The ownership of classic ‘60s hit “A Whiter Shade Of Pale” will be decided in a court case starting today.
Former Procol Harum keyboard player Matthew Fisher will claim that he co-wrote the seminal track and should be credited for his share of the copyright.
Matthew Fisher versus the group’s lead singer Gary Brooker begins today at the High Court in London and is expected to last up to ten days.
The legal bid for copyright was launched by Fisher in May last year, but ex-bandmates Brooker and Keith Reid dispute his claim.
On the messageboard on the groups’ official website, Brooker declares that “‘A Whiter Shade Of Pal’e was written by Keith Reid and me before Matthew even joined the band.”
He goes on to say, “I am shocked and dismayed that after Matthew had worked with us quite happily over the course of 40 years without him once alleging that his role on ‘A Whiter Shade Of Pale’ was anything other than as a musician. It is only now that he claims he recalls writing part of the song.”
For regular updates on this week’s High Court proceedings – Click here