The City Lights Band was an extremely popular attraction on Detroit’s eastside. From the years 1980-1984, with the average age of its members at 16, the City Lights Band had garnered a huge following of fans by playing many venues; including Lakeside Ice Arena, where the band brought in over 1500 people on May 30, 1981. They exceeded that record on August 29, 1981, bringing in over 2000 people to that same venue.
The band’s success was a strange anomaly of it’s time period. Coming out of virtually nowhere, before the advent of Facebook, the Internet (as we know it), or any other means of digital promotion, the band gathered legions of fans by endless gigging, and word of mouth promotion, pulling in thousands of fans across Metro-Detroit area.
Known for great singing and playing, with an eclectic style that borrowed heavily from classic rock, blues, and soul, the band had a level of showmanship unparalleled for a bunch of teenagers. City Lights’ shows were big and exciting with flash pots, smoke, and amps turned up to 11. A typical show would include four mid-size trucks filled with equipment, a light show, an announcer, roadies, stage effects, spot light, and cases of food and beverage for backstage. Tee-shirts would sell in huge numbers.
Since breaking up in 1984 the band’s members have gone on to other successful bands such as: The Dream, The Break, Crewsade, Art-of-Fact, Four Stories, Population 3, and CBS Recording Artists “Looking Glass featuring Elliot Lurie, the band that brought the world the #1 1972 hit, “Brandy (You’re a Fine Girl).” This incarnation of Looking features original lead singer Elliot Lurie with City Lights Band alumni Jeff Lehman and Craig Williams with Jeff’s brother-in-law Eric Mackey.
On July 20, 2010 Jeff Lehman’s City Lights released its first digital single “Obscured by Light” at www.cdbaby.com .On December 21, 2012, the band released it's debut CD.
