Procol Harum

Procol Harum was a Siamese cat that belonged to a friend of their manager. Or rather, Procul Harun (Latin for “beyond these things”) was the cat’s name, but according to singer Gary Brooker, they spelt it wrong when they took it down over the phone. Fellow band member Keith Reid later said he thought it was “a silly name”. A bit more interesting, though, than The Paramounts, their previous incarnation. (A friend of The Paramounts suggested Liquorice John Death as an alternative and Procol Harum later released an album under this name.) Everyone in the world has heard A Whiter Shade of Pale, an international phenomenon in 1967, but Procol Harum were no one-hit wonders, making a string of excellent albums.

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