Lighthouse is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band Band or BAND may refer to: Places *Bánd, a village in Hungary *Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran * Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania *Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, I ...

formed in 1968 in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Ontario, whose repertoire included elements of

rock music Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as " rock and roll" in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the United States an ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...

, and swing and featured

horn Horn most often refers to: *Horn (acoustic), a conical or bell shaped aperture used to guide sound ** Horn (instrument), collective name for tube-shaped wind musical instruments *Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various ...

string instrument String instruments, stringed instruments, or chordophones are musical instruments that produce sound from vibrating strings when a performer plays or sounds the strings in some manner. Musicians play some string instruments by plucking the ...

s, and

vibraphone The vibraphone is a percussion instrument in the metallophone family. It consists of tuned metal bars and is typically played by using mallets to strike the bars. A person who plays the vibraphone is called a ''vibraphonist,'' ''vibraharpist,' ...

. They won

Juno Awards The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall of ...

for Best Canadian Group of the Year in 1972, 1973, and 1974.

Band history

Formation

Lighthouse was formed in 1968 in

by vocalist/drummer

Skip Prokop Ronald Harry "Skip" Prokop (December 13, 1943 – August 30, 2017) was a Canadian drummer, guitarist and keyboardist. He was also a band leader, was a founding member of the Canadian rock music groups the Paupers and Lighthouse. Early life Proko ...

, previously of

the Paupers The Paupers were a Canadian psychedelic rock band from Toronto, Ontario, who recorded between 1965 and 1968. They released two albums for Verve Forecast Records and appeared at the Monterey International Pop Festival. History Origins The g ...

, and keyboardist

Paul Hoffert Paul Matthew Hoffert, LLD, CM (born 22 September 1943 in Brooklyn, New York) is a recording artist, performer, media music composer, author, academic, and corporate executive. He studied mathematics and physics at the University of Toronto. ...

. The two met on a flight from

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

to Toronto, and discussed forming a band structured around a rock rhythm section, jazz horn section, and classical string section. Prokop had admired Ralph Cole's playing when they shared the bill at the

Grande Ballroom The Grande Ballroom ( ') is a historic live music venue located at 8952 Grand River Avenue in the Petosky-Otsego neighborhood of Detroit, Michigan. The building was designed by Detroit engineer and architect Charles N. Agree in 1928 and origina ...

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

, so he invited 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 The Toronto Symphony Orchestra (TSO) is a Canadian orchestra based in Toronto, Ontario. Founded in 1906, the TSO gave regular concerts at Massey Hall until 1982, and since then has performed at Roy Thomson Hall. The TSO also manages the Toronto ...

members, and proceeded to make a demo recording. Prokop and Hoffert took the demo to MGM Records in New York, who signed the band. Two days later they had a manager, Vinnie Fusco, from

Albert Grossman Albert Bernard Grossman (May 21, 1926 – January 25, 1986) was an American entrepreneur and manager in the American folk music and rock and roll scene. He was famous as the manager of many of the most popular and successful performers of folk an ...

's office, who overturned the MGM contract and made a deal with

RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also Aris ...

. Lighthouse made its performing debut on May 14, 1969, at The Rock Pile in Toronto, introduced by

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based ...

with the words, "I'm beginning to see the Light...house". The band originally consisted of 13 members: *

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

and

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

and

*Ralph Cole:

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

and vocals *Grant Fullerton: bass and vocals *Vic "Pinky" Dauvin:

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

and lead vocals *Ian Guenther:

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

*Don Dinovo: violin and

viola The viola ( , also , ) is a string instrument that is bow (music), bowed, plucked, or played with varying techniques. Slightly larger than a violin, it has a lower and deeper sound. Since the 18th century, it has been the middle or alto voice of ...

* Don Whitton:

cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a Bow (music), bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), t ...

*Leslie Schneider: cello *Freddy Stone:

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitched one octave below the standard ...

and

flugelhorn The flugelhorn (), also spelled fluegelhorn, flugel horn, or flügelhorn, is a brass instrument that resembles the trumpet and cornet but has a wider, more conical bore. Like trumpets and cornets, most flugelhorns are pitched in B, though some ...

