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Lighthouse (band)
Encyclopedia
Lighthouse is a Canadian
rock
band
formed in 1968 in Toronto
which included horn
s, string instrument
s, and vibraphone
; their music reflected elements of rock music
, jazz
, classical music and swing. It won Juno Awards for Best Canadian Group of the Year
in 1972, 1973 and 1974.
, Ontario
, Canada
by drummer–vocalist Skip Prokop
, formerly with the Paupers
, and keyboardist–arranger Paul Hoffert
. The two met in New York City and discussed forming a band structured around a rock rhythm section, jazz horn section and classical string section when they coincidentally found themselves on the same flight back to Toronto. Prokop had admired Ralph Cole's playing when they shared the bill at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, so he brought him to Toronto to be the band's guitarist. Prokop and Hoffert assembled the rest of the group from friends, studio session musicians and Toronto Symphony Orchestra members and made a demo recording. On the advice of Richie Havens
, Prokop and Hoffert took the demo to MGM Records in New York who saw the potential and wrote up a contract. Two days later they had a manager, Vinnie Fusco, out of Albert Grossman's office, who overturned the MGM contract and made a deal with RCA Victor. Lighthouse made its debut on May 14, 1969 at the Rock Pile in Toronto, introduced by Duke Ellington with the words, "I'm beginning to see the Light...house". The band originally consisted of 13 members. Original band members were:
One of the first Lighthouse concerts was at Carnegie Hall
and in its first year, the band also played at Fillmore East
, Fillmore West
, Toronto, Boston and Atlantic City pop festivals, and the Monterey and Newport jazz festivals. A free concert at Toronto City Hall
in the summer of 1969 drew a reported crowd of 25,000. Their first album, Lighthouse, was released in 1969 by RCA from RCA's Toronto Eastern Sound Studio. The band appeared at the Strawberry Fields Festival
in August 1970, followed by the Isle of Wight Festival
where they were the only act other than Jimi Hendrix asked to perform a second night among groups that included The Doors, Joni Mitchell, Chicago, Miles Davis and The Who.
Their next album, Suite Feeling, was also recorded in 1969 at Toronto Eastern Sound Studio. It featured two cover songs: The Band's "Chest Fever" and The Beatles' hit "A Day In The Life". Their third and final album for RCA also turned out to be the last one for original lead singer Pinky Dauvin. The album Peacing It All Together was recorded in RCA’s Music Centre of the World Hollywood Studios. The songs "Feel So Good", "If There Ever was a Time" and "The Chant" were minor hits in Canada during the band's time with RCA.
The band moved to the record label GRT and Toronto’s Thunder Sound Studios. There were some other changes within the band as well including the loss of a few members – down to eleven musicians with seven original members still on board. The most notable change was a new lead singer in Bob McBride
. In 1971, Lighthouse released One Fine Morning and Thoughts of Movin' On. The title track from One Fine Morning was a hit in Canada, peaking at #2 on Canada's Singles Chart. The song was also an international and American hit, peaking at #24 in 1971 on the Billboard Hot 100
chart, with both albums 'going gold' in Canada. It was preceded on the Canadian charts by "Hats Off to the Stranger".
In between recording albums and touring 300 days a year, they were creating innovative projects including the first performances by a rock band with symphony orchestras, a collaboration with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet company, Ballet High, which toured across Canada and a CBC production of Prometheus Bound with actress Irene Worth.
During this period of recording from 1970 to 1971 with GRT, RCA piggybacked the success of Lighthouse and released a best-of album of the first three records recorded with RCA called One Fine Light.
Lighthouse Live! was recorded live at Carnegie Hall
in February 1972. This was the first time a Canadian album qualified for platinum status. The band came back later that year with the album Sunny Days on GRT, and garnered the band another gold album. The title song became the band's next Canadian hit single. Hoffert, tired of life on the road, left the band in 1973 but continued as the band's executive producer. Bob McBride mysteriously failed to show up at the Record Plant in New York for the recording of Can You Feel It. Prokop and Cole wanted to scrap the sessions but producer Jimmy Ienner insisted they continue. With the exception of "No More Searching", written and sung by new sax player Dale Hillary, Prokop and Cole sang all the vocals and harmonies on the album. The result was one of the band's biggest single releases, "Pretty Lady", which was a top-10 hit.
