"Nostalgic Rock and Roll"

The history of "Blue Light"
In the mid-eighties, "Blue Light Special" was created by John Cameron. John's dream was to play the rock and roll of his youth - 50s and 60s dance music. With some cash and the help of his brother Tim (bottom), John joined friends Dave Zarzana (hidden), and Kelly Pierce (top), a handful of local Vancouver musicians and began playing clubs and taverns. He wanted to establish a market for what he thought was lacking, distinctive music for aging baby-boomers. John, or Johnny, as he was known to the group, wanted to build a show around a 50s and 60s formula. Since that time, other noteworthy groups have made names using similar formulas. Among them are The Hardtops, with whom David Zarzana toured, and Johnny Limbo and the Lugnuts. It could be said that John Cameron, with his unbridled passion for performing helped keep live music in local clubs for years to come. On January 2, 2000, an earlier bout with Hepatitis rendered John unable to fulfill his dream with "Blue Light Special" and took his life at the age of 55. Though Johnny's dream was only beginning to come true, those of us lucky to be part of it vowed to keep it alive playing the rooms and events he sought. "Blue Light Special" became the "Blue Light Band" when it was learned that bands all over the country are using the famous K-Mart name.

In the 90s, John expanded the sound, membership, and variety of Blue Light. Many other local Vancouver musicians were integral in the Blue Light experience including Click Moore (Bass), Alex Jergens (Guitar), Steve Roberts (Keyboard), Bill (Bongo) Schlansky (Drums), Jerry Hatcher (Bass), Jim Buix (Drums) and Mike Campbell (Drums). Joining John in 1995 and staying except for brief stints in The Taylor Band and River City Rock and Soul, a year before Johnny gave it up for good, and who Johnny called on to replace him, is Scott Olson. Pictured here with John in 4 more iterations of Blue Light are Mike Simpson Bass), Gene Wood (Drums), Rod Nelson (Bass), Paul Deller (Drums), Click Moore (Bass) and Burke Lessig (Bass).

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