*Arnie Chycoski: trumpet and flugelhorn * Howard Shore:

alto saxophone The alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments. Saxophones were invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in the 1840s and patented in 1846. The alto saxophone is pitched in E, smaller than the B tenor ...

*Russ Little:

trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the Standing wave, air column ...

One of the first Lighthouse concerts was at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan in New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between West 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhatta ...

, and in its first year the band also played at

Fillmore East The Fillmore East was rock promoter Bill Graham's rock venue on Second Avenue near East 6th Street in the (at the time) Lower East Side neighborhood, now called the East Village neighborhood of the borough of Manhattan of New York City. I ...

Fillmore West The Fillmore West was a historic rock and roll music venue in San Francisco, California, US which became famous under the direction of concert promoter Bill Graham from 1968 to 1971. Named after The Fillmore at the intersection of Fillmore Str ...

, Toronto, Boston, the

Atlantic City Pop Festival The Atlantic City Pop Festival took place in 1969 on August 1, 2 and 3rd at the Atlantic City race track, two weeks before Woodstock Festival. It actually took place in Hamilton Township at the Atlantic City Race Course. There was heavy security ...

, and the Monterey and Newport Jazz Festivals. A free concert at

Toronto City Hall The Toronto City Hall, or New City Hall, is the seat of the municipal government of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and one of the city's most distinctive landmarks. Designed by Viljo Revell and engineered by Hannskarl Bandel, the building opened i ...

in the summer of 1969 drew a reported crowd of 25,000.

First albums

Their first album, ''Lighthouse'', was released in June 1969 by

RCA The RCA Corporation was a major American electronics company, which was founded as the Radio Corporation of America in 1919. It was initially a patent trust owned by General Electric (GE), Westinghouse, AT&T Corporation and United Fruit Comp ...

recorded in RCA's Toronto Eastern Sound Studio. It features "If There Ever Was a Time", which was a minor hit on CHUM 1050. Their next album, ''Suite Feeling'', was released in November 1969, recorded at Toronto Eastern Sound Studio. It features two cover songs: The Band's "

Chest Fever "Chest Fever" is a song recorded by the Band on its 1968 debut, ''Music from Big Pink''. It is, according to Peter Viney, a historian of the group, the album track that has appeared on the most subsequent live albums and compilations, second only ...

" and

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

' " A Day In The Life". The single "Feel So Good" was a hit, peaking at #5 on the

Canadian Content Canadian content (abbreviated CanCon, cancon or can-con; ) refers to the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) requirements, derived from the Broadcasting Act of Canada, that radio and television broadcasters (inclu ...

chart and #55 on the Canadian Top 100. Lighthouse was invited to perform at

Woodstock Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held during August 15–18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, United States, southwest of the town of Woodstock. Billed as "an Aq ...

that year, but turned it down. Their third and final album for RCA was also the last for original lead singer Pinky Dauvin. ''Peacing It All Together'' was recorded in RCA's Music Centre of the World Hollywood Studios. It includes the

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or " con ...

hit, "The Chant". In the summer of 1970, Lighthouse represented Canada and

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

Expo '70 The or Expo 70 was a world's fair held in Suita, Osaka Prefecture, Japan between March 15 and September 13, 1970. Its theme was "Progress and Harmony for Mankind." In Japanese, Expo '70 is often referred to as . It was the first world's fair ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. The band appeared at the

Strawberry Fields Festival The Strawberry Fields Festival was a rock music festival held at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (formerly Mosport Park) in Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada, about 100 kilometers east of Toronto, between August 7 and the early morning hours of August 10 ...

in August 1970, followed by the

Isle of Wight Festival The Isle of Wight Festival is a British music festival which takes place annually in Newport on the Isle of Wight, England. It was originally a counterculture event held from 1968 to 1970. The 1970 event was by far the largest of these early ...

where they performed two nights, along with

The Doors The Doors were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most controversial and influential ro ...

