John Lennon‘s son, Julian Lennon, was asked to name the first music he remembered hearing. Shockingly, the tune in question was not a Beatles song. However, Julian compared the track to one of The Beatles’ biggest hits.
John Lennon’s son has strong memories of hearing a psychedelic rock song
During a 2023 interview with Esquire, Julian named the first piece of music he remembered hearing. “‘Whiter Shade of Pale,'” Julian said. “A Whiter Shade of Pale” is the signature song of the psychedelic rock band Procol Harum. The tune typifies the British music of the 1960s, with its unusual lyrics, its classical music elements, and its full-throated vocal performance by Gary Brooker.
Julian recalled what it was like hearing “A Whiter Shade of Pale” for the first time. “I was three, I think,” he said. “I remember going, ‘I kind of like this.’ Songs bring you back to the time and the place.
John Lennon’s son has strong memories of hearing a psychedelic rock song
During a 2023 interview with Esquire, Julian named the first piece of music he remembered hearing. “‘Whiter Shade of Pale,'” Julian said. “A Whiter Shade of Pale” is the signature song of the psychedelic rock band Procol Harum. The tune typifies the British music of the 1960s, with its unusual lyrics, its classical music elements, and its full-throated vocal performance by Gary Brooker.
Julian recalled what it was like hearing “A Whiter Shade of Pale” for the first time. “I was three, I think,” he said. “I remember going, ‘I kind of like this.’ Songs bring you back to the time and the place.
- 12/20/2023
- by Matthew Trzcinski
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Keith Reid, who cowrote the lyrics for most of Procol Harum’s original songs, died March 23 of cancer, his wife confirmed. No details on location were provided.
Reid was a writer on Procol Harum’s biggest hit, 1967’s “A Whiter Shade of Pale,” as well as on group classics as “A Salty Dog,” “Conquistador,” “Shine on Brightly” and “Grand Hotel.”
Born on October 19, 1946, in Hertfordshire, England, Reid began collaborating with Procol Harum keyboardist Gary Brooker in the 1960s. One of their first joint efforts, “A Whiter Shade of Pale,” reached No. 1 in their native U.K., as well as in Australia, Canada, and several European countries. It also reached No. 5 on Billboard’s Hot 100 singles chart in the U.S.
Although not a performing member of Procol Harum, Reid was essential to the group’s mystique. His sometimes-oblique lyrics kept fans guessing as to interpretations, fueling discussions that kept the...
Reid was a writer on Procol Harum’s biggest hit, 1967’s “A Whiter Shade of Pale,” as well as on group classics as “A Salty Dog,” “Conquistador,” “Shine on Brightly” and “Grand Hotel.”
Born on October 19, 1946, in Hertfordshire, England, Reid began collaborating with Procol Harum keyboardist Gary Brooker in the 1960s. One of their first joint efforts, “A Whiter Shade of Pale,” reached No. 1 in their native U.K., as well as in Australia, Canada, and several European countries. It also reached No. 5 on Billboard’s Hot 100 singles chart in the U.S.
Although not a performing member of Procol Harum, Reid was essential to the group’s mystique. His sometimes-oblique lyrics kept fans guessing as to interpretations, fueling discussions that kept the...
- 3/30/2023
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
It was another difficult year in 2022, and the sadness extended to many beloved and groundbreaking people in the show business and media worlds who died during the past 12 months.
Scroll through a photo gallery above, which also includes the obituaries.
The acting world lost giants including Sidney Poitier and Angela Lansbury, along with such big names as James Caan, Anne Heche, Bob Saget, Kirstie Alley, Ray Liotta, Nichelle Nichols, William Hurt, Louise Fletcher, Robert Clary, Emilio Delgado, Sally Kellerman, Robbie Coltrane, Monica Vitti, Leslie Jordan, John Aniston, Tony Sirico, Charlbi Dean, Tony Dow, Irene Papas, Howard Hesseman and Seinfeld moms Estelle Harris and Liz Sheridan.
We also pay tribute to directors including Ivan Reitman, Peter Bogdanovich and Marvin J. Chomsky.
Musicians who left us this past year include Jerry Lee Lewis, Loretta Lynn, Olivia Newton-John, Meat Loaf, Ronnie Spector, Naomi Judd, Ramsey Lewis, Stephen “tWitch” Boss and Coolio. Many key...
