John Covington

Showco R&D • Vari-Lite Analog Engineering

John Covington was part of the Showco research and development team behind the original Vari-Lite system. His contribution centered on analog engineering and the original technical development that helped make computer-controlled, color-changing concert lighting possible.

Analog engineering for a touring breakthrough

The first Vari-Lite project brought together a small team with clearly defined specialties. Jim Bornhorst led the optical and mechanical concept; John Covington was responsible for analog engineering; Tom Walsh developed the digital electronics and control hardware; and Brooks Taylor contributed systems and software engineering and console integration.

Covington appears with the Vari-Lite crew on Governors Row in Dallas in 1982, part of the team that carried the system from Showco’s R&D environment into real-world concert production after its major debut with Genesis on the 1981 Abacab tour.

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