Was there really a cat called Procol Harum?
The Life And Times Of The Four-Legged Harums “If Procol Harum have been dogged by anything it isn’t coincidence … it’s not coincidence that hurt us … except our little cat turning out to mean ‘beyond these things’.” [Gary Brooker, preamble to Robert’s Box, Redhill 30th Anniversary Concert] The actual name of the cat giving rise to the band-name is still unknown. The usual cat reference is that the original breeder name, on the pedigree registration, was spelt ‘Procul Harum’ although Keith Reid, who registered legal ownership of the name, later claimed that it might have been spelt as ‘Procul Harun’. The identity of the owner is likewise obscure. Most frequently it has been claimed to be founding influence Guy Stevens but at other times the elusive McGreggor [roadie and / or drug dealer]. The All Music Guide biography muddies the water further by claiming that it was actually Keith Reid’s cat. This is most unlikely, as I presume he has never ever owned a cat, being hostile to feline
