Billy Joel Pays Tribute to Gary Brooker with Cover of Procol Harum’s “Whiter Shade of Pale”

Billy Joel recently honored the memory of Gary Brooker of Procol Harum during his performance on Feb. 26. Brooker, the singer and founding member of Procol Harum, died on Feb. 19 after a battle with cancer.

“A great singer and piano player just passed away,” said Joel from the stage during his concert at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Joel went on to give a stirring rendition of Procol Harum’s 1967 hit “A Whiter Shade of Pale” after singing his own 1977 hit “Only the Good Die Young.”

“Gary Brooker from Procol Harum—he was a big hero of mine,“ added Joel. “This was a song that came out during the summer of love.”

Following the death of Brooker, numerous artists paid tribute to the singer, including Ringo Starr, Yusuf Cat Stevens, and Paul Stanley.

Brooker formed Procol Harum with Keith Reid in 1966 and released their hit “A Whiter Shade of Pale,” which they wrote along with bandmate Matthew Fisher, a year later. 

“There’s an influence of classical music,” said Joel in a 2014 interview of the song he’s played live over the years. “There’s Bach in it and it’s melodic. And it’s different. [Procol Harum] were really different, the way they played.”

“A Whiter Shade of Pale” peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remains one of the few singles to sell more than 10 million physical copies. The song was also inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998 and was one of six songs inducted into the new Singles category by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018. 

Read American Songwriter’s Behind the Song: “A Whiter Shade of Pale.”

Click HERE to see Billy Joel concerts.

Photo: Sony Music