Gordon Lightfoot

Gordon Lightfoot
CC OOnt
Lightfoot performing at Interlochen, Michigan, in 2009
Lightfoot performing at Interlochen, Michigan, in 2009
Background information
Birth nameGordon Meredith Lightfoot Jr.
Born(1938-11-17)November 17, 1938
Orillia, Ontario, Canada
DiedMay 1, 2023(2023-05-01) (aged 84)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer-songwriter
  • guitarist
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
  • piano
  • percussion
Years active1958–2023
Labels
Formerly ofThe Two Tones

Gordon Meredith Lightfoot Jr. CC OOnt (November 17, 1938 – May 1, 2023) was a Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist who achieved international success in folk, folk-rock, and country music. Credited with helping to define the folk-pop sound of the 1960s and 1970s,[1] he has been referred to as Canada's greatest songwriter,[2] having several gold and multi-platinum albums[3] and songs covered by some of the world's most renowned musical artists.[4] Lightfoot's biographer Nicholas Jennings said, "His name is synonymous with timeless songs about trains and shipwrecks, rivers and highways, lovers and loneliness."[5]

Lightfoot's songs, including "For Lovin' Me", "Early Morning Rain", "Steel Rail Blues", "Ribbon of Darkness"—a number one hit on the U.S. country chart[6] with Marty Robbins's cover in 1965—and "Black Day in July", about the 1967 Detroit riot, brought him wide recognition in the 1960s. Canadian chart success with his own recordings began in 1962 with the No. 3 hit "(Remember Me) I'm the One", followed by recognition and charting abroad in the 1970s. He topped the US Hot 100 or Adult Contemporary (AC) chart with the hits "If You Could Read My Mind" (1970), "Sundown" (1974); "Carefree Highway" (1974), "Rainy Day People" (1975), and "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" (1976), and had many other hits that appeared in the top 40.[7]

Robbie Robertson of the Band described Lightfoot as "a national treasure".[8] Bob Dylan, who would sometimes perform Lightfoot's songs, said "I can't think of any Gordon Lightfoot song I don't like. Every time I hear a song of his, it's like I wish it would last forever."[9] Lightfoot was a featured musical performer at the opening ceremonies of the 1988 Winter Olympic Games in Calgary, Alberta and received numerous honours and awards.

  1. ^ "Gordon Lightfoot to join U.S. Songwriters Hall of Fame". CBC News. February 21, 2012. Archived from the original on October 23, 2016.
  2. ^ Mayes, Alison (December 1, 2011). "If you could read his mind". Winnipeg Free Press. Archived from the original on April 23, 2023. Retrieved December 26, 2011.
  3. ^ Kerns, William (August 13, 2010). "Gordon Lightfoot says his music has improved over lengthy career". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Archived from the original on December 28, 2023. Retrieved April 19, 2014.
  4. ^ "Songwriters Hall of Fame Announces 2012 Inductees". SongHall.org (Press release). New York. February 21, 2012. Archived from the original on March 9, 2021. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  5. ^ Jennings, Nicholas (October 30, 2018). Lightfoot. Penguin Random House Canada. ISBN 9780143199212.
  6. ^ "Gordon Lightfoot | Music Biography, Credits and Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved April 19, 2014.
  7. ^ White, Adam; Bronson, Fred (1988). The Billboard Book of Hits. Billboard Books. ISBN 0-8230-8285-7.
  8. ^ Seely, Mike (August 22, 2007). "Fantasy Trade: Gordon Lightfoot for Neil Diamond, The Last Waltz: Canadian songwriter passed on the night-of invitation, much to this author's regret". Seattle Weekly. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved June 10, 2018.
  9. ^ Sweeting, Adam (May 3, 2023). "Gordon Lightfoot obituary". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved November 4, 2024.