Photo: KRLA Beat/Beat Publications, Inc. / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Matthew Fisher will always be tied to one of the most recognizable sounds in pop history: that Hammond organ line on Procol Harum's "A Whiter Shade of Pale" in 1967. What I find remarkable is that he eventually won a songwriting credit for it, decades later, which is a rare and hard-fought outcome in the music business and tells you he believed in his contribution. Then there's the twist that grabs me most: he later qualified at Cambridge and became a computer programmer. I love a creative mind that quietly reinvents itself into something so different. That second act makes him far more interesting than a one-song footnote.
Overview
Matthew Charles Fisher (born 7 March 1946) is an English musician, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for his longtime association with the rock band Procol Harum, which included playing the Hammond organ on the 1967 single "A Whiter Shade of Pale", for which he subsequently won a songwriting credit. In his later life, he became a computer programmer, having qualified from Cambridge University.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Matthew Fisher
- Name (Japanese)
- マシュー・フィッシャー
- Reading
- ましゅー・ふぃっしゃー
- Born
- March 7, 1946 (age 80)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Pisces / Dog
- Origin
- Addiscombe, United Kingdom
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- organist / composer / pianist / songwriter / artist
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- Wolfson College
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Composer — see all → · More people from United Kingdom →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.