Brooker founded PROCOL HARUM in 1966, and a year later the band's legacy was secured with their worldwide hit A Whiter Shade Of Pale, with Brooker's mournful vocals and haunting electric piano work very much to the fore.

 

Despite the enormous success of A Whiter Shade Of Pale, the band only climbed the UK singles charts twice more, with Homburg, a No. 6 in 1968 and standalone single Conquistador, which reached No. 22 in 1971.

When PROCOL HARUM split in 1977 Brooker released his first solo album, No More Fear Of Flying, and also worked with his then neighbour Eric Clapton on the latter's 1981 album Another Ticket.

Brooker would also work with George Harrison (on 1968's All Things Must Pass, 1981's Somewhere In England and 1982's Gone Troppo) the ALAN PARSONS PROJECT (he notably sang Limelight on 1985's Stereotomy), Kate Bush (he played Hammond organ on her 1983 album The Red Shoes and 2005's Aerial) and also with the recently deceased Ian McDonald.

 

Brooker released two more solo albums, 1982's Lead Me To The Water and 1985's Echoes In The Night, and in 1996 appeared in the film version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Evita, alongside Madonna.

 

PROCOL HARUM reformed in 1991 and were still a going concern. They released their most recent album, Novum, in 2017, and released the Missing Persons (Alive Forever) EP last year.