Godspeed Gary Brooker

Gary Brooker, the leader of the band Procol Harum died on February 19 at the age of  76. The cause was cancer. He was the only member of Procol Harum to remain with the band for the entirety of its history.

Gary Brooker was born on May 29 1945 in Hackney, East London. He spent his early years in Hackney before his family moved to Middlesex. His father played steel guitar with  Felix Mendelssohn's Hawaiian Serenaders. Gary Brooker was still very young when he learned to play piano, cornet, and trombone. In 1945 his family moved to Southend-on-Sea, Essex. He attended Southend Municipal College, where he studied zoology and botany, but he left the college to become a professional musician.

In the early Sixties Gary Brooker and guitarist Robin Trower founded The Paramounts. The Paramounts had a single hit with a cover of The Coasters' "Poison Ivy." The Paramounts disbanded in 1966. That same year Gary Brooker formed Procol. Harum with Keith Reid. It was their manager, Guy Stevens, who came up with the band's name, taking it from the name of a Burmese cat owned by one of their friends, Liz Coombes. Their debut single, "A Whiter Shade of Pale," proved to be one of the most successful records of all time. The song hit no. 1 on the UK singles chart and no. 1 in several other countries as well. It reached no. 5 on the Billboard  Hot 100. Their first album, Procol Harum, reached no. 26.

Procol Harum never again repeated the success of "A Whiter Shade of Pale," but they would see a good deal of success over the years. Into the early Seventies Procol Harum's albums regularly reached the top fifty of the UK album chart. The band also did well with regards to their singles. Their second single,"Homburg," reached no. 6 on the UK singles chart. Their 1972 single "Conquistador" reached no. 22 on the UK singles chart. In 1975 "Pandora's Box" reached no. 16. From 1967 to 2017 Procol Harum disbanded in 1977. They reformed in 1991. In all , between 1967 and 2017, they  released 20 studio albums.

While Procol Harum was disbanded, Gary Brooker released three solo albums: No More Fear of Flying (1979), Lead Me to the Water (1982), and Echoes in the Night (1985). Here leased one live album, Within Our House, in 1996. Over the years he contributed to the albums of others, from George Harrison's All Things must Pass to The Alan Parsons Project's Stereotomy to Kate Bush's Aerial.

Gary Brooker was nothing if not versatile. "A Whiter Shade of Pale" has been classed as "baroque pop." Yet other songs have been counted as progressive rock or psychedelia. Yet other songs show influence from British music halls, the blues, and classical music. It was because of Gary Brooker's diverse styles that it was difficult to pigeonhole Mr. Brooker or Procol Harum in any one genre. Although they were often classed as progressive rock, they played everything from psychedelia to jazz rock. A pianist rivalled by none and a composer capable of a diverse number of styles Gary Brooker was extremly talented.