Matthew Fisher
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the Canadian journalist, see Matthew Fisher (journalist).
Matthew Charles Fisher, Hammond organist, singer-songwriter, and the man responsible for the organ sound of A Whiter Shade of Pale, was born March 7, 1946 in Addiscombe, Croydon, Surrey, England.
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], while 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," undoubtedly helped that album go Gold as well.
Matthew 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, and it achieved limited success.
Fisher quit Procol Harum in 1969 after the release of their 3rd album "A Salty Dog", which he produced. He rejoined the band in 1991 for the album "The Prodigal Stranger" and released 2 more albums with them, "One More Time" and "The Well's on Fire" and 2 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, Matthew Fisher filed suit [3] 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 is claiming a £1million share of copyright and past sales and is putting his argument before a High Court judge in London.
[edit] References
1. ^ http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2006520357,00.html
[edit] See also
- Matthew Fisher's fan page - at procolharum.com
- Prairie Madness (band)
- Procol Harum
