Lighthouse Family

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Lighthouse Family
Lighthouse Family, Pryzm, Kingston.jpg
Lighthouse Family performing at Pryzm, Kingston-upon-Thames, 2019.
Background information
Origin Newcastle upon Tyne, England
Genres
Years active
  • 1993–2003, 2010–2011
    2019–2022
Labels
Past members
Website https://www.thelighthousefamily.co.uk

Lighthouse Family were a British pop duo that rose to prominence in the mid-1990s and initially remained active until the early 2000s. Singer Tunde Baiyewu and songwriter Paul Tucker formed the act in 1993 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, after meeting while studying at university and both working at the same bar. Their 1995 debut album Ocean Drive sold more than 1.8 million copies in the UK alone and established them as a popular easy listening duo throughout Europe.

Contents

They are best known for their worldwide hit "High", which peaked at number four on the UK Singles Chart and topped the charts in Australia. Other well-known songs include "Goodbye Heartbreak", "Lifted", "Lost in Space", "Ocean Drive" and "Raincloud". The duo's first studio album in 18 years, Blue Sky in Your Head, was released on 5 July 2019.

Career

Formation and record deal

Tunde Baiyewu (pictured in 2020) Tundebaiyewu.jpg
Tunde Baiyewu (pictured in 2020)

Both Baiyewu and Tucker were working in bars when they first met; together, they recorded demos of a number of songs Tucker had written during the late 1980s. [1] Among these, a demo of "Ocean Drive" attracted the attention of Polydor Records A&R director Colin Barlow, who, in 1993, signed the band to a six-month development deal. [2]

In the wake of an economic recession in the United Kingdom, British record labels were, at the time, primarily signing artists with the goal of short-term profit. In contrast, Barlow, in The Times , expected that the band could last for "ten years or more". At the time of the launch of the first album, Polydor's investments in the band totaled £250,000. Producer Mike Peden's hiring was described as a "big spend", and music videos were filmed overseas in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. [2]

Commercial success

The lead single, "Lifted", received airplay on BBC Radio One as well as a number of BBC Local Radio stations, and The Chart Show aired its music video. [2] Still, this did not translate to considerable single or album sales within 1995; it was not until "Lifted" was re-released in 1996 that it reached the top five on the UK Singles Chart, and Ocean Drive, which had been deleted, rebounded and was certified six-times platinum by the end of 1997, spending 154 weeks on the UK Albums Chart in the process. [1] Its follow-up Postcards from Heaven achieved similar sales status in 1997. It featured the hit single "High" (number four in the UK) with the music video filmed in North East England and featuring Newcastle's Tyne Bridge. [3]

Lighthouse Family scaled down their appearances in early 2003 because of what they called a "heavy promotional schedule" following the release of Whatever Gets You Through the Day in 2001. This led to both men pursuing individual projects. Baiyewu became a solo artist, while Tucker joined a rock band, The Orange Lights.

Comeback

In November 2010, the duo announced they were reforming Lighthouse Family and did a full UK and Ireland tour, in February and March 2011. It was the first performance of Lighthouse Family in eight years. During an interview on breakfast TV show BBC Breakfast on 17 January 2011, Lighthouse Family revealed they had still been talking to each other during their time away, and that there was no current defined timescale for the release of a new album. However, Tucker mentioned during the interview that the duo had "pockets... full of songs". [4]

The duo had planned to release a new album called Blue Sky in Your Head on 3 May 2019, introduced by the single, "My Salvation", on 21 March; however, the album release was delayed until 5 July 2019. Blue Sky in Your Head is their first album in 18 years. Lighthouse Family have announced a multi-date UK tour commencing in November 2019.[ citation needed ] The album was supported with two sell-out UK tours.

Tucker announced in June 2022 that the duo would no longer be performing together, as Baiyewu wished to focus on his solo career. [5]

Discography

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<i>Ocean Drive</i> (album) 1995 studio album by Lighthouse Family

Ocean Drive is the debut album by British musical duo Lighthouse Family, released in 1995 on Wildcard / Polydor Records. The album produced the UK top 10 hit "Lifted" and UK top 20 hits "Ocean Drive", "Goodbye Heartbreak" and "Loving Every Minute". The album spent 175 weeks on the UK Albums Chart and achieved 6 times Platinum sales of 1.8 million copies. As of 2022, it was the highest-selling debut album in North East England since records began in 1956.

<i>Postcards from Heaven</i> Album by Lighthouse Family

Postcards from Heaven is the second studio album by English music duo Lighthouse Family. It was released on 20 October 1997 on Wildcard / Polydor Records. The album produced three top-10 hits and two top-30 hits in the UK, with "High" also reaching number one in Australia.

