Lighthouse: 50 Years of Sunny Days
Tuesday, May 14, 2019 at 8:00pm
Paul Hoffert, keyboards, percussion & vocals
Ralph Cole, guitar & vocals
Dan Clancy, vocals, guitar & percussion
Jamie Prokop, drums & vocals
Doug Moore, bass & vocals
Don Paulton, keyboards & vocals
Russ Little, trombone & vocals
Chris Howells, trumpet & vocals
Simon Wallis, baritone saxophone, alto saxophone, flute & vocals
Steve Kennedy, alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, flute & vocals
Lighthouse
Lighthouse burst on the scene in 1969 with an explosive sound that defied all conventions. Between 1970 and 1974, they were awarded four Juno Awards, four gold albums, and Canada’s first platinum album for
Lighthouse Live!, while hits such as “One Fine Morning,” “Sunny Days,” “Hats Off to the Stranger,” “1849,” and “Pretty Lady” raced to the top of Canadian and international charts.
The band’s unique blend of rock, jazz, and classical influences rocketed them to the forefront of musical trends. Lighthouse was the first Canadian rock band asked to headline the Newport, Monterey, and Boston Globe jazz festivals; the first to perform with symphony orchestras, and the first to collaborate with a classical ballet company. The band was the only act invited to perform a second night at the legendary 1970 Isle of Wight Festival among acts that included The Who, Miles Davis, Joni Mitchell, Chicago, and The Doors.
Back home in Toronto, the group’s free concerts at Nathan Phillips Square attracted one hundred thousand people. Lighthouse toured up to 300 days a year, performing to standing ovations across North America, Europe, and Asia with a particular emphasis on concerts in the cities, towns, and small hamlets of every province across the country. Indeed, it is hard to find a person who lived in Canada through the 1970s who did not see the group live. They were, and remain, Canada’s band.
After regrouping several times, Lighthouse permanently reunited in 1992. The band continues to record and tour, performing with the same free-wheeling, hard-driving sound that has kept them on the airwaves and in the hearts of fans for 50 years.
Lighthouse features the two remaining founders, Paul Hoffert and Ralph Cole, leading an all-star line-up that includes original members Russ Little and Steve Kennedy with Dan Clancy, Doug Moore, Don Paulton, Chris Howells, Simon Wallis, and Jamie Prokop, son of the band’s dearly-missed founder, Skip Prokop.