Joni Mitchell Roberta Joan "Joni" Mitchell ( Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian-American musician, producer, and painter. Among the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitchell became known for her sta ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...

, and

The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...

New record label

At the end of 1970, due to less than expected sales, Lighthouse was dropped from RCA and moved to

Evolution Evolution is change in the heritable characteristics of biological populations over successive generations. These characteristics are the expressions of genes, which are passed on from parent to offspring during reproduction. Variation ...

in the US and GRT in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, recording at Toronto's Thunder Sound Studios. There were some lineup changes; the band dropped from thirteen musicians to eleven, including five original members (Prokop, Hoffert, Cole, Dinovo, and Shore), and

Bob McBride Bob, BOB, or B.O.B. may refer to: Places *Mount Bob, New York, United States * Bob Island, Palmer Archipelago, Antarctica People, fictional characters, and named animals *Bob (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Bob (surnam ...

became the band's new lead singer.

''One Fine Morning'' and commercial success

In July 1971, Lighthouse released ''One Fine Morning'' on Evolution/GRT. The

title track A title track is a song that has the same name as the album or film in which it appears. In the Korean music industry, the term is used to describe a promoted song on an album, akin to a single, regardless of the song's title. Title track may a ...

from ''One Fine Morning'' was a hit in Canada, peaking at #2 on Canada's Singles Chart, eventually going

platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Platinu ...

. The song was also an international and American hit, peaking at #24 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, going

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

, and the 'bubbling under' chart in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. It was preceded on the Canadian charts by "Hats Off to the Stranger" (#9), yet another

single. That year the band performed at the anniversary celebration concert in the city of

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

. In between recording albums and touring 300 days a year, the band was involved in 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 Irene Worth, CBE (June 23, 1916March 10, 2002) was an American stage and screen actress who became one of the leading stars of the British and American theatre. She pronounced her given name with three syllables: "I-REE-nee". Worth made her Br ...

''Thoughts of Movin' On''

''Thoughts of Movin' On'' was released on December 8, 1971. The lead single "Take It Slow (Out In The Country)" went to #12 on the Canadian Top 100, going

. The album also features the hits "I Just Wanna Be Your Friend" (#54) and "I'd Be So Happy" (#32), the latter of which was covered by

Three Dog Night Three Dog Night is an American rock band formed in 1967, with founding members consisting of vocalists Danny Hutton, Cory Wells, and Chuck Negron. This lineup was soon augmented by Jimmy Greenspoon (keyboards), Joe Schermie (bass), Michael Allsup ...

on their 1974 album '' Hard Labor''. Both ''Thoughts of Movin' On'' and ''One Fine Morning'' eventually went

in Canada.

''Lighthouse Live!'' and ''Sunny Days''

''Lighthouse Live!'' was recorded live at

in February 1972 and released on Evolution/GRT. This was the first time a

album went

. The band returned to the studio later that year releasing another

album, ''Sunny Days'', on Evolution/GRT. The title track became the band's second Top 5 Canadian hit single and second to go

. It was also a Top 40 hit on the

Billboard Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

, peaking at #34 on December 9, 1972. Hoffert, tired of life on the road, left the band shortly after but continued as the band's

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights o ...

. During this period of recording from 1970 to 1972 with Evolution/GRT, RCA Records released a

double album A double album (or double record) is an audio album that spans two units of the primary medium in which it is sold, typically either records or compact disc. A double album is usually, though not always, released as such because the recording i ...

best-of A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...

in 1972 consisting of selections from the first three albums recorded with RCA entitled ''One Fine Light''.