The band released Good Day in 1974. Like the previous album, the lead vocals were divided between Skip Prokop and Ralph Cole, but Prokop switched to guitar full-time and the drummer was Billy King. The album produced no hits, but did contain "Wide-Eyed Lady", a song co-written by Bob McBride. Back at Thunder Sounds Recording Studios, the band turned a few tracks on an album before Prokop left. The album was never completed. GRT released The Best of Lighthouse to capitalize on their past success. Ralph Cole took the band out for another couple of tours but in 1976 Lighthouse disbanded.
Prokop, Hoffert, Cole and McBride reunited along with many of the Lighthouse alumnae in September 1982 for a weekend of four concerts at Ontario Place
which drew 33,000 people but at the end of the weekend the musicians went their separate ways. In 1989 Denon Records bought the rights to the GRT recordings and released The Best of Lighthouse-Sunny Days Again. The re-mix of the album was produced by Hoffert, Cole, Prokop and McBride. The band reunited in 1992 with a ten-member line-up which included the founding members Prokop, Hoffert and Cole with McBride on vocals. McBride had become addicted to drugs, resulting in erratic performances, and he was dismissed several months later. He was replaced by Dan Clancy. Three years later Breaking Records released Song of the Ages. The single, "Remember the Times", was a top-thirty hit in Canada. In 1998 the original master tapes of The Best of Lighthouse-Sunny Days Again were digitally re-mastered and released by True North Records who also re-released Song of the Ages in 1999.
Paul Hoffert has continued his career as a film composer, winning a Genie Award in 1978 for his score for the cult-hit movie Outrageous; headed up the Ontario Arts Council from 1994 to 1997; created and was the Director of CulTech from 1992 to 2000, a Research Centre at York University and has written five books exploring the intersection of culture and technology. In 2004 he received the Order of Canada. Prokop and Cole formed other bands with some success before hitting their stride in the advertising world and as record producers. Saxophonist Howard Shore became the music director for Saturday Night Live
and began a career in film composition, emerging as one of Hollywood's most sought after composers. Shore won three Academy Awards for The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
. Don DiNovo bought a church in Arthur, Ontario and turned it into recording studio. Dick Armin continued his work as a creator of electronic string instruments.
Russ Little has continued as a musician and composer. He can be heard on numerous releases including his own albums, Snapshot, Footwork and On the Shoulders of Giants. He was voted Best Trombonist of 2007 by Canada's National Jazz Awards. John Naslen became a recording engineer (he engineered the 1994 Lighthouse "Song of the Ages" release). Grant Fullerton continues to perform with his own band. Louie Yacknin opted out of music altogether and bought a tire installation company. Larry Smith moved to Israel and created a software company for language translation. Bob McBride
became a top studio session singer and was heard on numerous commercials but he suffered from drug abuse and serious illness, and died February 20, 1998 of heart failure in Toronto.
Lighthouse has remained together since they reunited in 1992. The rhythm section for the ten-member group features the original founders, Prokop (drums), Hoffert (keyboards and vibraphone) and Cole (guitar) with Don Paulton, (keyboard), Doug Moore (bass) and Dan Clancy (vocals). The horn section is made up of original member, trombonist Russ Little, Simon Wallis, (saxophones and flute), Chris Howells (trumpet) and saxophonist Steve Kennedy who performed with the band at Ontario Place in 1982. Lighthouse continues to perform and create innovative works including a reunion concert with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra that was broadcast nationally, a tour of Brazil with an original multimedia stage show in collaboration with the Desrosiers Dance Theatre and a series of concerts in which sections of the band performed in different locations across Toronto linked together by broadband cable. In 1995, Lighthouse was inducted into the Q107 Canadian Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame.
Lighthouse songs have been used in films and covered by other artists including Three Dog Night, Shobha and Carlos Santana. Rap artist Akon has sampled "I'd Be So Happy" and Japanese rock stars Theatre Brook perform One Fine Morning in their stage show.
For Lighthouse's 40th anniversary, ole/Universal Records released "40 Years of Sunny Days", a retrospective of their biggest hits, featuring digitally remastered tracks, and a DVD of new performances recorded at Q Music in 5.1 Surround Sound.
They continue to perform and tour extensively across Canada.
