Bob McBride

Bob McBride
Born (1946-11-17)17 November 1946
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Died 20 February 1998(1998-02-20) (aged 51)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Genres rock
Instruments vocals
Years active 1970–1992
Associated acts Lighthouse

Robert Bruce "Bob" McBride (17 November 1946 – 20 February 1998)[1] was a Canadian rock singer. He is best known as lead vocalist for the Canadian popular music group Lighthouse.

Early life and education

McBride was born in Toronto and attended North Toronto Collegiate Institute.[2]

Career

As a young man, McBride was part of Ronny Hawkins' backup band for several years.[3] He joined the band Lighthouse in 1970, replacing original singer Pinky Dauvin.[4] His voice contributed to successful Lighthouse songs such as "Hats Off to the Stranger", "1849" and "One Fine Morning".[2][5][6] He also won a 1973 Juno Award in the Outstanding Male Performance category[7] and was nominated for a 1974 Juno in the Best Male Vocalist category.

In 1973, McBride parted ways with the band, some of whom were upset after he failed to appear for a New York recording session for the album Can You Feel It. Fellow member Skip Prokop sang the band's hit song "Pretty Lady" in his place, although Prokop said in an interview that McBride "could have done it bigger and better".[1] Later that year, McBride released a single, "Treasure Song",[8] and in 1974 he released a solo album, Sea of Dreams.[9]

He reunited with many Lighthouse alumnae in September, 1982 for a weekend of four concerts at Ontario Place, which drew 33,000 people; at the end of the weekend the musicians went their separate ways. The band got together again in 1992 with a ten-member line-up, which included the founding members Prokop, Hoffert and Cole, with McBride on vocals. By then, he had become addicted to drugs, resulting in erratic performances, and he was asked to leave the band several months later. Soon after, he was arrested on drug-related theft charges and, as part of his sentence, organized two benefit concerts to raise awareness of the dangers of drugs.[10]

Illness and death

After his departure from Lighthouse, McBride succumbed to a number of illnesses, including diabetes and Hepatitis B, resulting from his years of substance abuse. He also received head injuries during a robbery at his parents' residence in 1996.[1] He died in February 1998 at North York General Hospital in Toronto after heart failure[2][3] and is buried at Westminster Memorial Gardens in Toronto.

Personal

McBride was married to Janice Fobert-Seaton, who died in 2003.[11] The couple had one son, Shawn.[2]

Solo discography

  • 1972: Butterfly Days (Capitol/EMI)[12]
  • 1973: Sea of Dreams (Capitol/EMI)[12]
  • 1976: Seasons / Doin' It (MCA) exclusive 45 only release
  • 1978: Bob McBride Live (London) [13]
  • 1979: Here to Sing (MCA)[12]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Macgowan, James (11 March 1998). "Lives Lived: Robert Bruce McBride". The Globe and Mail. p. A16.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Grant, Kieran (24 February 1998). "Singer lived tragic life". Jam!/Canoe.
  3. 1 2 Nick Talevski. Rock Obituaries: Knocking On Heaven's Door. Omnibus; 7 April 2010. ISBN 978-0-85712-117-2. p. 404–.
  4. ↑ "Lighthouse (bio)". Jam!/Canoe. 5 December 2004. Retrieved 28 November 2007.
  5. ↑ "Lighthouse Sunny Days Again: The Best of Lighthouse". AllMusic, Review by Mike DeGagne
  6. ↑ "Lighthouse: One Fine Legacy". September/October 2014 Odeum Magazine.
  7. ↑ Nicholas Jennings. "Lighthouse co-founder Skip Prokop made rock history". The Globe and Mail, Published September 8, 2017
  8. ↑ "Ringo Fever grips playlist". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.; 27 October 1973. ISSN 0006-2510. p. 59–.
  9. ↑ "McBride does it right". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.; 9 February 1974. ISSN 0006-2510. p. 41–.
  10. ↑ "Saturday in Broadcast History .. June the 3rd". Puget Sound Radio, June 2, 2017.
  11. ↑ "CornwallRoots.info". Retrieved 2 June 2017.
  12. 1 2 3 "Lighthouse". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on 2011-06-08. Retrieved 6 February 2018.
  13. ↑ "Lighthouse". CanadianBands.com. Retrieved 28 November 2007.
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