- published: 13 May 2014
- views: 14775
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 Queen's Birthday Honours on 14 June 2003, in recognition of his charitable services.
Brooker was born in Hackney, East London, moving to the seaside resort of Southend-on-Sea, Essex in 1945. As a child, he learned to play piano, cornet and trombone. He attended Westcliff High School for Boys.
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.
In 1966, Brooker founded Procol Harum with his friend Keith Reid. "A Whiter Shade of Pale" is the worldwide hit that Procol Harum is best known for, but Brooker's melancholic vocals and emotive, eclectic piano playing were a key part of Procol's musical mix for the entire course of the band's career. In the early years Brooker, Hammond organist 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 until the band broke up in 1977. Brooker started a solo career and released the album No More Fear of Flying in 1979.
(Brooker / Renwick / Sinfield)
So many ships have slipped on by in the night
I couldn't keep the score
Until you tied up in the harbour with me
And I prayed we'd share something more
Maybe we both tried just a bit too hard
New loves so close and true
For ten wild days we held a straight flush in hearts
And then I froze on you
Give me something to remember you by
Like a kiss on a cold cold night
Give me something to remember you by
As your ship sinks out of sight
The queen of rubies took the sweet jack of moon
So high above the flood
Though they survived the fall with ice on their wings
The stables ran with blood
Maybe we had too much to win or loose
We'd both been lost before
But that ain't your hear that's an anchor and chain
All those are claw marks across my floor
Give me something to remember you by
Like a knife or a blue steel key
Give me something to remember you by
Like a rose like a storm at sea
Give me something to remember you by
We weren't wrong but we weren't right
Give me something to remember you by
Bye-bye baby, bye-bye