"One Fine Morning" and "Pretty Lady" also charted on the Billboard Adult Contemporary
chart, at #30 and #38 respectively.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band
Musical ensemble
A musical ensemble is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles...
formed in 1968 in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
which included horn
Horn (instrument)
The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....
s, string instrument
String instrument
A string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...
s, and vibraphone
Vibraphone
The vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a musical instrument in the struck idiophone subfamily of the percussion family....
; their music reflected elements of rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, classical music and swing. It won Juno Awards for Best Canadian Group of the Year
Juno Award for Group of the Year
The Juno Award for best Group of the Year has been awarded since 1970, as recognition each year for the best group or band in Canada. It has also been known as Best Group .-Best Group :*1970 - The Guess Who...
in 1972, 1973 and 1974.
Band history
Lighthouse was formed in 1968 in TorontoToronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
by drummer–vocalist Skip Prokop
Skip Prokop
Ronn "Skip" Prokop is a Canadian drummer and band leader who was a driving force in Canadian rock music, creating seminal bands, including The Paupers...
, formerly with the Paupers
The Paupers
The Paupers are a Canadian psychedelic rock band that recorded two albums for Verve Forecast Records in 1967 and 1968 and appeared at the Monterey International Pop Festival.-Origins:...
, and keyboardist–arranger Paul Hoffert
Paul Hoffert
Paul Matthew Hoffert, CM is a recording artist, performer, media music composer, author, academic, and corporate executive. He studied mathematics and physics at the University of Toronto. He later studied music composition with Samuel Dolin and music theory with Gordon Delamont...
. The two met in New York City and discussed forming a band structured around a rock rhythm section, jazz horn section and classical string section when they coincidentally found themselves on the same flight back to Toronto. Prokop had admired Ralph Cole's playing when they shared the bill at the Grande Ballroom in Detroit, so he brought him to Toronto to be the band's guitarist. Prokop and Hoffert assembled the rest of the group from friends, studio session musicians and Toronto Symphony Orchestra members and made a demo recording. On the advice of Richie Havens
Richie Havens
Richard P. "Richie" Havens is an African American folk singer and guitarist. He is best known for his intense, rhythmic guitar style , soulful covers of pop and folk songs, and his opening performance at the 1969 Woodstock Festival.-Career:Born in Brooklyn, Havens was the eldest of nine children...
, Prokop and Hoffert took the demo to MGM Records in New York who saw the potential and wrote up a contract. Two days later they had a manager, Vinnie Fusco, out of Albert Grossman's office, who overturned the MGM contract and made a deal with RCA Victor. Lighthouse made its debut on May 14, 1969 at the Rock Pile in Toronto, introduced by Duke Ellington with the words, "I'm beginning to see the Light...house". The band originally consisted of 13 members. Original band members were:
- Skip ProkopSkip ProkopRonn "Skip" Prokop is a Canadian drummer and band leader who was a driving force in Canadian rock music, creating seminal bands, including The Paupers...
: drums and vocals - Paul HoffertPaul HoffertPaul Matthew Hoffert, CM is a recording artist, performer, media music composer, author, academic, and corporate executive. He studied mathematics and physics at the University of Toronto. He later studied music composition with Samuel Dolin and music theory with Gordon Delamont...
: keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
and vibraphoneVibraphoneThe vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a musical instrument in the struck idiophone subfamily of the percussion family.... - Ralph Cole: guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
and vocals - Grant Fullerton: bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
and vocals - Vic "Pinky" Dauvin: percussion and lead vocals
- Ian Guenther: violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
- Don Dinovo: violin and violaViolaThe viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
- Don WhittonDonald WhittonDonald Richard "Don" Whitton is an Canadian concert cellist, recording musician, and teacher, with a professional career in music spanning over 50 years.-Biography:...
: celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is... - Leslie Schneider: cello
- Freddy Stone: trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
and flugelhornFlugelhornThe flugelhorn is a brass instrument resembling a trumpet but with a wider, conical bore. Some consider it to be a member of the saxhorn family developed by Adolphe Sax ; however, other historians assert that it derives from the valve bugle designed by Michael Saurle , Munich 1832 , thus... - Arnie Chycoski: trumpet and flugelhorn
- Howard ShoreHoward ShoreHoward Leslie Shore is a Canadian composer, notable for his film scores. He has composed the scores for over 80 films, most notably the scores for The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, for which he won three Academy Awards. He is also a consistent collaborator with director David Cronenberg,...
