A STAR-studded line-up is coming to nearby Guildford this December for a one-night-only charity concert.
The bill includes Roger Taylor, Eric Clapton, Mike Rutherford, Paul Carrack, John Illsley, Andy Fairweather-Low And Mike Sanchez.
There will also be a house band, comprised of some of the best session musicians going: Dave Bronze on bass, on drums there will be Henry Spinetti, Graham Broad, and Paul Beavis, Frank Mead on sax/harmonica, Nick Pentelow – on sax, vocals will coem from Nikki Lamborn, Catherine Feeney, and Olivia Keast, while from Procol Harum there will be drummer Geoff Dunn, guitarist Geoff Whitehorn, keyboard wizard Josh Phillips.
It will be held in honour of Procol Harum bandmates Gary Brooker, and will raise funds for his favourite charities: The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity and Cure Parkinsons.
It will be held at G Live in Guildford on Monday, December 4.
Andy Locke, Venue Director at G Live said: “We are honoured to host this very special tribute to Gary Brooker MBE at G Live. Through his charity work, Gary was such a respected member of the Guildford community, and his invaluable contribution to the music industry is demonstrated by the calibre of artists who are joining us at G Live in celebration of his life.”
Gary’s musical career has been nothing but stellar: from his first single with Procol Harum, 1967’s A Whiter Shade of Pale, Brooker and the band went on to release 13 albums that never veered from their unique and restlessly progressive path.
Gary’s voice and piano skills were the single defining constant of Procol’s 50-year international concert career. While his roots were in the blues, his style was often thought of as classical, and he had a love for all kinds of musical styles and often incorporated surprising elements into the songs he composed – a Swiss locomotive siren was used as the opening hook for one of his most beloved tracks, 1969’s A Salty Dog.
Brooker’s work will be remembered outside of Procol Harum too as he has collaborated with some of the best in the business.
He played, wrote and sang for Eric Clapton’s band and with Bill Wyman’s Rhythm Kings, toured with Ringo’s All-Starr’s, and contributed to solo projects for Paul McCartney and George Harrison.
He can also be heard singing in the movie Evita.
He was awarded an MBE for his charity work, including his final fundraiser – right before the first 2020 lockdown – at London’s O2 Arena raised over £1 million for the Royal Marsden Cancer Charity.
Gary died on February 19, last year.
Tickets for this unique show are £100 plus a booking fee. For more details, or to book, log on to: glive.co.uk or call: 0343 310 0055.