Lighthouse Family were a British pop soul 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.

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.

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. That said, Tucker mentioned during the interview that the duo had "pockets... full of songs".

thumb|160px|[[Tunde Baiyewu (pictured in 2020)]]

The duo had planned to release their fourth album, Blue Sky in Your Head, on 3 May 2019; introduced by the single, "My Salvation", on 21 March. The album release was delayed until 5 July 2019. Blue Sky in Your Head was their first album in 18 years. Lighthouse Family announced a multi-date UK tour commencing in November 2019. 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.

Discography

  • Ocean Drive (1995)
  • Postcards from Heaven (1997)
  • Whatever Gets You Through the Day (2001)
  • Blue Sky in Your Head (2019)

References

  • Interviews and discography