In Memory of Keith Reid


Keith Reid 
19 October 1946 – 23 March 2023

Keith Reid wrote the most memorable opening line of a Pop Song ever.

When ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale’ starts playing there probably isn’t anyone around the world who won’t instinctively know, and sing along if not out loud, then silently….


Keith's handwriting

….. and yet no one has ever truly pinpointed what skipping the light fandango meant. The fandango being a vivacious Spanish dance involving foot stomping and castanets!

Such was Keith’s furtive imagination and the effortless transposition into words, which over time was honed to anthemic perfection with ‘You’re The Voice’, a #1 hit single from Sweden all the way down under to Australia.

Born in Welwyn Garden City, at 19 years of age Keith Stuart Brian Reid decided to follow his calling and started penning his first lyrics. Amongst his early works was something he’d titled ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale’.

Keith’s fervent passion for music, particularly American Rhythm & Blues records championed by his friend, producer and record label manager Guy Stevens, gave Keith his first published writing opportunity, penning the effusive liner note that adorned Guy’s ‘The Sue Story Volume 2’ compilation album which was released in 1966.

On a mission to have his words set to music Keith approached music publishers, only to receive less than encouraging feedback, until he met David Platz at Essex Music. Platz hit it off with Keith leading to Keith signing his first publishing contract with Essex Music on the 19th of September 1966.

It was a timely connection for both parties, as literally at that moment Decca Records launched a new imprint DERAM as their hip and happening youth record label. Having just set up New Breed Productions with producer Denny Cordell, David Platz entered into a licensing deal with DECCA Records, who enticed them with the availability of their fresh DERAM imprint to house New Breed’s new releases bolstered by Decca’s efficacious impresario / publicist Tony Hall.

In the meantime Guy Stevens had introduced Keith to another friend and Rhythm & Blues aficionado, Gary Brooker, the vocalist and pianist in the group The Paramounts, which featured guitarist Robin Trower. The Paramounts were coming to the end of their road, with Gary keen to pursue his song writing rather than chiselling away touring the Mecca Ballroom circuit with The Paramounts. With their shared musical interests, and Guy Stevens’ encouragement, Keith gave Gary an envelope of his lyrics to put to music.

Keith Reid’s words are engaging, erudite, eye-opening, effective and open to elucidation which enabled Gary to literally score the bulk of the songs that would feature in the debut album for his next music group venture, Procol Harum.

The first batch of a dozen or so lyrics that Gary worked on included ‘A Whiter Shade Of Pale’. Keith took their demo tape of ‘A Whiter Shade Of Pale’ to David Platz who there and then dictated a letter to Gary…
 

Although the song was initially pitched to established groups, the lack of instant interest in their song motivated Gary and Keith to assemble a group to record a few of their songs. On the 29th March 1967 the as yet unnamed new group assembled at Olympic Sound Studios, Barnes, with studio engineer Keith Grant to record less than a handful of songs for producer Denny Cordell and New Breed Productions.

Cream of the crop was ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale’, although clocking in at over four minutes producer Denny Cordell had reservations regarding it’s radio potential, considering flipping it to the ‘b’ side of the groups’ DERAM debut 45 single disc.

Record plugger Tony Hall and David Platz felt it was a smash hit and Hall wasted no time in handing over an acetate of the record to disc jockey Mark Roman, whose offshore Radio London radio show ‘The Roman Empire’ had a hugely influential impact with teenagers wanting to be first to hear the very latest sounds. The instant reaction from his listeners led to an overnight surge in postal mailbag correspondence demanding repeat plays of this most unusual and engaging of records.

DERAM took note, rush releasing the single on the 12th May 1967. It spent fourteen weeks in the UK Top 30 with six of those at #1, ensuring the band’s residency at the BBC’s Top Of The Pops studio over the summer of ‘67. The record’s reach was global, hitting number one across continents with unwaning insatiable demand.

Just three weeks prior to its release journalist Jeremy Pascall (RAVE magazine) met up with Gary and Keith in a local pub; but now that it had hit the charts and was played everywhere Jeremy witnessed their overnight notoriety. Even back then to label Keith Reid just a lyricist undermined his creative and business acumen. Sure he was a band member who wasn’t a musician; an artist who didn’t perform; but his ideas and input formulated much of what the band did and how it did it as Keith told Jeremy ‘They call me the ‘Creative Director’ but I am not sure what that means!’

A fair point, Keith would always travel with his group, Procol Harum, and whenever asked to specify his role he would vary his reply from ‘manager’ to ‘agent provocateur’. He astutely scrutinised the publishing world he had accessed, setting up set up the publishing company Blue Beard Music, administered by Bucks Music Group, signing writer/artists like Mickey Jupp who didn’t trouble the charts themselves but their songs di. In Mickey’s case Dr. Feelgood took hit ‘Down At The Doctor’ up into the singles chart.

