Lighthouse

In 1968 drummer Skip Prokop established Lighthouse and promptly recruited additional players, among them guitarist Ralph Cole (with whom Prokop had previously performed in the Paupers), Grant Fullerton, Pinky Dauvin, saxophonist Howard Shore, cellist Dick Armin, violinist Don DiNovo, keyboard player Paul Hoffert, saxophonist Keith Jollimore, vocalist Bob McBride, trumpeter Peter Pantaluk, trombonist Larry Smith, and bassist Louis Yackniw. The ensemble issued a pair of RCA albums during 1969 while appearing at the Newport and Monterey Jazz Festivals plus the Isle of Wight Festival, although they had declined an invitation to Woodstock. Late in 1970 RCA brought out the group’s third album, Peacing It All Together, before parting ways with Lighthouse, which promptly moved to GRT. One Fine Morning and Thoughts of Movin’ On arrived in 1971, followed in 1972 by Lighthouse Live! and Sunny Days. Departures began in 1973 with the exit of Paul Hoffert and continued when Bob McBride and Skip Prokop stepped away in 1974, leading to the band’s dissolution by 1976. Earlier releases Can You Feel It (1973) and Good Day (1974) had already appeared, and The Best of Lighthouse surfaced in 1975. Core members reunited for concerts in 1982 and again in 1993; a second compilation, The Best of Lighthouse -- Sunny Days Again, reached stores in 1989. Bob McBride and Skip Prokop each pursued modestly successful solo paths. Bob McBride ultimately succumbed to substance abuse on February 20, 1998, at the age of 51.