I guess the duty falls to me to spread a bit of love for the late
Barrie (B.J.) Wilson, the seriously inventive, unpredictable, and criminally underrated drummer for the great British band, Procol Harum (B.J. was, in fact, Jimmy Page's first choice for drummer when Led Zeppelin was being formed) .
Procol Harum of course
is still touring and making new music that's as good as anything from their classic period...and members have come and gone while still maintaining their authentic classic sound (though the lineup has been mostly stable for the last 15 or 20 years) but until
very recently, it's always been the
drum seat that's been hard to fill adequately since BJ's passing in 1990 . BJ was not a conventional rock drummer, and brought a definite
richness to their sound.
I find it very interesting that so many fans and other musically savvy folks considered BJ to be the heart and soul of this band's sound. Having seen the band live quite a few times "back in the day", I do have to agree. These days when the band performs the classic "A SALTY DOG", leader Gary Brooker still dedicates it to BJ.
more on B.J. here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ef2AQxfu5cM&feature=related (a clip from French TV, 1971) http://www.procolharum.com/procolbj.htm