Scroll through a photo gallery above, which also includes the obituaries.
The acting world lost giants including Sidney Poitier and Angela Lansbury, along with such big names as James Caan, Anne Heche, Bob Saget, Kirstie Alley, Ray Liotta, Nichelle Nichols, William Hurt, Louise Fletcher, Robert Clary, Emilio Delgado, Sally Kellerman, Robbie Coltrane, Monica Vitti, Leslie Jordan, John Aniston, Tony Sirico, Charlbi Dean, Tony Dow, Irene Papas, Howard Hesseman and Seinfeld moms Estelle Harris and Liz Sheridan.
We also pay tribute to directors including Ivan Reitman, Peter Bogdanovich and Marvin J. Chomsky.
Musicians who left us this past year include Jerry Lee Lewis, Loretta Lynn, Olivia Newton-John, Meat Loaf, Ronnie Spector, Naomi Judd, Ramsey Lewis, Stephen “tWitch” Boss and Coolio. Many key...
- 12/31/2022
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Billy Joel paid tribute to Procol Harum’s Gary Brooker, who died Feb. 19 at the age of 76, with a rendition of the band’s classic “A Whiter Shade of Pale,” a song that Joel has frequently praised (and covered) throughout his career.
Taking the stage Saturday night at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium, Joel delivered a moving rendition of “Shade of Pale” following a performance of his own “Only the Good Die Young”; earlier in the week, Joel paid tribute to Brooker on social media.
Sorry to hear about the passing of Gary Brooker.
Taking the stage Saturday night at Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium, Joel delivered a moving rendition of “Shade of Pale” following a performance of his own “Only the Good Die Young”; earlier in the week, Joel paid tribute to Brooker on social media.
Sorry to hear about the passing of Gary Brooker.
- 2/27/2022
- by Daniel Kreps
- Rollingstone.com
Gary Brooker, the Procol Harum frontman whose soaring vocals on the band’s 1967 proto-prog rock classic “A Whiter Shade of Pale” helped make the song a mainstay of 1970s FM radio, died February 19 of cancer. He was 76.
“With the deepest regret we must announce the death on 19 February 2022 of Gary Brooker MBE, singer, pianist and composer of Procol Harum, and a brightly-shining, irreplaceable light in the music industry,” said the UK band in a statement today.
“From his earliest onstage duets with his musician father, through his youthful recording career with Southend’s The Paramounts, Gary exhibited and developed a highly-individual talent,” the statement continues. “His first single with Procol Harum, 1967’s ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale’, is widely regarded as defining ‘The Summer of Love’, yet it could scarcely have been more different from the characteristic records of that era.”
With an organ melody indebted to Bach, a then-unusual...
“With the deepest regret we must announce the death on 19 February 2022 of Gary Brooker MBE, singer, pianist and composer of Procol Harum, and a brightly-shining, irreplaceable light in the music industry,” said the UK band in a statement today.
“From his earliest onstage duets with his musician father, through his youthful recording career with Southend’s The Paramounts, Gary exhibited and developed a highly-individual talent,” the statement continues. “His first single with Procol Harum, 1967’s ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale’, is widely regarded as defining ‘The Summer of Love’, yet it could scarcely have been more different from the characteristic records of that era.”
With an organ melody indebted to Bach, a then-unusual...
- 2/22/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Procol Harum frontman Gary Brooker, who led the band throughout their 55-year history and co-wrote and sang their 1967 classic “A Whiter Shade of Pale,” died at his home from cancer on Saturday, Feb. 19. He was 76.
“His first single with Procol Harum, 1967’s ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale,’ is widely regarded as defining ‘The Summer of Love’, yet it could scarcely have been more different from the characteristic records of that era,” Procol Harum said in a group statement. “Nor was it characteristic of his own writing. Over thirteen albums Procol...
“His first single with Procol Harum, 1967’s ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale,’ is widely regarded as defining ‘The Summer of Love’, yet it could scarcely have been more different from the characteristic records of that era,” Procol Harum said in a group statement. “Nor was it characteristic of his own writing. Over thirteen albums Procol...
- 2/22/2022
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
“All I Need Is a Miracle” is not a Phil Collins song. But had he not become a solo star in the Eighties, giving his Genesis bandmate Mike Rutherford the time and incentive to launch the side project Mike and the Mechanics, the song would not exist. It was the second single off their 1985 self-titled debut and it became a big hit all over the world.
