Bobby Harrison obit

Bobby Harrison Passed Away

He was not on the list. 

There are many singing drummers, and few of them even become frontmen – usually in time, after spending years behind the kit whence they supply backing vocals and an occasional leading voice – but Bobby Harrison, who peacefully died in his sleep on January 7th aged 82, seemed to be an exception to this rule. The Englishman’s first claim to fame came as member of an early PROCOL HARUM line-up, although, despite rumors, he didn’t play on “A Whiter Shade Of Pale” and had left before the band’s debut album was recorded, to become a full-time belter.

Bobby’s first ensemble became FREEDOM, a psychedelic outfit that released a few, increasingly heavy longplays and submitted a soundtrack to Tinto Brass and Dino de Laurentiis’ minor cinematic classic “Attraction” – which would emerge as "Black On White" or “Nerosubianco” – before Harrison, having contributed to former colleague Matthew Fisher‘s “Journey’s End” in 1973, quit to join Micky Moody in SNAFU. This blues group issued the rather brilliant self-titled platter and less interesting "Situation Normal" but fizzled out after one more record, leaving the warbler free to lay down 1977’s “Nobody’s Business” under his own name – a follow-up to “Funkist” which briefly saw the light of day in 1972.

After that, Bobby’s voice was heard only from the stage, as he carried on playing, while preserving his legacy in the autobiography titled “Journey to Freedom” and on CD anthology. Harrison retained an imposing live presence almost until the end. An utter gentlemen, he will be sorely missed.

Harrison was born in East Ham, London, on 22 June 1939. He was an early member of Procol Harum, but shortly after their 1967 hit single "A Whiter Shade of Pale" was released, he and guitarist Ray Royer left the group to form the band Freedom. He also worked with several other members of Procol Harum on other projects; he joined a band called SNAFU which contained Procol's future organist Pete Solley, and also on Matthew Fisher's solo album Journey's End. His 1977 self-titled project album Nobody's Business was released only in Japan.

Harrison was later in a band called Journey, where he played Christian-oriented rock around the Leigh-on-Sea area of Essex. He died on 7 January 2022, at the age of 82.