Lighthouse

Canadian rock, progressive and fusion jazz band formed in Toronto in 1969. The genesis of what he described as "a rock'n'roll big band" was the fortuitous encounter on an airline flight by jazz composer/writer/arranger Paul Hoffert with drummer Skip Prokop of the British Invasion inspired band The Paupers. Leveraging the diverse backgrounds of the two, Lighthouse repertoire fused elements of rock music, jazz, classical music, and swing, and featured extensive instrumentation: horns, string instruments, and vibraphone. The band struck commercial success with their 4th album in 1971, 'One Fine Morning' featuring the muscular and definitive vocals of new vocalist Bob McBride. Benefitting from robust promotion and label support, the band - an aggregation of up to 13 musicians at one time - had clocked over 1000 live gigs by the time of their 3rd album, including Carnegie Hall in 1972. The live album from that performance was the 1st album in Canada to achieve platinum status. The band dissolved in 1974 following the 1973 departure of McBride and the departure of Prokop in 1974. A final album in the course of production was never released. Brief reunions took place in 1982 and 1992, and the band reunited again for a final studio album in 1996.