September 1: Although I never met him, Skip Prokop was a recurring presence in my life, surfacing at some significant moments, only to disappear and reappear after a while.
Prokop was a drummer and a founder of the Toronto rock band The Paupers. I first encountered them when I attended my “first concert” at the North Toronto Community Centre. It was probably 1966, and in the age of bell-bottom pants, I remember Prokop having to roll up his pant legs so that they wouldn’t get caught in the kick drum or high hat. It was a small room, and the volume must have been roughly equivalent to a 747 idling in a basement rec-room, but I remember the speed and flash of Prokop’s playing. In an age when the human metronomes of Ringo Starr and Charlie Watts were considered “great drummers”, Prokop was in a different league. Like others I have found subsequently (Neil Peart, Keith Moon, Steve Gadd, Buddy Rich to name a few), he brought texture and punctuation and rhythms not usually heard in a rock and roll format. To my then 16 year old self, he was the drummer I had always wanted to be, as I pounded away on the couch cushions with my Mother’s knitting needles.
When The Paupers folded, Prokop did studio work with Al Kooper, Carlos Santana, Janis Joplin and others, before returning to Toronto and forming Lighthouse, a 13-piece band which included keyboards, drums, guitars and a brass line, along with an amplified string section. Early members included Howard Shore and Russ Little who have both gone on to be stars in their own right. I first saw Lighthouse in the early 70’s at the Electric Circus on Queen Street East. It was a big venue and it was packed that night. I remember it as a rabbit warren of halls and rooms and windows and doors looking onto the stage where they performed under the de rigeuer “psychedelic” light show. It all felt very subversive. There may have been some form of recreational narcotics involved…
I saw Lighthouse many times including a gig at Convocation Hall in Toronto, a club on the docks in Port Carling (the Surf Club ?) and a dance at Vic Park Secondary School. I loved their music since it was essentially an evolution of the big band music that my parents played at home. There was something very appealing about the big band format, playing loud enough to part your hair, while allowing for improvisation and solos from everyone. I loved watching Prokop’s energetic contributions. It’s a jazz format I still enjoy today.
Lighthouse re-emerged from time to time in different formats in subsequent years, and Prokop went on to do some work in radio. He died on August 30 of a heart condition. I will not remember that date the way I remember hearing that John Lennon had been shot. Still, it feels like the loss of a presence that played a role at significant moments in my life. I’ll miss that.
https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/arts/music/lighthouse-co-founder-skip-prokop-made-rock-history/article36218827