NEW YORK (Eaglevisionusa.com) - Procol Harum has always been based around the songwriting partnership of singer and pianist Gary Brooker and lyricist Keith Reid. They gave notice of their talent with the band�s first release, the classic A Whiter
Shade Of Pale, and Procol Harum joined the very select list of acts who have had a #1 hit with their first record.
After a considerable gap, Gary Brooker reformed Procol Harum in the early 90�s and they have remained active ever since. The current line up consists of:
Gary Brooker � Piano & Vocals
Mark Brzezicki � Drums & Percussion
Matthew Fisher � Hammond Organ
Matt Pegg � Bass
Geoff Whitehorn � Guitar
�I almost feel there are two Procol Harums, the Procol Harum that die-hard fans see and the Procol Harum that everyone else sees. �Oh, yeah, that was a good record, why didn�t you make any more like that?��
Organist Matthew Fisher, there from the beginning and now back in the ranks, neatly encapsulates the enigma that is Procol Harum. Well known worldwide for 'A Whiter Shade Of Pale', the Number 1 hit of the Summer of Love - 1967, if you�re of tender years - they have since built up a body of work that ranks them among the thoroughbreds of British rock. The March 4th, 2003 release of 12th album �The Well�s On Fire� extends that legend into the current millennium.
Gary Brooker, �the Commander� to one and all, still leads from behind the piano, with Fisher and ever-present non-playing lyricist Keith Reid steadfastly at his shoulder. His side projects include playing with the likes of Eric Clapton and Bill Wyman, but the re-hoisting of the Procol flag has brought him back on board full-time. For him, it�s all about the songs. �Procol does not deal with pastiche or trying to re-do a blues or a be-bop.� he insists. �We really enjoy playing challenging things.�
Below decks lies a purring engine of a rhythm section in the comparatively young form of bassist Matt Pegg (son of Fairport�s Dave) and Mark Brzezicki of the late, lamented Big Country. Last but not least, we have 12-year veteran Geoff Whitehorn who, since filling the sizeable boots of Paul Kossoff in Back Street Crawler, has supplied guitar by appointment to Roger Chapman, Elkie Brooks, Paul Rodgers, Roger Daltrey and several more of the British rock aristocracy.
To coincide with the release of "The Well's On Fire," Procol Harum will be playing live in Europe in March:
Mar 15 � The Broadway Theatre, Catford
Mar 16 � The Stables, Milton Keynes
Mar 22 � Villa Berg, Stuttgart
Mar 23 � Kantine, Cologne
Mar 24 � Fabrik, Hamburg
Mar 26 � Hirsch, Nuremberg
Mar 27 � Colos Saal, Aschaffenburg
Mar 28 � Festiviteten, Haugesund
Mar 30 � Sala Kongresowa, Warsaw
