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Lighthouse Family
This UK pop band comprises the Newcastle-based duo
of Tunde Baiyewu, a vocalist of Nigerian descent, and
songwriter and musician Paul Tucker. They met while
working at nightclub bars in the north east of
England, at which time Tucker was also recording his
own compositions at home in his spare time. They
formed a partnership in early 1993 after being
introduced by a local soul DJ. After hearing a tape of
the band's "Ocean Drive" played down the phone,
Polydor Records A&R director Colin Barlow recognized
their potential, particularly in the mainstream album
market, and signed them to a long-term development
contract. Influenced by artists such as Bob Marley,
Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye, the duo made their
debut in May 1995 with "Lifted", which entered the
lower reaches of the UK chart. This, like their debut
album, was produced by Mike Pedan, formerly of UK soul
band the Chimes and producer for Shara Nelson and
Darryl Hall. "Ocean Drive", also the title of the
debut album, was placed on the soundtrack to the
Richard E. Grant movie Jack And Sarah before being
released as their second single, reaching number 34 in
October. Determined not to see a good song die,
"Lifted" was reissued in early 1996 and this time
caught the mood of the public by reaching number 4. It
was also adopted as the theme song by the UK Labour
Party for the 2001 general election. "Ocean Drive" was
also reissued, and reached number 11. "Goodbye
Heartbreak" (number 14) and "Loving Every Minute'
(number 20) completed the duo"s impressive run of hit
singles from Ocean Drive, although detractors took
great satisfaction in attacking their brand of "soul-lite"
pop. The 1997 follow-up, Postcards From Heaven,
confirmed Lighthouse Family's status as one of
Britain's most successful new bands. The album
featured the UK Top 10 singles "Raincloud", "High" and
"Lost In Space".
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