Collins was very fond of the tune and often sang a snippet of it when introducing Rutherford to the audience at Genesis concerts in...
Collins was very fond of the tune and often sang a snippet of it when introducing Rutherford to the audience at Genesis concerts in...
- 3/4/2021
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
It’s been three decades since Ringo Starr founded his All Starr supergroup and took the stage with some of rock and roll’s biggest luminaries, creating an exceptional legacy of performances of some of the greatest hits of all time culled from Starr’s extraordinary catalog as a solo artist and as Beatle, as well as the All Starr Band members’ substantive songbook.
In celebration of this milestone, and just in time for the holiday season, a new limited-edition retrospective hardcover book titled “Ringo Rocks: 30 Years Of The All Starrs,” will be sold online exclusively beginning Wednesday, December 16 at juliensauctions.com.
This not to be missed commemorative photo memoir features some never-before-seen photos of the All Starr Band’s 30 record-setting years in the spotlight and life on the road, compiled by Henry Diltz and Jill Jarrett (who have followed Ringo Starr’s All Starr career since 1989), as well as...
In celebration of this milestone, and just in time for the holiday season, a new limited-edition retrospective hardcover book titled “Ringo Rocks: 30 Years Of The All Starrs,” will be sold online exclusively beginning Wednesday, December 16 at juliensauctions.com.
This not to be missed commemorative photo memoir features some never-before-seen photos of the All Starr Band’s 30 record-setting years in the spotlight and life on the road, compiled by Henry Diltz and Jill Jarrett (who have followed Ringo Starr’s All Starr career since 1989), as well as...
- 12/22/2020
- Look to the Stars
When Keiron Marshall was 15, he found his way out of a desperate situation with help from an unexpected source: Eric Clapton. The guitar great was host at the first gig Marshall ever went to, and he was joined on stage by Gary Brooker of Procol Harum, The Who’s Pete Townshend and Beatle Ringo Starr.
Since then, London’s music scene has been a liferaft for Marshall, a musician who now runs a group of small concert venues with his wife. Growing up in south London, he’d endured racial slurs and regular beatings because of his Pakistani heritage....
Since then, London’s music scene has been a liferaft for Marshall, a musician who now runs a group of small concert venues with his wife. Growing up in south London, he’d endured racial slurs and regular beatings because of his Pakistani heritage....
- 8/17/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
When Keiron Marshall was 15, he found his way out of a desperate situation with help from an unexpected source: Eric Clapton. The guitar great was host at the first gig Marshall ever went to, and he was joined on stage by Gary Brooker of Procol Harum, The Who’s Pete Townshend and Beatle Ringo Starr.
Since then, London’s music scene has been a liferaft for Marshall, a musician who now runs a group of small concert venues with his wife. Growing up in south London, he’d endured racial slurs and regular beatings because of his Pakistani heritage....
Since then, London’s music scene has been a liferaft for Marshall, a musician who now runs a group of small concert venues with his wife. Growing up in south London, he’d endured racial slurs and regular beatings because of his Pakistani heritage....
- 8/17/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Ringo Starr is turning 80 on July 7th and he plans on celebrating with a virtual charity concert featuring Paul McCartney, Sheryl Crow, Gary Clark Jr., Sheila E, and Ben Harper. “I love birthdays,” Starr recently told Rolling Stone. “This year is going to be a little different. There’s no big get-together; there’s no brunch for 100. But we’re putting this show together — an hour of music and chat. It’s quite a big birthday.”
Starr originally planned on celebrating his landmark birthday by touring all across America, but...
Starr originally planned on celebrating his landmark birthday by touring all across America, but...
- 7/2/2020
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
An incredible lineup of musicians — including Eric Clapton, Van Morrison, Yusuf/Cat Stevens, Rick Wakeman, Tom Jones, Bonnie Tyler and Nick Mason — came together at London’s 02 Arena on Tuesday night for the Music for the Marsden charity show, which raised money to fight cancer.
Procol Harum’s Gary Brooker was the musical director of the show and he worked alongside keyboardist Paul “Wix” Wickens, guitarists Andy Fairweather Low and Robbie McIntosh, bassist Dave Bronze and drummers Graham Broad and Ian Paice.
