VARI-LITE:
BORN FROM SHOWCO
Vari-Lite began inside Showco, where a team of engineers, technicians, designers, operators, company leaders and artist partners developed a new kind of concert light for Genesis. The VL0 prototype led to the VL1 system used on Genesis’ 1981 Abacab tour, helping launch the modern era of automated concert lighting.
The original development team included Jim Bornhorst, who led the engineering effort; John Covington, responsible for analog engineering; Tom Walsh, responsible for digital electronics and control hardware; and Brooks Taylor, responsible for systems and console integration. Tom Littrell became the first Vari-Lite programmer and operator. Showco co-founder Rusty Brutsche provided leadership, technical oversight and business support as the project developed.
Alan “Goat” Owen—Genesis’ longtime lighting and production designer—helped prove the system’s creative possibilities onstage. Genesis and manager Tony Smith supported its early development and touring deployment, and Smith proposed the Vari-Lite name.
Vari-Lite grew from a Showco research-and-development project into a separate operating company within the same ownership group. For the purposes of Showco Archives, Vari-Lite material is documented through 2000, when Showco was sold and the original shared-ownership era ended.
This page preserves the photographs, stories, people and archival materials behind Vari-Lite’s Showco origins—and the team that changed concert lighting forever.
The first Vari-Lite console was built for the first system of 55 VL1 that Genesis used on their ABACAB tour in 1981. Photo- Lewis Lee
The very first Vari-Lite public performance with Genesis in 1981 at the Plaza de Toros Monumental in Barcelona. Photo- Jim Bornhorst
Vari Lite Crew on Governors Row in Dallas, 1982 Curtis Hartung, Eric Fredrick, Dale Polansky, John Covington, Jim Bornhorst.
Tom Littrell, Jim Bornhorst-Courtesy of David Alley
Larry Sizemore
1994 VARI-LITE-EMMY AWARD-Larry Sizemore
1994 VARI-LITE-EMMY AWARD-Larry Sizemore
Kinks Vari-Lite Showco shirt 1983
Kinks Vari-Lite Showco Shirt 1983
Paul McCartney Showco Vari-Lite Polo Crew shirt
Judas Priest 1986 Vari-Lite shirt
SAGA 1983 Showco Vari-Lite shirt
38 Special Strength in Numbers Tour 1986 Vari-Lite Bowling Shirt
Related Historical Testimony: Phil Collins on Genesis and Showco
In this BBC interview, Phil Collins recalls Genesis rehearsing in Dallas in 1974, with Peter Gabriel still in the band, and questioning why stages needed banks of separate colored lights when one light might be able to change colors.
Phil explains that Showco—the Dallas sound-and-light company—took the idea and ran with it, helping develop what became Vari-Lite.
This interview adds valuable context to the firsthand reflections gathered through Showco Archives outreach, including contributions from Genesis member Mike Rutherford, longtime Genesis touring drummer Chester Thompson, and Leland Sklar.
Together, these voices help preserve Showco’s broader history: its relationships with artists, its influence on live production, and the people and ideas behind the music.
Further Reading
The following independently published articles offer additional history and perspectives on Vari-Lite, Showco, and the development of the modern moving light.
The Genesis of Vari-Lite
PLSN
The story of Vari-Lite’s beginnings inside Showco and its breakthrough with Genesis.
Read the article ↗
The History of Vari-Lite — Colin Baldwin
Read the article ↗
Tom Littrell: ETC, Showco & Vari-Lite Lighting History
Theatre Wolf Podcast — Episode 33
Listen to the episode ↗
💬 Add to the Story
Were you part of Vari-Lite? Recognize someone in a photo?
I'd love to hear your memories, stories, corrections, or additional information. Your contributions help preserve The Family Behind the Music.
Every memory shared here helps make the Showco Archives more complete for future generations.