LISTENING IN: Gary Brooker, beyond the pale

Gary Brooker, the Procol Harum frontman who sang one of the 1960s’ most enduring hits, “A Whiter Shade of Pale,” died this week. He was 76 and had been receiving treatment for cancer.

The London-born Brooker was singer and keyboard player with the band, which had a huge hit with the song, it’s first single. With its Baroque-flavored organ solo and mysterious opening line – “We skipped the light fandango, turned cartwheels cross the floor” – “A Whiter Shade of Pale” became one of the signature tunes of the 1967 “Summer of Love.”

It topped the UK album chart for six weeks, was a top 10 hit in the United States and in 2018 was one of six singles inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Another signature song was the Spanish-flavoured “Conquistador,” which became a hit after the band enlisted help from the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra in 1971 (released 1972).

Brooker led Procol Harum for more than five decades, through various lineup changes and 13 albums. He also released four solo albums and wrote and sang for Eric Clapton’s band and with Bill Wyman’s Rhythm Kings, as well as touring with Ringo Starr’s band Ringo’s All-Starrs.

In 2003, Queen Elizabeth II made him an MBE – member of the Order of the British Empire – for services to charity.

We “listened in” to “A Whiter Shade of Pale” last May (see the link below for Jen’s personal review), but first we offer “Conquistador,” live from a 2006 performance in Denmark, as tribute to Brooker’s final ride.