Highlights included Van Morrison and Eric Clapton jamming...
Procol Harum’s Gary Brooker was the musical director of the show and he worked alongside keyboardist Paul “Wix” Wickens, guitarists Andy Fairweather Low and Robbie McIntosh, bassist Dave Bronze and drummers Graham Broad and Ian Paice.
Highlights included Van Morrison and Eric Clapton jamming...
- 3/4/2020
- by Andy Greene
- Rollingstone.com
Phil Collins surveys his eclectic catalog of collaborative tracks, session work, outside songwriting and production with the new career-spanning box set Plays Well With Others, out September 28th via Rhino Records.
The four-disc, 59-track project includes material from George Harrison, David Crosby, the Bee Gees John Cale, Argent, John Martyn, Gary Brooker, Al Di Meola, Adam Ant, Philip Bailey, Chaka Khan, Howard Jones, the Isley Brothers, Four Tops, Tears for Fears, George Martin, Lil’ Kim, Annie Lennox, Bryan Adams, Joe Cocker, the Phil Collins Big Band and the songwriter’s formative psych-pop group,...
The four-disc, 59-track project includes material from George Harrison, David Crosby, the Bee Gees John Cale, Argent, John Martyn, Gary Brooker, Al Di Meola, Adam Ant, Philip Bailey, Chaka Khan, Howard Jones, the Isley Brothers, Four Tops, Tears for Fears, George Martin, Lil’ Kim, Annie Lennox, Bryan Adams, Joe Cocker, the Phil Collins Big Band and the songwriter’s formative psych-pop group,...
- 7/18/2018
- by Ryan Reed
- Rollingstone.com
Pink Floyd's David Gilmour and Procol Harum's Gary Brooker were among the members of an all-star band who performed in celebration of Douglas Adams's birthday last night (March 11) in London. The musicians, who were long-standing friends of Adams's, headlined the "virtual 60th birthday" of the late Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy author at the Hammersmith Apollo. Other members of the band, who were introduced by Richard Curtis, included guitarist Robbie McIntosh, percussionist Jodi Linscott, synth player Paul 'Wix' Wickens, singer Margo Buchanan, bassist Dave Bronze and Paul Beavis on drums. McIntosh opened the set before being joined by the rest of the band in stages. Gilmour joined the band and sung Pink Floyd hit 'Wish You Were Here'. He also played lead guitar (more)...
- 3/12/2012
- by By Mayer Nissim
- Digital Spy
Pink Floyd's David Gilmour and Procol Harum's Gary Brooker were among the members of an all-star band who performed in celebration of Douglas Adams's birthday last night (March 11) in London. The musicians, who were long-standing friends of Adams's, headlined the "virtual 60th birthday" of the late Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy author at the Hammersmith Apollo. Other members of the band, who were introduced by Richard Curtis, included guitarist Robbie McIntosh, percussionist Jodi Linscott, synth player Paul 'Wix' Wickens, singer Margo Buchanan, bassist Dave Bronze and Paul Beavis on drums. McIntosh opened the set before being joined by the rest of the band in stages. Gilmour joined the band and sung Pink Floyd hit 'Wish You Were Here'. He also played lead guitar (more)...
- 3/12/2012
- by By Mayer Nissim
- Digital Spy
The Who's Roger Daltrey attended the launch of a new charity job centre in the UK last week that caters for people with learning difficulties.
The Rd Crusaders WorkHub has been set up by Norwood, a charity that supports thousands of people with learning disabilities.
The launch follows a fundraising drive that began two years ago, when Daltrey’s star-studded supergroup, The Rd Crusaders, played a concert in Old Billingsgate Market to an audience that included Sarah Ferguson and Elizabeth Hurley. Formed in 2003 by Daltrey and newspaper publisher and Norwood president Richard Desmond, the Rd Crusaders consists of band members such as Lulu, Russ Ballard of Argent (who was also at the launch), Rick Wills, Steve Smith and a number of others who join for special gigs – including Gary Moore, Robert Plant Gary Brooker and more. The band has raised millions of dollars for charities such as the Teenage Cancer Trust,...
The Rd Crusaders WorkHub has been set up by Norwood, a charity that supports thousands of people with learning disabilities.