''Can You Feel It''

Bob McBride failed to appear at

The Record Plant The Record Plant is a recording studio established in New York City in 1968 and currently operating in Los Angeles, California. Known for innovations in the recording artists' workspace, it has produced highly influential albums, including Blon ...

for the recording of their next album, ''Can You Feel It'', and was fired. Prokop and Cole wanted to scrap the sessions but producer

Jimmy Ienner Jimmy Ienner ( ; born ) is an American music producer, best known for producing albums for such artists as Bay City Rollers, The Raspberries and Three Dog Night. Biography He went to Stamford (Connecticut) High School and graduated in 1963. He ...

insisted they continue. He decided that whoever wrote the song would sing it. Evolution sold the band's recording contract to

Polydor Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...

in the US, which reportedly cost the label "six figures". 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 Canadian hit, and was their final Hot 100 hit in the US, reaching #53. It did better in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

however, where it reached #1 for six consecutive weeks. Both the album and the single went gold in Canada.

''Good Day'' and dissolution

''Good Day'', also on Polydor, was released in mid-September 1974. As with the previous album, the lead vocals were divided between Skip Prokop and Ralph Cole, but Prokop switched to

full-time and the

drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one mem ...

was Billy King. The album went

and produced a minor hit with the title track. It also contains "Wide-Eyed Lady", a song co-written by Bob McBride. At Thunder Sounds Recording Studios, the band began work on the next album, and had recorded several tracks when Prokop called it quits and left the band. The album was never completed.

Janus In ancient Roman religion and myth, Janus ( ; la, Ianvs ) is the god of beginnings, gates, transitions, time, duality, doorways, passages, frames, and endings. He is usually depicted as having two faces. The month of January is named for Janu ...

/GRT released ''Best of Lighthouse'' in January 1975 to capitalize on their past success. The album went

in Canada. Paul Hoffert recruited new members and Ralph Cole took the band out for another couple of tours with Doug Billard (formerly a member of Pepper Tree, Central Nervous System, and Five Sounds) as lead vocalist but in 1976 Lighthouse disbanded. Cole toured as Lighthouse once again from 1978-1980 with a nearly completely new lineup consisting of only one other previous Lighthouse member, Dale Hillary.

Reunion

Prokop, Hoffert, Cole, and McBride reunited along with many of the Lighthouse alumni in September 1982 for a weekend of four large concerts at

Ontario Place Ontario Place is an entertainment venue, event venue, and park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The venue is located on three artificial landscaped islands just off-shore in Lake Ontario, south of Exhibition Place, and southwest of Downtown Toronto. ...

. Afterwards the members went their separate ways and made no future plans. In 1989, Denon Records bought the rights to the Evolution/GRT recordings and released a greatest hits collection in Canada, ''The Best of Lighthouse - Sunny Days Again''. The re-mix of the album was produced by Hoffert, Cole, Prokop, and McBride. In 1992, the band reunited with a ten-member line-up which included founders Prokop, Hoffert, and Cole with McBride on vocals. McBride was dismissed several months later. He was replaced by Dan Clancy. Three years later ''Song of the Ages'', the band's first new studio album in 22 years, was released by Breaking Records. The single, "Remember the Times", was a top-thirty hit in Canada. In 1998 the original

master tapes Mastering, a form of audio post production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device (the master), the source from which all copies will be produced (via me ...

of ''The Best of Lighthouse - Sunny Days Again'' were digitally re-mastered and released on CD by

True North Records True North Records is a Canadian independent record label. History True North Records was founded in Mississauga, Ontario in 1969 by Bernie Finkelstein. By 1971, True North was producing albums for various Canadian musicians, including Bruce ...

who also re-released ''Song of the Ages'' in 1999.

After disbandment

After Lighthouse disbanded in the 1970s, many of the members 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! ''Outrageous!'' is a 1977 Canadian comedy drama film written and directed by Richard Benner. The film stars Craig Russell as female impersonator Robin Turner, and Hollis McLaren as Turner's schizophrenic roommate Liza Conners. The plot begins i ...

''; 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'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...

'' 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 a 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.

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. Arnie Chycoski, Don DiNovo, Keith Jollimore, Alan Wilmot, Dale Hillary, Freddy Stone, Pinky Dauvin, Joe Ambrosia and Skip Prokop are all deceased. Lighthouse has remained together since they reunited in 1992. Since that time they have recorded one new studio album, ''Song of the Ages'', released in 1996. 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 The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra (ESO) is a Canadian orchestra based in Edmonton, Alberta. As the professional orchestra of Alberta's creative capital city it presents over 85 concerts a year of symphonic music in all genres, from classical to cou ...