Keith then established Strongman Productions and managed a number of hit acts, with success beyond the genre type casting that somewhat befell Procol Harum. Strongman Productions represented Brit-Funk pioneers Hi-Tension as well as Gonzalez who scored big in 1977 with the disco smash ‘I Haven’t Stopped Dancing Yet’; Frankie Miller who scored a Top 10 hit ‘Darlin’ in 1978; and Sutherland Brothers and Quiver with their 1975 Top 5 hit ‘Arms Of Mary’ – enjoying the additional success of their song ‘Sailing’ which Rod Stewart turned into a multi-million seller in the same year.

Over ten years Procol Harum toured the world, finding fans globally due to the worldwide impact of ‘A Whiter Shade Of Pale’, with further hit singles including ‘A Salty Dog’, taken from their classic album of the same name.

Martin Scorsese: “There was no better record than ‘A Salty Dog’”.

In his foreword to Procol Harum’s biography* Scorsese, one of America’s most favourite film makers, aptly describes Procol Harum’s music: “there was a richness and mystery about Procol Harum’s music that echoed in on you, magisterial melodies and teasing, enigmatic lyrics you could invest with your own fantasies.”

Having exclusively co-written with Procol Harum, when the band took a break at the end of the seventies, Keith continued song writing with ex-Procol Harum guitarist Robin Trower who had subsequently rocketed to fame and fortune in the United States, and by 1986 Keith had moved to New York to further his expanding song writing connections.

In 1986 Chris Thompson, the voice of Manfred Mann`s Earth Band, had a tune but couldn’t muster the right lyric. Playing it to Keith, Keith instantly came up with the line ‘You’re The Voice’, and wrote a lyric with a ‘wake up your own power, use your voice’ vibe. When an unknown Australian artist John Farnham recorded the song Keith found himself yet again co-writing a song that became the biggest-selling record in Australia of all time. Topping even ‘A Whiter Shade for Pale’.

Keith was never short of projects and artists eager to perform his songs, Annie Lennox, Willie Nelson, Sarah Brightman, Jeff Healey, Heart, Mavis Staples, Felix Cavaliere, John Waite, Chris Thompson, Alan Parsons Project, and of course Gary Brooker with Procol Harum.

Two solo albums ‘The Common Thread (2008) and ‘In My Head (20180 allowed Keith his own platform to present his works.

Keith was often labelled as a man of ‘serious’ lyricism, yet in all the decades we have had the pleasure of working with Keith the overshadowing sense of the man was his bon homme and continual playfulness with in-jokes peppering whatever subject was being discussed.
 

Keith Reid’s songs are represented by:
Onward Music
Blue Beard Music
Bucks Music Group

 

 

  


*Procol Harum’s biography ‘The Ghosts of A Whiter Shade for Pale’ is published by Omnibus Books

Main Photo: © Pinkey Reid 

 









In Memory of Keith Reid


Keith Reid 
19 October 1946 – 23 March 2023

Keith Reid wrote the most memorable opening line of a Pop Song ever.

When ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale’ starts playing there probably isn’t anyone around the world who won’t instinctively know, and sing along if not out loud, then silently….


Keith's handwriting

….. and yet no one has ever truly pinpointed what skipping the light fandango meant. The fandango being a vivacious Spanish dance involving foot stomping and castanets!

Such was Keith’s furtive imagination and the effortless transposition into words, which over time was honed to anthemic perfection with ‘You’re The Voice’, a #1 hit single from Sweden all the way down under to Australia.

Born in Welwyn Garden City, at 19 years of age Keith Stuart Brian Reid decided to follow his calling and started penning his first lyrics. Amongst his early works was something he’d titled ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale’.

Keith’s fervent passion for music, particularly American Rhythm & Blues records championed by his friend, producer and record label manager Guy Stevens, gave Keith his first published writing opportunity, penning the effusive liner note that adorned Guy’s ‘The Sue Story Volume 2’ compilation album which was released in 1966.

On a mission to have his words set to music Keith approached music publishers, only to receive less than encouraging feedback, until he met David Platz at Essex Music. Platz hit it off with Keith leading to Keith signing his first publishing contract with Essex Music on the 19th of September 1966.

It was a timely connection for both parties, as literally at that moment Decca Records launched a new imprint DERAM as their hip and happening youth record label. Having just set up New Breed Productions with producer Denny Cordell, David Platz entered into a licensing deal with DECCA Records, who enticed them with the availability of their fresh DERAM imprint to house New Breed’s new releases bolstered by Decca’s efficacious impresario / publicist Tony Hall.

In the meantime Guy Stevens had introduced Keith to another friend and Rhythm & Blues aficionado, Gary Brooker, the vocalist and pianist in the group The Paramounts, which featured guitarist Robin Trower. The Paramounts were coming to the end of their road, with Gary keen to pursue his song writing rather than chiselling away touring the Mecca Ballroom circuit with The Paramounts. With their shared musical interests, and Guy Stevens’ encouragement, Keith gave Gary an envelope of his lyrics to put to music.

Keith Reid’s words are engaging, erudite, eye-opening, effective and open to elucidation which enabled Gary to literally score the bulk of the songs that would feature in the debut album for his next music group venture, Procol Harum.