: alto saxophoneAlto saxophoneThe alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions... - Russ Little: tromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
One of the first Lighthouse concerts was at Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
and in its first year, the band also played at Fillmore East
Fillmore East
The Fillmore East was rock promoter Bill Graham's rock venue on Second Avenue near East 6th Street in the East Village neighborhood of the Manhattan borough of New York City. It was open from 1968 to 1971, and featured some of the biggest acts in rock music at the time...
, Fillmore West
Fillmore West
The Fillmore West was an historic music venue in San Francisco, California made famous by concert promoter Bill Graham. Named after Graham's original "Fillmore" location at the intersection of Fillmore Street and Geary Boulevard, it stood at Market Street and South Van Ness Avenue and was formerly...
, Toronto, Boston and Atlantic City pop festivals, and the Monterey and Newport jazz festivals. A free concert at Toronto City Hall
Toronto City Hall
The City Hall of Toronto, Ontario, Canada is the home of the city's municipal government and one of its most distinctive landmarks. Designed by Finnish architect Viljo Revell and landscape architect Richard Strong, and engineered by Hannskarl Bandel, the building opened in 1965...
in the summer of 1969 drew a reported crowd of 25,000. Their first album, Lighthouse, was released in 1969 by RCA from RCA's Toronto Eastern Sound Studio. The band appeared at the Strawberry Fields Festival
Strawberry Fields Festival
The Strawberry Fields Festival was a rock music festival held at Mosport Park Raceway in Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada, about 100 kilometers east of Toronto, between August 7 and the early morning hours of August 10, 1970. Although accounts vary, the audience has been estimated at between 75,000...
in August 1970, followed by the Isle of Wight Festival
Isle of Wight Festival
The Isle of Wight Festival is a music festival which takes place every year on the Isle of Wight in England. It was originally held from 1968 to 1970. These original events were promoted and organised by the Foulk brothers under the banner of their company Fiery Creations Limited...
where they were the only act other than Jimi Hendrix asked to perform a second night among groups that included The Doors, Joni Mitchell, Chicago, Miles Davis and The Who.
Their next album, Suite Feeling, was also recorded in 1969 at Toronto Eastern Sound Studio. It featured two cover songs: The Band's "Chest Fever" and The Beatles' hit "A Day In The Life". Their third and final album for RCA also turned out to be the last one for original lead singer Pinky Dauvin. The album Peacing It All Together was recorded in RCA’s Music Centre of the World Hollywood Studios. The songs "Feel So Good", "If There Ever was a Time" and "The Chant" were minor hits in Canada during the band's time with RCA.
The band moved to the record label GRT and Toronto’s Thunder Sound Studios. There were some other changes within the band as well including the loss of a few members – down to eleven musicians with seven original members still on board. The most notable change was a new lead singer in Bob McBride
Bob McBride
Robert Bruce McBride was lead vocalist for the Canadian popular music group Lighthouse.The Toronto-born Bob McBride attended North Toronto Collegiate Institute in his youth. He joined Lighthouse in 1970, replacing original singer Pinky Dauvin...
. In 1971, Lighthouse released One Fine Morning and Thoughts of Movin' On. The title track from One Fine Morning was a hit in Canada, peaking at #2 on Canada's Singles Chart. The song was also an international and American hit, peaking at #24 in 1971 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart, with both albums 'going gold' in Canada. It was preceded on the Canadian charts by "Hats Off to the Stranger".
In between recording albums and touring 300 days a year, they were creating innovative projects including the first performances by a rock band with symphony orchestras, a collaboration with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet company, Ballet High, which toured across Canada and a CBC production of Prometheus Bound with actress Irene Worth.
During this period of recording from 1970 to 1971 with GRT, RCA piggybacked the success of Lighthouse and released a best-of album of the first three records recorded with RCA called One Fine Light.
Lighthouse Live! was recorded live at Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall
Carnegie Hall is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States, located at 881 Seventh Avenue, occupying the east stretch of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street and West 57th Street, two blocks south of Central Park....
in February 1972. This was the first time a Canadian album qualified for platinum status. The band came back later that year with the album Sunny Days on GRT, and garnered the band another gold album. The title song became the band's next Canadian hit single. Hoffert, tired of life on the road, left the band in 1973 but continued as the band's executive producer. Bob McBride mysteriously failed to show up at the Record Plant in New York for the recording of Can You Feel It. Prokop and Cole wanted to scrap the sessions but producer Jimmy Ienner insisted they continue. With the exception of "No More Searching", written and sung by new sax player Dale Hillary, Prokop and Cole sang all the vocals and harmonies on the album. The result was one of the band's biggest single releases, "Pretty Lady", which was a top-10 hit.
