About Procol Harum

After the rhythm & blues band [a1382422] disbanded in 1966, singer [a=Gary Brooker] helped form Procol Harum early in 1967. In July that year, the band got their first #1 hit [i]A Whiter Shade of Pale[/i], co-written by Brooker & Reid, becoming one of the first real “symphonic rock” songs. A lot of albums and singles were released afterwards, but never enjoyed the success of their first single.

Band friend and record company owner [a=Guy Stevens] came up with the group’s name Procol Harum, a mis-spelling of the Latin phrase Procul Harun (roughly meaning “far beyond these things”), which was also the pedigree name of his Siamese cat (who actually was marked [i]Procul hīs[/i]). (Another explanation is that it was a corruption of Procellarum, a vast ocean on the Moon.)

The line up for their first single was:

Gary Brooker: vocals and piano
Matthew Fisher: Hammond organ
David Knights: bass
Ray Royer: guitar
Drums by session drummer Bill Eyden.

Procol Harum re-formed in October 1991 and recorded “The Prodigal Stranger” with this line-up:

Brooker – vocals and piano
Keith Reid – words
Fisher – hammond organ
with guests:
Dave Bronze – bass
Mark Brzezicki – drums
Jerry Stevenson – mandolin and guitar