When you hear that haunting, church-like organ kick in at the start of "A Whiter Shade of Pale," you probably think you know the band. Most people do. They think of a group of guys who wrote one of the most famous songs in history and then vanished into the fog of 1967.
But honestly? That is not even close to the real story.
The members of Procol Harum were part of one of the most complicated, revolving-door lineups in rock history. They weren't just a "one-hit wonder" studio project. They were a sophisticated, sometimes volatile collective of musicians who shifted from R&B to prog-rock to symphonic grandeur, often losing key players right when they were about to strike gold.
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The core duo that wasn't really a "duo"
At the center of everything was Gary Brooker. He was the voice. The piano player. The guy who basically steered the ship from 1967 until he passed away in 2022. But he had a partner who never actually played an instrument on stage.
Keith Reid was the band’s permanent lyricist.
It’s a weird setup. You've got a guy who is an official member of the band, travels on the tour bus, sits in the recording studio, but just writes the words. He was the poet behind the surreal, often dark imagery. Without Reid, there is no Procol Harum. He and Brooker were the only two constants until Reid finally stepped away before the band's last album, Novum, in 2017.
The "Whiter Shade" lineup drama
The version of the band that recorded the first big hit didn't even last through the summer of '67.
- Gary Brooker: Vocals and Piano.
- Matthew Fisher: The Hammond organ genius.
- David Knights: Bass.
- Ray Royer: Guitar.
- Bobby Harrison: Drums.
If you look at the credits for that first single, it’s even messier. They used a session drummer named Bill Eyden for the actual recording of "A Whiter Shade of Pale." Why? Because the band was still finding its feet.
Pretty soon, things got rocky. Royer and Harrison were out. In came Robin Trower on guitar and B.J. Wilson on drums. This is the "classic" lineup most hardcore fans worship. Trower brought a bluesy, heavy grit that balanced out the classical organ sounds. B.J. Wilson? He’s often cited by guys like Jimmy Page as one of the best drummers of the era. He stayed with the band until their first breakup in 1977.
The Matthew Fisher legal battle
You can't talk about the members of Procol Harum without talking about the Law Lords.
For decades, the writing credit for "A Whiter Shade of Pale" belonged solely to Brooker and Reid. Matthew Fisher, the man who actually composed that iconic organ melody, felt he’d been robbed. He left the band in 1969, came back for the 1991 reunion, and then left again to sue his former bandmates.
It was a mess.
In 2009, the House of Lords finally ruled in Fisher's favor. He won a co-writing credit and a share of future royalties. It took nearly 40 years to settle. This kind of internal friction is basically the DNA of the band. They were brilliant, but they weren't always friends.
Why the lineup kept changing
After Fisher and Knights left in '69, Chris Copping joined. He was an old friend of Brooker and Trower from their earlier band, The Paramounts. Copping was a Swiss Army knife. He played bass and organ, sometimes at the same time.
Then Trower left. He wanted to do his own thing—a more Hendrix-style power trio.
That opened the door for Dave Ball, then Mick Grabham. The bass slot was a revolving door too, featuring Alan Cartwright and later Matt Pegg (son of Fairport Convention's Dave Pegg).
If you're keeping track, here’s the gist of the later years:
- Geoff Whitehorn: The longest-serving guitarist (joined in 1991).
- Josh Phillips: Took over the organ duties after Fisher left for good.
- Geoff Dunn: The steady hand on drums since 2006.
Real-world impact and what to do next
Most people get stuck on the 1960s, but the 1970s era—especially the Live in Concert with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra album—is where the band actually became superstars in America. This wasn't just "classic rock." It was the blueprint for how to mix a rock band with a full orchestra without sounding cheesy.
If you want to actually understand the musicality of the different members of Procol Harum, don't just loop their biggest hit.
- Listen to "A Salty Dog": It’s the peak of the Brooker-Fisher-Trower-Wilson era. The drumming by B.J. Wilson here is legendary.
- Check out Robin Trower's "Bridge of Sighs": To see why he had to leave. He was too big for a band that focused so heavily on keyboards.
- Compare "Novum" (2017) to the 1967 debut: It’s the only album without Keith Reid's lyrics. It sounds different. It feels different. It’s the sound of Gary Brooker finally taking total control.
The best way to appreciate this band is to follow the individual threads. Look up B.J. Wilson’s session work for Joe Cocker. Dive into Matthew Fisher’s solo albums. The "Procol" family tree is huge, and it’s way more interesting than just one song about skipping light fandangos.
Check out the full discography on a high-fidelity streaming service to hear the specific production differences between the Trower years and the Grabham years. It’s a masterclass in how much a single guitar player can change a band's entire identity.