Matthew Fisher in Cannes
in 2000.
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].
His solo albums include "Journey's End" (1973), "I'll Be There" (1974),
"Matthew Fisher" (1980), and "Strange Days" (1981).
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 album, 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 -
Live in Utrecht 1992 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
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.
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
See also
| v • d • e Procol Harum |
|
Current members: Gary
Brooker ·
Geoff
Dunn ·
Matt
Pegg ·
Josh Phillips ·
Geoff Whitehorn ·
Keith
Reid
|
|
Former members: Dave
Ball ·
Graham Broad ·
Dave
Bronze ·
Mark Brzezicki ·
Alan Cartwright ·
Chris Copping ·
Matthew Fisher ·
Mick Grabham ·
Bobby Harrison ·
David Knights ·
Dee
Murray ·
Tim
Renwick ·
Ray Royer ·
Don Snow ·
Pete
Solley ·
Henry Spinetti ·
Jerry Stevenson ·
Robin Trower ·
Ian
Wallace ·
B.J.
Wilson
|
|
Significant contributors: Guy
Stevens ·
Bill Eyden
|
| 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 ·
Ain't Nothin' to
Get Excited About ·
One More Time -
Live in Utrecht 1992 ·
|
|
