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Victory for Procul Harem organist in royalties battle
• Organist wins right to share of White Shade of Pale royalties
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By
The Minx
Tuesday,
21 November, 2006
The legal battle over authorship of the organ melody in Procul Harum's 1967 hit 'A Whiter Shade of Pale' has ended in court with founder member of the group Matthew Fisher being awarded 40% of the song's copyright.
The presiding judge rejected singer Gary Brooker's claims that he wrote the entire song with lyricist Keith Reid. However, Fisher, who played the organ on the original recording was not awarded royalties dating back 40 years.
In his summary the judge stated: "I find that the organ solo is a distinctive and significant contribution to the overall composition and, quite obviously, the product of skill and labour on the part of the person who created it."
Brooker, who still tours with Procul Harum, now faces legal bills estimated to be at least £500,000. Matthew Fisher left the band in June 2004 and is currently working as a computer programmer in Surrey.
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