Organist wins in Whiter Shade of Pale royalties bid

ORGANIST Matthew Fisher yesterday won a share of the royalties of A Whiter Shade of Pale, 42 years after it became one of the biggest hits in pop history.

It was the subject of one of the last judgments to be handed down by the Law Lords before they move to a new Supreme Court.

Procol Harum’s song was released in 1967 and became the anthem of the Summer of Love and was recently named as the most-played tune in public places.

Nearly 40 years later it became the subject of a bitter long-running legal battle when Matthew Fisher, the former organist with the group, claimed he was entitled to a share of royalties.

He successfully claimed a share of the royalties from the tune after winning a claim in the High Court against Procol Harum’s lead singer, Gary Brooker.

Fisher, 61, now a computer programmer, went to the House of Lords in April this year to ask for a final decision after the Court of Appeal overturned the ruling that he was entitled to 40% of the future royalties.