The band released Good Day in 1974. Like the previous album, the lead vocals were divided between Skip Prokop and Ralph Cole, but Prokop switched to guitar full-time and the drummer was Billy King. The album produced no hits, but did contain "Wide-Eyed Lady", a song co-written by Bob McBride. Back at Thunder Sounds Recording Studios, the band turned a few tracks on an album before Prokop left. The album was never completed. GRT released The Best of Lighthouse to capitalize on their past success. Ralph Cole took the band out for another couple of tours but in 1976 Lighthouse disbanded.
Prokop, Hoffert, Cole and McBride reunited along with many of the Lighthouse alumnae in September 1982 for a weekend of four concerts at Ontario Place
Ontario Place
Ontario Place is a multiple use entertainment and seasonal waterfront park attraction located in Toronto, Ontario, and owned by the Crown in Right of Ontario. It is administered as an agency of the Ontario Ministry of Tourism and Culture. Located on the shore of Lake Ontario, just south of...
which drew 33,000 people but at the end of the weekend the musicians went their separate ways. In 1989 Denon Records bought the rights to the GRT recordings and released The Best of Lighthouse-Sunny Days Again. The re-mix of the album was produced by Hoffert, Cole, Prokop and McBride. The band reunited in 1992 with a ten-member line-up which included the founding members Prokop, Hoffert and Cole with McBride on vocals. McBride had become addicted to drugs, resulting in erratic performances, and he was dismissed several months later. He was replaced by Dan Clancy. Three years later Breaking Records released Song of the Ages. The single, "Remember the Times", was a top-thirty hit in Canada. In 1998 the original master tapes of The Best of Lighthouse-Sunny Days Again were digitally re-mastered and released by True North Records who also re-released Song of the Ages in 1999.
Recent activity
After Lighthouse disbanded in the '70s, many of the players continued with their musical careers while some went in different directions.Paul Hoffert has continued his career as a film composer, winning a Genie Award in 1978 for his score for the cult-hit movie Outrageous; headed up the Ontario Arts Council from 1994 to 1997; created and was the Director of CulTech from 1992 to 2000, a Research Centre at York University and has written five books exploring the intersection of culture and technology. In 2004 he received the Order of Canada. Prokop and Cole formed other bands with some success before hitting their stride in the advertising world and as record producers. Saxophonist Howard Shore became the music director for Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
and began a career in film composition, emerging as one of Hollywood's most sought after composers. Shore won three Academy Awards for The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
The Lord of the Rings is an epic film trilogy consisting of three fantasy adventure films based on the three-volume book of the same name by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. The films are The Fellowship of the Ring , The Two Towers and The Return of the King .The films were directed by Peter...
. Don DiNovo bought a church in Arthur, Ontario and turned it into recording studio. Dick Armin continued his work as a creator of electronic string instruments.
Russ Little has continued as a musician and composer. He can be heard on numerous releases including his own albums, Snapshot, Footwork and On the Shoulders of Giants. He was voted Best Trombonist of 2007 by Canada's National Jazz Awards. John Naslen became a recording engineer (he engineered the 1994 Lighthouse "Song of the Ages" release). Grant Fullerton continues to perform with his own band. Louie Yacknin opted out of music altogether and bought a tire installation company. Larry Smith moved to Israel and created a software company for language translation. Bob McBride
Bob McBride
Robert Bruce McBride was lead vocalist for the Canadian popular music group Lighthouse.The Toronto-born Bob McBride attended North Toronto Collegiate Institute in his youth. He joined Lighthouse in 1970, replacing original singer Pinky Dauvin...
became a top studio session singer and was heard on numerous commercials but he suffered from drug abuse and serious illness, and died February 20, 1998 of heart failure in Toronto.
