Matthew Fisher

Matthew Fisher earned renown as a keyboardist, vocalist, and record maker through his role as an original member of Procol Harum, where he handled organ duties and later took charge of production and arrangements for the ensemble’s opening three albums. Alongside Robin Trower and Gary Brooker, he emerged as one of the prominent figures to rise from the band following its abrupt ascent in 1967. Born Matthew Charles Fisher in Croydon, Surrey, England in 1946, he pursued formal musical training during childhood, concentrating on keyboards while also mastering guitar, bass, and additional instruments and acquiring skills in orchestration. In early 1967 he responded to a Melody Maker notice and joined a newly assembled unit, first known as the Pinewoods, that pianist, singer, and songwriter Gary Brooker was forming. After the Paramounts disbanded the previous year, Brooker had begun composing with lyricist Keith Reid, and the Pinewoods—completed by Ray Royer on guitar, David Knights on bass, and Bobby Harrison on drums—served as the vehicle for those songs. Among the tracks ultimately recorded by the group, soon renamed Procol Harum, was “A Whiter Shade of Pale,” whose dreamlike lyrics, baroque flourishes—the origin of which later sparked debate—and Booker’s soulful delivery turned it into an enduring pop-psychedelia staple and a worldwide number-one hit. The sudden success necessitated an immediate performing lineup, and during the subsequent reorganization Fisher stayed on with Knights while Trower and B.J. Wilson, both former Paramounts colleagues of Brooker, joined on guitar and drums.

Fisher and Trower swiftly gained visibility next to Brooker, the guitarist’s flamboyant blues-rooted style drawing admirers and Fisher’s conspicuous organ lines similarly commanding attention on disc and in concert. The enduring popularity of “A Whiter Shade of Pale,” whose signature classical organ lines kept Fisher in the public eye for years, further elevated his profile. He also achieved the rare distinction of breaching the Brooker/Reid stranglehold on songwriting credits by securing sole composer credit for “Repent Walpurgis” on the debut album. In later reflections he characterized that credit as a “booby prize,” expressing resentment over the absence of recognition for his contributions to “A Whiter Shade of Pale.”

By autumn 1967 the music press noted that the organist was readying a solo album, yet no such record materialized that holiday season or in the two following years, although he did appear on the 1968 soundtrack for the film Separation. Within the band, however, Fisher assumed a growing role on the second and especially the third albums; the latter, A Salty Dog, bore his producer and arranger credits and is regarded by many listeners and reviewers as the group’s most ambitious and accomplished studio effort. Despite this expanding influence, underlying tensions existed; accounts from Fisher in subsequent decades reference simmering discontent stemming from the Brooker/Reid monopoly on composition credits. Shortly after A Salty Dog appeared in March 1969, the first significant rifts surfaced when Fisher and Knights departed. Both positions were filled by ex-Paramounts member Chris Copping, who initially covered bass and organ.

Fisher reportedly commenced work on a solo album for A&M Records soon afterward but abandoned the project before 1969 ended. He stepped away from music for several years, operating a recording studio in England and taking industry employment in New York, before resurfacing as a performer in the early 1970s. His most notable engagements included the seemingly unlikely stint in Jerry Lee Lewis’s touring band and, more closely aligned with his background, production of Robin Trower’s debut solo album. During this period Fisher worked chiefly as a session musician and producer, contributing to acts such as Prairie Madness, performing with Screaming Lord Sutch, and joining David Bowie’s Spiders from Mars. In 1973 he signed with RCA and issued Journey’s End, a well-reviewed album that presented him as vocalist, composer, and multi-instrumentalist handling most parts himself; the songwriting displayed a lighter, occasionally pop-oriented sensibility distinct from Procol Harum’s customary tone. The follow-up, I’ll Be There, was cut almost immediately and, despite favorable notices, neither album achieved lasting commercial traction.

Fisher continued solo activity sporadically, releasing Matthew Fisher and Strange Days in the early 1980s alongside further soundtrack contributions. In the 1990s he rejoined a reconstituted Procol Harum for both recordings and live performances, only to exit again in 2004. The next year he initiated legal proceedings against Gary Brooker and the publishers of “A Whiter Shade of Pale,” asserting co-authorship and entitlement to half the composer royalties. During the ensuing trial it was established that, although the song predated his arrival in the Pinewoods, the familiar organ part and much of its classical character originated with Fisher. An initial ruling favored his claim to credit and royalties, yet an appeals court overturned the royalty award on grounds of elapsed time since the song’s publication. In July 2009 the House of Lords, England’s highest appellate body, determined that Fisher should receive 40 percent of composer royalties generated after 2004. Since departing Procol Harum, Fisher has earned his primary livelihood as a computer programmer.