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, sharing the stage with them several times in the early 1960s. In 1966, Brooker founded Procol Harum with his friend
Keith Reid. "
A Whiter Shade of Pale" is the worldwide hit for which Procol Harum is best known, but Brooker's melancholic vocals and emotive, eclectic piano playing were a key part of the band's musical mix. 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. Brooker started a solo career and released the album
No More Fear of Flying in 1979. The same year, Brooker joined friend and neighbour
Eric Clapton's band. With Brooker in the lineup, they released the studio album
Another Ticket. Clapton fired the entire band in 1981, but he and Brooker remained good friends afterwards, and were for many years neighbours in the
Surrey Hills. Brooker joined Clapton for several one-off benefit gigs over the years. Brooker sang lead vocal on the
Alan Parsons Project song "Limelight", on their 1985 album,
Stereotomy. Brooker sang the lead vocal of the song "No News from the Western Frontier", a single taken from the album
Hi-Tec Heroes by the Dutch performer
Ad Visser. A new incarnation of Procol Harum, led by Brooker, continued touring the world, celebrating its 40th anniversary in July 2007 with two days of musical revels at
St John's, Smith Square, in London. Brooker also toured with
Ringo Starr's All-Starr Band in 1997 and 1999, and he was also a member of
Bill Wyman's Rhythm Kings for several years, appearing on three of their albums and touring with the band. On 28 September 1996, as the Gary Brooker Ensemble, he organised a charity concert to raise funds for his local church, St Mary and All Saints, in Surrey. The resulting live CD of the concert,
Within Our House, originally released on a fan club CD in a limited run of 1000 units, later became a collectable recording. His guests and supporting artists included Dave Bronze,
Michael Bywater,
Mark Brzezicki, and
Robbie McIntosh. Also in 1996, Brooker appeared in the
Alan Parker film adaptation of
Andrew Lloyd Webber's
Evita starring
Madonna,
Jonathan Pryce, and
Antonio Banderas. Playing the part of
Juan Atilio Bramuglia, he sang the song "Rainbow Tour" with
Peter Polycarpou and Antonio Banderas. Brooker said that his greatest single earning in his career was from his appearance in the film. On 29 November 2002 he was among musicians and singers participating in the Harrison tribute concert,
Concert for George, at which he sang lead vocals on their version of "
Old Brown Shoe". In April 2005, as part of the Gary Brooker Ensemble, he played a sold out charity concert at
Guildford Cathedral in aid of the
tsunami appeal, playing a mixture of Procol Harum and solo songs and arrangements of classical and spiritual songs. His guests and supporting artists included
Andy Fairweather Low and
Paul Jones (ex-
Manfred Mann). On 28 October 2009, Brooker was presented with a
BASCA in recognition of his unique contribution to music. In 2011 he organised and performed in a concert at his home Wintershall, in
Bramley, Surrey, in aid of the charity HASTE (Heart and Stroke Trust Endeavour). His guest musicians included
Eric Clapton,
Jeff Beck, Andy Fairweather Low,
Georgie Fame, and
Lulu. In May 2012, Procol Harum were forced to cancel the remainder of their dates in South Africa after Brooker fractured his skull following a fall in his hotel room in
Cape Town. The fall came on Brooker's 67th birthday. The band was part of the British Invasion Tour of South Africa along with
the Moody Blues and
10cc. Brooker again fell injuring himself, during the interval of a Procol Harum concert at London's
Royal Festival Hall in March 2017. Returning to the stage after a longer than expected interval, Brooker's head was bandaged and it was later discovered that he had broken a finger. However, they continued touring until 2019, playing their final gig in Switzerland. == Personal life ==