Ronn "Skip" Prokop (born December 13, 1943 in Hamilton, Ontario)[1] is a Canadian drummer and band leader who was a driving force in Canadian rock music, creating seminal bands, including The Paupers[2] In 1969, Skip co-founded the rock group Lighthouse with Paul Hoffert. The world’s first 13-piece rock orchestra, it achieved international success as Canada’s leading rock group. Lighthouse was the first group in Canada to be sponsored by a large corporation on a national level.[3]
He is also remembered for The Live Adventures of Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper, a seminal live blues-rock album of the late 1960s. He wrote "I'd Be So Happy", which was recorded by Three Dog Night in 1974 on their album Hard Labor.
Skip also drums in a London, Ontario rock/funk/Christian band called Mercy Train. He is currently working on smooth jazz album to be released in 2010 titled The Smooth Side Of Skip Prokop.[4]
During the years in which Lighthouse was inactive, Prokop turned towards radio for his career. He was host of CFNY-FM's Rock and a Hard Place program in the Toronto broadcast market. In the early 2000s, he worked for Astral Media radio stations CJBX/CIQM/CJBK in advertising sales.[5] As of 2010, he lives in Aylmer, Ontario.