The launch follows a fundraising drive that began two years ago, when Daltrey’s star-studded supergroup, The Rd Crusaders, played a concert in Old Billingsgate Market to an audience that included Sarah Ferguson and Elizabeth Hurley. Formed in 2003 by Daltrey and newspaper publisher and Norwood president Richard Desmond, the Rd Crusaders consists of band members such as Lulu, Russ Ballard of Argent (who was also at the launch), Rick Wills, Steve Smith and a number of others who join for special gigs – including Gary Moore, Robert Plant Gary Brooker and more. The band has raised millions of dollars for charities such as the Teenage Cancer Trust,...
- 4/19/2010
- Look to the Stars
The song at the centre of a recently resolved legal battle between the members of progressive rock act Procul Harum holds special significance for Sir Paul McCartney - because it always reminds him of his late wife Linda.
The former Beatle admits he's tremendously fond of A Whiter Shade of Pale because the song was played on his first date with Linda.
McCartney has opened up about his romance with the revered photographer and animal rights activist to mark the 10th anniversary of her death, and in an essay for Britain's Sunday Times newspaper, he recalls magical moments he spent with her.
In his article, he recalls the moment they first met at London's Bag O'Nails nightclub in May 1967 and the "corny" chat-up line he used to win her over.
He explains, "As she was leaving... I saw an obvious opportunity. I said: `My name's Paul. What's yours?' I think she probably recognised me. It was so corny, but I told the kids later that, had it not been for that moment, none of them would be here.
And he reveals how A Whiter Shade of Pale came to symbolise his close relationship with Linda after a date at London's Speakeasy club.
He writes, "I remember I heard Procol Harum's A Whiter Shade of Pale for the first time. It became our song."
Linda died of breast cancer in April 1998 and Procol Harum frontman Gary Brooker won back full royalty rights to the hit song last week, after a two year legal battle with former bandmate Matthew Fisher.
The former Beatle admits he's tremendously fond of A Whiter Shade of Pale because the song was played on his first date with Linda.
McCartney has opened up about his romance with the revered photographer and animal rights activist to mark the 10th anniversary of her death, and in an essay for Britain's Sunday Times newspaper, he recalls magical moments he spent with her.
In his article, he recalls the moment they first met at London's Bag O'Nails nightclub in May 1967 and the "corny" chat-up line he used to win her over.
He explains, "As she was leaving... I saw an obvious opportunity. I said: `My name's Paul. What's yours?' I think she probably recognised me. It was so corny, but I told the kids later that, had it not been for that moment, none of them would be here.
And he reveals how A Whiter Shade of Pale came to symbolise his close relationship with Linda after a date at London's Speakeasy club.
He writes, "I remember I heard Procol Harum's A Whiter Shade of Pale for the first time. It became our song."
Linda died of breast cancer in April 1998 and Procol Harum frontman Gary Brooker won back full royalty rights to the hit song last week, after a two year legal battle with former bandmate Matthew Fisher.
- 4/6/2008
- WENN
Procol Harum frontman Gary Brooker has won back full royalty rights to hit song A Whiter Shade Of Pale.
The singer won his appeal against a 2006 ruling, which gave organist Matthew Fisher a 40 per cent cut of the song's royalties at London's Court of Appeal on Friday.
Fisher had argued he had written the 1967 song's melody, and should be entitled to royalties as a result.
But Judge John Mummery ruled the rights will be retained by Brooker as Fisher took 38 years to bring the case to court - but insisted the track should still be credited with Fisher's co-authorship.
He said, "Matthew Fisher is guilty of excessive and inexcusable delay in his claim to assert joint title to a joint interest in the work.
"He silently stood by and acquiesced in the defendant's commercial exploitation of the work for 38 years."...
The singer won his appeal against a 2006 ruling, which gave organist Matthew Fisher a 40 per cent cut of the song's royalties at London's Court of Appeal on Friday.
Fisher had argued he had written the 1967 song's melody, and should be entitled to royalties as a result.
But Judge John Mummery ruled the rights will be retained by Brooker as Fisher took 38 years to bring the case to court - but insisted the track should still be credited with Fisher's co-authorship.
He said, "Matthew Fisher is guilty of excessive and inexcusable delay in his claim to assert joint title to a joint interest in the work.
"He silently stood by and acquiesced in the defendant's commercial exploitation of the work for 38 years."...
- 4/4/2008
- WENN
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