Biography Matthew Fisher

1 biography

1.1 career
1.2 procol harum
1.3 production
1.4 songwriting credits

biography
early career

fisher born , grew in addiscombe, croydon. attended selhurst grammar school, playing organ @ morning assemblies. started playing in bands in teens, playing bass guitar, around 1964, after hearing animals , georgie fame, decided prefer organist instead. after briefly considering career music teacher, enrolling in guildhall school of music year, dropped out, obtained 2 vox continental organs, , used them on tour gamblers, backing band billy fury. after gamblers, played various local groups before joining peter jay , jaywalkers in 1966.

while on tour jaywalkers, met ian mclagan, organist small faces, , became fascinated sound of hammond m102 organ , leslie speaker mclagan used. after borrowing money grandmother, bought same model of hammond , started advertising gigs in melody maker. discovered owning hammond made him in great demand musician, saying having hammond having licence print money , , end of year found regular work screaming lord sutch s backing group savages, playing alongside ritchie blackmore. consequently, gary brooker , keith reid keen recruit him new group, procol harum, , decided visit him @ croydon home discuss formation of band.

procol harum


fisher s use of hammond m102 organ distinctive part of procol harum sound.

fisher joined procol harum @ start of 1967 though kept touring sutch brief while. while band had experience in other groups, fisher 1 formal music training. recalls whiter shade of pale 4 verses , ten minutes long, solos improvised in between fisher , booker. when came recording song cut 2 verses , decided fisher should solos.

furthermore, felt, after seeing sheet music whiter shade of pale , deserved co-composition credit coming well-known introduction , solo passages throughout song. brooker , reid, had composed basic structure of song before recruiting fisher, refused.

while whiter shade of pale immediate success, reaching number 1 in uk charts several weeks, fisher doesn t recall time being happy 1 band. intending underground band not accustomed having hit single, , unimpressed band s gigs.

matthew fisher on days of procol harum

the arrival of guitarist robin trower , drummer b.j. wilson procol harum in mid-1967 seemed bring stability band. fisher s first official songwriting credit instrumental repent walpurgis on band s debut album, transformed trower playing blues-influenced solo on top of fisher s classically influenced organ lines. nevertheless, in response lack of co-writing credits (particularly on whiter shade of pale ), being @ odds brooker, trower , wilson (who had grown in southend on sea , played in paramounts), , still suffering death of father in 1965, fisher wanted leave procol harum. despite being talked out of it, continue attempt leave band on several occasions on next 2 , half years until departing @ end of 1969.

although no longer involved directly in recording , touring, fisher continued producer group. after trower left in 1971 solo career, briefly rejoined band, bandmate chris copping moving full-time onto bass. unhappy financial situation of band, , trower s replacement, dave ball, , left again, time acrimoniously, become full-time producer cbs.

production

in addition work procol harum, producer robin trower, james dewar , tir na nog (among others); , enjoyed solo career, being popular in greece, 1980 song why d have fall in love considered classic. solo albums include journey s end (1973), ll there (1974), matthew fisher (1980), , strange days (1981).

two of albums produced trower, bridge of sighs (1974) , earth below (1975), have been certified gold riaa, - bridge going platinum 2 times - whilst whiter shade of pale has enjoyed multi-platinum status. fisher s hammond organ playing on pianist david lanz s instrumental version of whiter shade of pale 1988 cd, cristofori s dream, helped album go gold well. year before, fisher produced (for primitive records)and performed on 12 single washed northampton band magnolia siege (singer richard jones or rik ramjet), playing honky-tonk piano on b-side end of record reprise.

fisher co-wrote , performed on soundtrack of 1968 avant-garde film, separation, released on dvd in uk in july, 2009 , in usa in march, 2010. fisher s instrumental theme separation on album journey s end film, , soundtrack included alternate arrangement of piece hammond, bass , harpsichord.

fisher co-produced album group prairie madness in 1972, on played organ , harpsichord. piano-guitar duo accompanying band, achieved limited success. has played keyboards screaming lord sutch on 1972 album, hands of jack ripper , played piano on david bowie s tour in june , july 1972, spiders mars.

fisher quit procol harum in 1969 after release of third album, salty dog, produced. rejoined band in 1991 album prodigal stranger , released 2 more albums them, 1 more time - live in utrecht 1992 , s on fire. in addition appeared on 2 concert dvds, live in copenhagen , live @ union chapel, quit band again in 2004. computer programmer in croydon, london.

songwriting credits

in 2009, house of lords found fisher joint-author , co-owner of procol harum s song whiter shade of pale virtue of contribution song in form of organ solo, despite waiting 40 years since release make claim. fisher won case on 20 december 2006 awarded 40% of composers share of music copyright, rather 50% seeking , not granted royalties prior 2005.