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

, Shobha, and

Carlos Santana Carlos Humberto Santana Barragán (; born July 20, 1947) is an American guitarist who rose to fame in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band Santana, which pioneered a fusion of Rock and roll and Latin American jazz. Its sound featured ...

. Rap artist

Akon Aliaune Damala Badara Akon Thiam (; born April 16, 1973), known mononymously as Akon, is a Senegalese-American singer, record producer, and entrepreneur. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of " Locked Up" (featuring Styles P) ...

has sampled "I'd Be So Happy" and Japanese rock stars

Theatre Brook Theatre Brook (シアター・ブルック ''Shiatā Burukku'') is a Japanese funk rock band that made its debut in 1986. The band's current line-up are: Taiji Sato (vocals & electric guitar), Takashi Nakajo (bass), Takashi Numazawa (drums), an ...

perform "One Fine Morning" in their stage show.

Recent activity

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 The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

of new performances recorded at Q Music in 5.1

Surround Sound Surround sound is a technique for enriching the fidelity and depth of sound reproduction by using multiple audio channels from speakers that surround the listener ( surround channels). Its first application was in movie theaters. Prior to sur ...

. On July 19, 2013, it was announced that the band would be appearing on the second annual Moody Blues Cruise in April, 2014 on the

cruise ship Cruise ships are large passenger ships used mainly for vacationing. Unlike ocean liners, which are used for transport, cruise ships typically embark on round-trip voyages to various ports-of-call, where passengers may go on tours known as "s ...

MSC Divina. In April 2013, Skip Prokop suffered from

ventricular tachycardia Ventricular tachycardia (V-tach or VT) is a fast heart rate arising from the lower chambers of the heart. Although a few seconds of VT may not result in permanent problems, longer periods are dangerous; and multiple episodes over a short period ...

. A device was implanted to regulate his

heart The heart is a muscular organ in most animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels of the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the body, while carrying metabolic waste such as carbon dioxide t ...

. Prokop toured with Lighthouse throughout 2013 but was diagnosed with

Type 2 Diabetes Type 2 diabetes, formerly known as adult-onset diabetes, is a form of diabetes mellitus that is characterized by high blood sugar, insulin resistance, and relative lack of insulin. Common symptoms include increased thirst, frequent urinatio ...

, then suffered more heart trouble requiring bypass surgery. He officially retired from music in 2016 and died at the age of 73 on August 30, 2017 from heart complications. He was replaced by his son, Jamie Prokop. The band's most recent compilation album, ''Icon'', was released on August 10, 2018. They continue to perform and tour extensively across Canada.

Band members

Horns

*Roger Neff *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 Shore *Larry E. Smith *Rick Stepton *Freddy Stone *Dave Tanner *Simon Wallis *Rick Waychesko *Thomas Brown

Strings

* Donald Whitton *Dick Armin *Paul Armin *Don Dinovo *Ian Guenther *Myron Moskalyk *Taras Chornywal *John Ogilvie *Leslie Schneider *Howie Wiseman

Drums and percussion

*John Dell *Billy King *

*Tom Wills *Ronny Schreff *Jamie Prokop * Michael Cervini *Gary Starling

Lead vocals

*Dan Clancy *Pinky Dauvin *Billy Ledster *

*Ralph Cole *

*Al Staniforth *Doug Billard

Bass

*Grant Fullerton *Doug Moore *Dennis Pendrith *

Terry Wilkins Terry Wilkins is an Australian-born Canadian musician, composer and producer. Career A native of Sydney, Australia, Terry's early performances saw him playing guitar in a folk group at University in 1965 (following his graduation from Parramat ...

