Matthew Fisher
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Matthew Fisher (born Matthew Charles Fisher, 7 March 1946 in Addiscombe, Croydon, Surrey, England) is the Hammond organist, singer-songwriter, and the man responsible for the organ sound on the 1967 single "A Whiter Shade of Pale".
He was a member of Procol Harum; producer to Robin Trower, James Dewar and Tir Na Nog (among others); and enjoyed a solo career, being especially popular in Greece [1]. Two of the albums he produced for Trower, Bridge of Sighs (1974) and For Earth Below (1975), have been certified gold by the RIAA[2], whilst "A Whiter Shade of Pale" has enjoyed multi-platinum status. Fisher's Hammond organ playing on pianist David Lanz's instrumental version of "A Whiter Shade of Pale" from his 1988 CD, Cristofori's Dream, helped that album go gold as well.
Fisher co-produced an album by the group Prairie Madness in 1972, on which he also played organ and harpsichord. This was a piano-guitar duo with an accompanying band, but it achieved limited success.
Fisher quit Procol Harum in 1969 after the release of their third A Salty Dog, which he also produced. He rejoined the band in 1991 for the album The Prodigal Stranger and released two more albums with them, One More Time and The Well's on Fire. In addition he appeared on two concert DVDs, "Live in Copenhagen" and "Live at the Union Chapel", but quit the band again in 2004. He is currently a computer programmer in Croydon, Surrey.
In 2005, Fisher filed suit [1] [2] in the Royal Courts of Justice against Procol Harum pianist, lead singer and founder Gary Brooker and his publisher, claiming that Fisher co-wrote the music for "A Whiter Shade of Pale". Fisher put his argument before a High Court judge in London. On 20 December, 2006, Fisher won the case.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.procolharum.com/awsop_lawsuit2.htm
- ^ http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2006520357,00.html
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6196413.stm
[edit] See also
- Matthew Fisher's fan page - at procolharum.com
- Prairie Madness (band)
- Procol Harum
| Procol Harum |
|---|
| Current members: Gary Brooker ·
Geoff Dunn · Matt Pegg · Josh Phillips · Geoff Whitehorn · Keith Reid |
| Former members:
Dave Ball · Dave Bronze · Alan Cartwright · Chris Copping · Matthew Fisher · Mick Grabham · Dave Knights · Mark Brzezicki · Dee Murray · Pete Solley · Jerry Stevenson · Robin Trower · B.J. Wilson |
| Discography |
|
Studio Albums: Procol Harum · Shine on Brightly · A Salty Dog · Home · Broken Barricades · Grand Hotel · Exotic Birds and Fruit · Procol's Ninth · Something Magic · The Prodigal Stranger · The Well's on Fire Live albums: Procol Harum Live with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra Other albums: The Long Goodbye · Liquorice John Death: Ain't Nothin' To Get Excited About · One More Time - Live in Utrecht 1992 · |
