Gary Brooker of Procol Harum Passes AwayGary Brooker, who as leader of veteran, English progressive rockers Procol Harum paved the genre’s path in the latter 1960s with his Bach-infused “A Whiter Shade of Pale,” and decades of subsequent work mixing multi-faceted, esoteric flavorings, English folk, and American blues, has passed away from cancer. Brooker’s death was on February 19th, but was not publicly announced until the 22nd. Brooker was 76.
Brooker’s career started in the early 1960s with The Paramounts, a British R&B outfit who were contemporaries of The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, both of which were fans, and often included them on their tours, yet enjoyed minimal commercial success. Their only British Top 40 hit was in 1963, a cover of “Poison Ivy,” which was originally made famous by The Coasters.
https://redstate.com/jerrywilson/2022/02/22/gary-brooker-of-procol-harum-passes-away-n526402