Canadian Musician and Songwriter. Born Ronald Harry Prokop, he was a drummer and band leader who co-founded The Paupers, and later, Lighthouse. He was a founding member of the psychedelic rock band The Paupers, and did session work with artists like Peter, Paul and Mary, Carlos Santana and Janis Joplin. In 1968, along with keyboardist Paul Hoffert and guitarist Ralph Cole, they founded Lighthouse, a 13-piece, rock/funk/jazz group. One of their first gigs was at New York’s Carnegie Hall and they also played Bill Graham’s Fillmore East and Filmore West during that first year. The group won the Juno Award for Top Canadian Group three consecutive years in 1972, '73 and '74. The band would go on to record several albums including 'Lighthouse' (1969), 'Peacing It All Together' (1970), 'One Fine Morning' (1971), 'Sunny Days' (1972), 'Good Day' (1974) and 'Best of Lighthouse' (1976). After splitting up in 1976, Lighthouse staged a number of reunions and Prokop also formed a Christian rock/funk band called Mercy Train. In 1992, Prokop, Hoffert and Cole relaunched Lighthouse as a 10-member unit, and as recently as 2014, toured with The Moody Blues. Prokop, who was also a noted studio musician and songwriter, performing on 'The Live Adventures of Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper' album, and he also wrote 'I'd Be So Happy' from Three Dog Night's 1974 album 'Hard Labor', died after a lengthy battle with cancer.
Canadian Musician and Songwriter. Born Ronald Harry Prokop, he was a drummer and band leader who co-founded The Paupers, and later, Lighthouse. He was a founding member of the psychedelic rock band The Paupers, and did session work with artists like Peter, Paul and Mary, Carlos Santana and Janis Joplin. In 1968, along with keyboardist Paul Hoffert and guitarist Ralph Cole, they founded Lighthouse, a 13-piece, rock/funk/jazz group. One of their first gigs was at New York’s Carnegie Hall and they also played Bill Graham’s Fillmore East and Filmore West during that first year. The group won the Juno Award for Top Canadian Group three consecutive years in 1972, '73 and '74. The band would go on to record several albums including 'Lighthouse' (1969), 'Peacing It All Together' (1970), 'One Fine Morning' (1971), 'Sunny Days' (1972), 'Good Day' (1974) and 'Best of Lighthouse' (1976). After splitting up in 1976, Lighthouse staged a number of reunions and Prokop also formed a Christian rock/funk band called Mercy Train. In 1992, Prokop, Hoffert and Cole relaunched Lighthouse as a 10-member unit, and as recently as 2014, toured with The Moody Blues. Prokop, who was also a noted studio musician and songwriter, performing on 'The Live Adventures of Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper' album, and he also wrote 'I'd Be So Happy' from Three Dog Night's 1974 album 'Hard Labor', died after a lengthy battle with cancer.
Bio by: Louis du Mort
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