Lighthouse has remained together since they reunited in 1992. The rhythm section for the ten-member group features the original founders, Prokop (drums), Hoffert (keyboards and vibraphone) and Cole (guitar) with Don Paulton, (keyboard), Doug Moore (bass) and Dan Clancy (vocals). The horn section is made up of original member, trombonist Russ Little, Simon Wallis, (saxophones and flute), Chris Howells (trumpet) and saxophonist Steve Kennedy who performed with the band at Ontario Place in 1982. Lighthouse continues to perform and create innovative works including a reunion concert with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra that was broadcast nationally, a tour of Brazil with an original multimedia stage show in collaboration with the Desrosiers Dance Theatre and a series of concerts in which sections of the band performed in different locations across Toronto linked together by broadband cable. In 1995, Lighthouse was inducted into the Q107 Canadian Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame.
Lighthouse songs have been used in films and covered by other artists including Three Dog Night, Shobha and Carlos Santana. Rap artist Akon has sampled "I'd Be So Happy" and Japanese rock stars Theatre Brook perform One Fine Morning in their stage show.
For Lighthouse's 40th anniversary, ole/Universal Records released "40 Years of Sunny Days", a retrospective of their biggest hits, featuring digitally remastered tracks, and a DVD of new performances recorded at Q Music in 5.1 Surround Sound.
They continue to perform and tour extensively across Canada.
Horns
- Paul Adamson
- Sam Alongi
- Joe Ambrosia
- John Capon
- Bruce Cassidy
- Arnie Chycoski
- Don Englert
- Doug Gibson
- Dale Hillary
- Chris Howells
- Keith Jollimore
- Steve Kennedy
- Russ Little
- Mike Lucas
- Mike Malone
- John Naslen
- Pete Pantaluk
- Howard ShoreHoward ShoreHoward Leslie Shore is a Canadian composer, notable for his film scores. He has composed the scores for over 80 films, most notably the scores for The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, for which he won three Academy Awards. He is also a consistent collaborator with director David Cronenberg,...
- Larry SmithLarry SmithLarry W. Smith, CQ is an athlete, businessperson and member of the Canadian Senate.-Education:He graduated from Bishop's University with a degree in economics before going on to be a professional player in the Canadian Football League...
- Rick Stepton
- Freddy Stone
- Dave Tanner
- Simon Wallis
- Rick Waychesko
- Thomas Brown
Strings
- Donald WhittonDonald WhittonDonald Richard "Don" Whitton is an Canadian concert cellist, recording musician, and teacher, with a professional career in music spanning over 50 years.-Biography:...
- Dick Armin
- Paul Armin
- Don Dinovo
- Ian Guenther
- Myron Moskalyk
- John Ogilvie
- Leslie Schneider
- Howie Wiseman
Lead vocals
- Dan Clancy
- Pinky Dauvin
- Billy Ledster
- Bob McBrideBob McBrideRobert Bruce McBride was lead vocalist for the Canadian popular music group Lighthouse.The Toronto-born Bob McBride attended North Toronto Collegiate Institute in his youth. He joined Lighthouse in 1970, replacing original singer Pinky Dauvin...
- Ralph Cole
- Skip Prokop
- Al Staniforth
- Doug Billard
Keyboards
- Paul HoffertPaul HoffertPaul Matthew Hoffert, CM is a recording artist, performer, media music composer, author, academic, and corporate executive. He studied mathematics and physics at the University of Toronto. He later studied music composition with Samuel Dolin and music theory with Gordon Delamont...
- Fred Mandel
- Don Paulton
- Donald Quan
- Sam See
- Larry Smith
- Rod Phillips
Studio/Live Albums
| Year | Album | US |
|---|---|---|
| 1969 | Lighthouse | - |
| 1969 | Suite Feeling | - |
| 1970 | Peacing It All Together | 133 |
| 1971 | One Fine Morning | 80 |
| 1971 | Thoughts of Moving On | 157 |
| 1971 | One Fine Light | - |
| 1972 | Lighthouse Live! | 178 |
| 1972 | Sunny Days | 190 |
| 1973 | Can You Feel It | - |
| 1974 | Good Day | - |
Charted Singles
| Year | Song | US Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | One Fine Morning | 24 |
| 1971 | Take It Slow (Out In The Country) | 64 |
| 1972 | I Just Wanna Be Your Friend | 93 |
| 1972 | Sunny Days | 34 |
| 1973 | You Girl | 114 |
| 1973 | Pretty Lady | 53 |
"One Fine Morning" and "Pretty Lady" also charted on the Billboard Adult Contemporary
Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...
chart, at #30 and #38 respectively.