Procol Harum: Whiter Shade of Pale lyricist Keith Reid dies

Keith Reid, the lyricist who co-wrote Procol Harum's timeless classic A Whiter Shade Of Pale, has died at the age of 76.

Born in Hertfordshire, Reid never performed with Procol Harum but was vital to the band's success, writing all their lyrics until 2017.

Among his other hits was John Farnham's soft rock anthem You're The Voice, which became a worldwide smash in 1986.

"His lyrics were one of a kind and helped to shape the music created by the band," they said in a statement.

"His imaginative, surreal and multi-layered words were a joy to Procol fans and their complexity by design was a powerful addition [to] the Procol Harum catalogue.

"Our thoughts go out to his family and friends."

"His family would like to thank numerous well-wishers for their very kind messages," it added, saying a private funeral would be held soon.

The head of Island Records, Chris Blackwell, initially introduced Reid to producer Guy Stevens, who suggested he write music with Gary Brooker, then keyboardist of a band called The Paramounts.

One of the first songs they wrote together was A Whiter Shade of Pale - apparently inspired by Stevens making a remark about his wife's pallid demeanour.

It was an unusual song, from its surreal lyrics ("We tripped the light fandango") to the haunting organ line and the melancholy arrangement loosely based on Bach's Air on the G String.

Island Records turned it down - Blackwell recalled in his autobiography that the initial demo was "dirgelike" - but it went on to become one of the most successful singles of all time, selling more than 10 million copies worldwide.

At the first ever Brit Awards in 1977, it was named the joint winner (alongside Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody) of the "best British pop single 1952-1977". In 2009, it was named the most-played song of the last 75 years by UK radio stations.

For decades, fans have scrutinised the lyrics to find deeper meaning - but Reid said they may never find the answer they're looking for.

"It's kind of something which is impressionistic, so people never really get to the bottom of it," he told Huffington Post in 2009. "So it has some kind of mystery to it, like a painting, you can always find new levels of meaning."

Because he didn't play any instruments, Reid was never considered an official member of Procul Harum, but he continued to employ his unique turns of phrase on tracks like A Salty Dog, Homburg and Conquistador.

Reid's songs were also recorded by Annie Lennox, Willie Nelson and Heart, among others; while his contribution to You're The Voice was crucial to the song's success.

That track was originally written by Chris Thompson, the lead singer of Manfred Mann's Earth Band, alongside Andy Qunta and Maggie Ryder, two writers from his publishing company.

Inspired by the anti-nuclear protests of the 1980s, Thompson wanted to create an anthem about people's power to effect positive change - but when he struggled with the lyrics, he called Reid for help.

"Chris called me and said, 'I've got something and I don't know what to do with it lyrically'," Reid told the Songfacts website.

"'It feels as though it should be slightly political, but I don't know. Have a listen.' And we sat down, he played me the tune, and I got the title idea, You're The Voice.

"It's an anti-war song in a way, but it was more of a 'make your voice heard' kind of thing. Wake up to your own power."

A number one hit in several countries, the track has been dubbed the "unofficial anthem of Australia" - despite the fact that all four composers were British.

Writing on Facebook, Qunta said working with Reid had been "a dream come true".

"Keith was a lovely guy and a massive talent who will be very much missed," he said. "Condolences to [wife] Pinkey and the family."

Jon Tiven, with whom Reid wrote the Jeff Healy Band's River of No Return, also paid tribute.

"When it came to writing words for songs, he was one-of-a-kind brilliance. When it came to being a friend, I couldn't ask for a better one. When it came to collaborating, he brought me a lyric that turned into one of my biggest (if not my biggest) songs."

Quoting the title of Procul Harum's second album, he added: "Shine On Brightly, genius."