] He recovered suciently
band in 1981, but he and Brooker have remained good
for the band to undertake an extensive US tour with Yes
friends since. Brooker has joined Clapton for several oneand to play concerts in Europe in 2013, several with symo benet gigs over the years. They still remain neighphony orchestras.
bours in Ewhurst, Surrey. Brooker sang lead vocal on
the Alan Parsons Project song Limelight, on their 1985
album, Stereotomy. Brooker sang the lead vocal of the
1

Views and advocacy

Brooker is a supporter of the Countryside Alliance and

has played concerts to raise funds for the organisation.[3]

A Whiter Shade of Pale authorship lawsuit

Main article: A Whiter Shade of Pale

Solo discography

4.1

Studio albums

1979: No More Fear of Flying

1982: Lead Me to the Water
1985: Echoes in the Night

4.2

Live album

1996: Within Our House

4.3

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 the album HiTec Heroes by the Dutch synthesizer performer Ad
Visser)

4.4

Contributor

1999: Drivers Eyes (Ian McDonald) - Track 11,

Let There Be Light
2005: Aerial (Kate Bush) - Organ, vocals

EXTERNAL LINKS

5 References
[1] Johansen, Claes (2000). Procol Harum: Beyond The Pale.
London: SAF. p. 47. ISBN 978-0-946719-28-0.
[2] Williams, Murray (31 May 2012). Rock star cracks skull
in Cape Town. Daily News.
[3] Bryan Ferry to play Countryside Alliance Benet Concert. Roxyrama.com. Retrieved 2015-04-03.

6 External links
ClassicBands.com - Procol Harum

Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

7.1

Text

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7.2

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