The first batch of a dozen or so lyrics that Gary worked on included ‘A Whiter Shade Of Pale’. Keith took their demo tape of ‘A Whiter Shade Of Pale’ to David Platz who there and then dictated a letter to Gary…
 

Although the song was initially pitched to established groups, the lack of instant interest in their song motivated Gary and Keith to assemble a group to record a few of their songs. On the 29th March 1967 the as yet unnamed new group assembled at Olympic Sound Studios, Barnes, with studio engineer Keith Grant to record less than a handful of songs for producer Denny Cordell and New Breed Productions.

Cream of the crop was ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale’, although clocking in at over four minutes producer Denny Cordell had reservations regarding it’s radio potential, considering flipping it to the ‘b’ side of the groups’ DERAM debut 45 single disc.

Record plugger Tony Hall and David Platz felt it was a smash hit and Hall wasted no time in handing over an acetate of the record to disc jockey Mark Roman, whose offshore Radio London radio show ‘The Roman Empire’ had a hugely influential impact with teenagers wanting to be first to hear the very latest sounds. The instant reaction from his listeners led to an overnight surge in postal mailbag correspondence demanding repeat plays of this most unusual and engaging of records.

DERAM took note, rush releasing the single on the 12th May 1967. It spent fourteen weeks in the UK Top 30 with six of those at #1, ensuring the band’s residency at the BBC’s Top Of The Pops studio over the summer of ‘67. The record’s reach was global, hitting number one across continents with unwaning insatiable demand.

Just three weeks prior to its release journalist Jeremy Pascall (RAVE magazine) met up with Gary and Keith in a local pub; but now that it had hit the charts and was played everywhere Jeremy witnessed their overnight notoriety. Even back then to label Keith Reid just a lyricist undermined his creative and business acumen. Sure he was a band member who wasn’t a musician; an artist who didn’t perform; but his ideas and input formulated much of what the band did and how it did it as Keith told Jeremy ‘They call me the ‘Creative Director’ but I am not sure what that means!’

A fair point, Keith would always travel with his group, Procol Harum, and whenever asked to specify his role he would vary his reply from ‘manager’ to ‘agent provocateur’. He astutely scrutinised the publishing world he had accessed, setting up set up the publishing company Blue Beard Music, administered by Bucks Music Group, signing writer/artists like Mickey Jupp who didn’t trouble the charts themselves but their songs di. In Mickey’s case Dr. Feelgood took hit ‘Down At The Doctor’ up into the singles chart.

Keith then established Strongman Productions and managed a number of hit acts, with success beyond the genre type casting that somewhat befell Procol Harum. Strongman Productions represented Brit-Funk pioneers Hi-Tension as well as Gonzalez who scored big in 1977 with the disco smash ‘I Haven’t Stopped Dancing Yet’; Frankie Miller who scored a Top 10 hit ‘Darlin’ in 1978; and Sutherland Brothers and Quiver with their 1975 Top 5 hit ‘Arms Of Mary’ – enjoying the additional success of their song ‘Sailing’ which Rod Stewart turned into a multi-million seller in the same year.

Over ten years Procol Harum toured the world, finding fans globally due to the worldwide impact of ‘A Whiter Shade Of Pale’, with further hit singles including ‘A Salty Dog’, taken from their classic album of the same name.

Martin Scorsese: “There was no better record than ‘A Salty Dog’”.

In his foreword to Procol Harum’s biography* Scorsese, one of America’s most favourite film makers, aptly describes Procol Harum’s music: “there was a richness and mystery about Procol Harum’s music that echoed in on you, magisterial melodies and teasing, enigmatic lyrics you could invest with your own fantasies.”

Having exclusively co-written with Procol Harum, when the band took a break at the end of the seventies, Keith continued song writing with ex-Procol Harum guitarist Robin Trower who had subsequently rocketed to fame and fortune in the United States, and by 1986 Keith had moved to New York to further his expanding song writing connections.

In 1986 Chris Thompson, the voice of Manfred Mann`s Earth Band, had a tune but couldn’t muster the right lyric. Playing it to Keith, Keith instantly came up with the line ‘You’re The Voice’, and wrote a lyric with a ‘wake up your own power, use your voice’ vibe. When an unknown Australian artist John Farnham recorded the song Keith found himself yet again co-writing a song that became the biggest-selling record in Australia of all time. Topping even ‘A Whiter Shade for Pale’.

Keith was never short of projects and artists eager to perform his songs, Annie Lennox, Willie Nelson, Sarah Brightman, Jeff Healey, Heart, Mavis Staples, Felix Cavaliere, John Waite, Chris Thompson, Alan Parsons Project, and of course Gary Brooker with Procol Harum.

Two solo albums ‘The Common Thread (2008) and ‘In My Head (20180 allowed Keith his own platform to present his works.

Keith was often labelled as a man of ‘serious’ lyricism, yet in all the decades we have had the pleasure of working with Keith the overshadowing sense of the man was his bon homme and continual playfulness with in-jokes peppering whatever subject was being discussed.
 

Keith Reid’s songs are represented by:
Onward Music
Blue Beard Music
Bucks Music Group

 

 

  


*Procol Harum’s biography ‘The Ghosts of A Whiter Shade for Pale’ is published by Omnibus Books

Main Photo: © Pinkey Reid