<i>Greatest Hits</i> (Lighthouse Family album) Compilation album by Lighthouse Family

Greatest Hits is a greatest hits compilation album released by UK duo Lighthouse Family on 18 November 2002 on Wildcard / Polydor. There are two different versions of this album, one with the two bonus tracks, "Lifted" and "End of the Sky", and one without them. This album reached 2× Platinum status in 2014 twelve years after its release.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lifted (Lighthouse Family song)</span> 1995 single by Lighthouse Family

"Lifted" is a song written by British musical duo Lighthouse Family for their 1995 debut album, Ocean Drive. The track was produced by Mike Peden and was released as the album's lead single on 8 May 1995, reaching the top 75 in the UK. In January 1996, "Lifted" was re-released, reaching a new peak of number four in the UK and entering the top 40 in Austria, Iceland, and Ireland, as well as on the Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks chart. In the UK, it was the most-played single on radio during the first quarter of 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ocean Drive (Lighthouse Family song)</span> 1995 single by Lighthouse Family

"Ocean Drive" is a song written by British musical duo Lighthouse Family for their debut album of the same name (1995). Produced by Mike Peden, the song was released as the second single from the album on 2 October 1995 and reached the top 40 on the UK Singles Chart. The song was re-released, slightly remixed and with new vocals, on 20 May 1996 and reached the top 20 on the UK chart. This version also appeared on the duo's 2002 Greatest Hits album.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">High (Lighthouse Family song)</span> 1997 single by Lighthouse Family

"High" is a song by British musical duo Lighthouse Family from their second album, Postcards from Heaven (1997). The song was produced by Mike Peden and was released on 29 December 1997 as the second single from the album. "High" is the most successful single released by the Lighthouse Family, reaching number four on the UK Singles Chart, number eight in New Zealand, and number one in Australia. In Europe, the song reached the top 10 in at least eight countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Goodbye Heartbreak</span> 1996 single by Lighthouse Family

"Goodbye Heartbreak" is a song written by British musical duo Lighthouse Family with former Simply Red member Tim Kellett for their debut studio album, Ocean Drive (1996). The song was produced by Mike Peden. It was released as the third single from the album on 9 September 1996 and reached the top 20 in the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loving Every Minute (Lighthouse Family song)</span> 1996 single by Lighthouse Family

"Loving Every Minute" is a 1996 song by British duo Lighthouse Family, released as the fourth and final single from their debut album Ocean Drive (1996). The song was produced by Mike Peden. It was released in November 1996 and reached the top 20 in the United Kingdom. It was remixed by Cutfather & Joe for its single release, adding a drum beat and a slightly different introduction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raincloud (song)</span> 1997 single by Lighthouse Family

"Raincloud" is a song by British group Lighthouse Family, released as the duo's first single from their second studio album, Postcards from Heaven (1997). The song was produced by Mike Peden. Released on 29 September 1997, "Raincloud" reached the top 10 on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at No. 6. "From a Desert to a Beach" is included as the B-side on the "Raincloud" single. This track was not included on any of Lighthouse Family's albums apart from their remix album, Relaxed & Remixed (2004).

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Postcard from Heaven</span> 1999 single by Lighthouse Family

"Postcard from Heaven" is a song by the Lighthouse Family, released as the duo's fifth and final single from their second album Postcards from Heaven (1999). The song was produced by Mike Peden. It was released in January 1999 and reached the top 30 in the UK as well as being just outside the top 90 in Europe. It received a completely different remixed version for single release. This mix appeared on both the Greatest Hits and Relaxed & Remixed compilations, in 2002 and 2004 respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Run (Lighthouse Family song)</span> 2002 single by Lighthouse Family

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References

  1. 1 2 Mike Pattenden (18 November 1996). "Lighthouse Family – Lifted by sheer perseverance". dotmusic. Miller Freeman Entertainment. Archived from the original on 5 February 1998. Retrieved 20 January 2011.
  2. 1 2 3 Alan Jackson (12 May 1995). "Beam us up, star-trekkers". The Times. ISSN   0140-0460.
  3. ↑ "Lighthouse Family - High (Official Video)". YouTube. Retrieved 25 June 2022.
  4. ↑ "The Lighthouse Family reunite". BBC News. BBC. 17 January 2011. Retrieved 20 January 2011.
  5. ↑ "Lighthouse Family split leaves Mouth of the Tyne Festival seeking headliner". BBC News. 7 June 2022. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
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