*Al Wilmot *Robert St. Clair Wilson *Gord Russell *Louie Yacknin *David A Wilson

Keyboards

*Fred Mandel *Don Paulton *

Donald Quan Donald Quan (born 1962) is a Canadian composer of film and world music, best known for writing the scores to television shows '' Relic Hunter'' and '' Mutant X''. Career Born in Toronto, Ontario, and schooled at the Berklee College of Music in ...

*Sam See *Larry E. Smith *Phil DeMille *Rod Phillips *Lyndsey Parton

Guitar

*Ralph Cole *Trevor Veitch *Fred Mandel *Skip Prokop (on ''Good Day'')

Timeline

ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:15 PlotArea = left:100 bottom:90 top:10 right:20 Alignbars = justify DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy Period = from:01/01/1968 till:01/01/2022 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:3 ScaleMajor = increment:3 start:1968 ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1968 Colors = id:vocals value:red legend:Lead_vocals id:guitar value:green legend:Guitars id:bass value:blue legend:Bass id:drums value:orange legend:Drums id:keys value:purple legend:Keyboards/Piano id:horns value:gray(0.4) legend:Horns id:strings value:yellow legend:Strings id:album value:black legend:Studio_albums id:comp value:gray(0.7) legend:Compilation_and_Live_albums BarData = bar:Pinky text:"Pinky Dauvin" bar:Bob text:"Bob McBride" bar:Dan text:"Dan Clancy" bar:Skip text:"Skip Prokop" bar:John text:"John Dell" bar:Billy text:"Billy King" bar:Jamie text:"Jamie Prokop" bar:Ralph text:"Ralph Cole" bar:Grant text:"Grant Fullerton" bar:Louie text:"Louie Yacknin" bar:Alan text:"Alan Wilmot" bar:Terry text:"Terry Wilkins" bar:Doug text:"Doug Moore" bar:Paul text:"Paul Hoffert" bar:Larry text:"Larry Smith" bar:Sam text:"Sam See" bar:Don text:"Don Paulton" bar:Donald text:"Donald Quan" bar:Howard text:"Howard Shore" bar:Russ text:"Russ Little" bar:Keith text:"Keith Jollimore" bar:Freddy text:"Freddy Stone" bar:Arnie text:"Arnie Chycoski" bar:PaulA text:"Paul Adamson" bar:Bruce text:"Bruce Cassidy" bar:Pete text:"Pete Pantaluk" bar:Mike text:"Mike Malone" bar:John text:"John Naslen" bar:Dale text:"Dale Hillary" bar:Rick text:"Rick Stepton" bar:RickW text:"Rick Waychesko" bar:Steve text:"Steve Kennedy" bar:Simon text:"Simon Wallis" bar:Chris text:"Chris Howells" bar:Ian text:"Ian Guenther" bar:DonD text:"Don DiNovo" bar:DonW text:"Don Whitton" bar:Leslie text:"Leslie Schneider" bar:Dick text:"Dick Armin" bar:Myron text:"Myron Moskalyk" bar:PaulAr text:"Paul Armin" LineData = at:06/01/1969 color:album layer:back at:11/01/1969 color:album layer:back at:06/01/1970 color:album layer:back at:07/01/1971 color:album layer:back at:09/26/1971 color:comp layer:back at:12/08/1971 color:album layer:back at:05/01/1972 color:comp layer:back at:09/01/1972 color:album layer:back at:09/01/1973 color:album layer:back at:09/21/1974 color:album layer:back at:01/01/1975 color:comp layer:back at:01/01/1978 color:comp layer:back at:01/01/1989 color:comp layer:back at:01/01/1996 color:album layer:back at:01/01/2009 color:comp layer:back at:01/01/2010 color:comp layer:back at:08/10/2018 color:comp layer:back PlotData = width:11 bar:Pinky from:01/01/1968 till:08/01/1970 color:vocals bar:Bob from:08/01/1970 till:02/01/1973 color:vocals bar:Bob from:09/01/1982 till:10/01/1982 color:vocals bar:John from:09/01/1982 till:10/01/1982 color:drums bar:Dan from:01/01/1993 till:end color:vocals bar:Skip from:02/01/1973 till:09/21/1974 color:vocals width:3 bar:Skip from:start till:05/01/1974 color:drums bar:Billy from:05/01/1974 till:09/21/1974 color:drums bar:Skip from:09/01/1982 till:10/01/1982 color:drums bar:Skip from:01/01/1992 till:01/01/2014 color:drums bar:Jamie from:01/01/2014 till:end color:drums bar:Ralph from:02/01/1973 till:09/21/1974 color:vocals width:3 bar:Ralph from:start till:09/21/1974 color:guitar bar:Ralph from:09/01/1982 till:10/01/1982 color:guitar bar:Ralph from:01/01/1992 till:end color:guitar bar:Skip from:05/01/1974 till:09/21/1974 color:guitar bar:Grant from:start till:01/01/1971 color:bass bar:Louie from:01/01/1971 till:05/01/1972 color:bass bar:Alan from:05/01/1972 till:05/01/1974 color:bass bar:Terry from:05/01/1974 till:09/21/1974 color:bass bar:Doug from:01/01/1992 till:end color:bass bar:Paul from:start till:02/01/1973 color:keys bar:Paul from:09/01/1982 till:10/01/1982 color:keys bar:Paul from:01/01/1992 till:end color:keys bar:Larry from:02/01/1973 till:05/01/1974 color:keys bar:Sam from:05/01/1974 till:09/21/1974 color:keys bar:Don from:12/01/1994 till:end color:keys bar:Donald from:01/01/1992 till:12/01/1994 color:keys bar:Donald from:01/01/1992 till:12/01/1994 color:strings width:3 bar:Russ from:start till:08/01/1970 color:horns bar:Russ from:01/01/1992 till:end color:horns bar:Howard from:start till:02/01/1973 color:horns bar:Larry from:08/01/1970 till:02/01/1973 color:horns bar:Freddy from:start till:10/01/1969 color:horns bar:Arnie from:start till:10/01/1969 color:horns bar:Arnie from:05/01/1970 till:06/01/1971 color:horns bar:PaulA from:10/01/1969 till:05/01/1970 color:horns bar:Keith from:06/01/1971 till:08/01/1972 color:horns bar:Pete from:06/01/1971 till:11/01/1971 color:horns bar:Mike from:11/08/1971 till:08/01/1972 color:horns bar:John from:05/01/1972 till:05/01/1974 color:horns bar:Bruce from:10/01/1969 till:06/01/1971 color:horns bar:Dale from:02/01/1973 till:09/21/1974 color:horns bar:Rick from:02/01/1973 till:09/21/1974 color:horns bar:RickW from:01/01/1992 till:02/01/1996 color:horns bar:Steve from:01/01/1992 till:end color:horns bar:Steve from:09/01/1982 till:10/01/1982 color:horns bar:Simon from:01/01/1992 till:end color:horns bar:Chris from:02/01/1996 till:end color:horns bar:Dick from:start till:09/21/1974 color:strings bar:DonD from:start till:09/21/1974 color:strings bar:Ian from:start till:10/01/1969 color:strings bar:Leslie from:start till:06/01/1971 color:strings bar:DonW from:start till:10/01/1969 color:strings bar:Myron from:10/01/1969 till:05/01/1970 color:strings bar:PaulAr from:10/01/1969 till:01/01/1971 color:strings * Awards and nominations

Discography

Studio/live/compilation albums

Singles

;Notes

References

External links

Official Website
*
Lighthouse
, ''

Encyclopedia of Music in Canada ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; french: L'Encyclopédie canadienne) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with the support of Canadian Heritage. Available for ...

'' as hosted on ''

The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; french: L'Encyclopédie canadienne) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with the support of Canadian Heritage. Available fo ...

'' *
at canadianbands.com
(Dead link) {{DEFAULTSORT:Lighthouse Musical groups established in 1969 Canadian progressive rock groups Canadian jazz rock groups Juno Award for Group of the Year winners RCA Records artists Vertigo Records artists Musical groups from Toronto