Gordon Lightfoot
Gordon Meredith Lightfoot Jr.[1] (November 17, 1938 – May 1, 2023) was a Canadian singer and songwriter. He is famous around the world for his folk, country, and pop music songs. He was first heard in the 1960s. He had hit radio songs in the 1970s including "If You Could Read My Mind", "Sundown", "Carefree Highway", "Rainy Day People" and "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald".[2]
Gordon Lightfoot | |
|---|---|
 GordonLightfoot in Toronto. | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Gordon Meredith Lightfoot Jr. |
| Born | 17 November 1938 Orillia, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | 1 May 2023 (aged 84) Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Genres | Folk, country |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer-songwriter |
| Instruments | Guitar, voice |
| Years active | 1962–2023 |
Some of his songs have been recorded by other famous singers including Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Marty Robbins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Barbra Streisand and Tony Rice.
Robbie Robertson of the Canadian music group called the Band said Lightfoot was his "favourite Canadian songwriter".[3]
Lightfoot's music career lasted sixty years. He recorded more than 200 songs. His folk music of the 1960s and 1970s influenced many famous singers including Bob Dylan and Jim Croce. Like Robertson, Bob Dylan called Lightfoot one of his favourite songwriters.[4]
Awards
In his career, Lightfoot received sixteen Juno Awards. He won Junos as top folk singer in 1965, 1966, 1968, 1969, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976 and 1977. He won a Juno as top male vocalist in 1967, 1970, 1971, 1972 and 1973 And he won in 1972 and 1976 for being composer of the year.
Lightfoot received ASCAP awards for songwriting in 1971, 1974, 1976 and 1977.
Lightfoot was nominated for five Grammy Awards.
In 1980, Lightfoot was named Canadian Male Recording Artist of the Decade for his music of the 1970s.
Lightfoot was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1986. He was added to Canada's Walk of Fame in 1998. He was inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001.
In May 2003, Lightfoot was made a Companion of the Order of Canada,[5] which is one of Canada's highest awards.
Death
Lightfoot died at a hospital in Toronto on May 1, 2023. He was 84 years old.[6]
Music
- 1966 Lightfoot!
- 1967 The Way I Feel
- 1968 Did She Mention My Name
- 1968 Back Here on Earth
- 1969 Sunday Concert'
- 1970 Sit Down Young Stranger
- 1971 Summer Side of Life
- 1972 Don Quixote
- 1972 Old Dan's Records
- 1974 Sundown
- 1975 Cold on the Shoulder
- 1976 Summertime Dream
- 1978 Endless Wire
- 1980 Dream Street Rose
- 1982 Shadows
- 1983 Salute
- 1986 East of Midnight
- 1993 Waiting for You
- 1998 A Painter Passing Through
- 2004 Harmony
- 2012 All Live
- 2020 Solo
Gordon Lightfoot Media
Lightfoot, right, at a music industry function in Toronto in 1965
Lightfoot's star on Canada's Walk of Fame
Notes
- ↑ CC Archived 2008-12-07 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ Adam White & Fred Bronson (1988). The Billboard Book of Hits. Billboard Books. ISBN 0-8230-8285-7.
- ↑ Seely, Mike (22 August 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. http://www.seattleweekly.com/2007-08-22/music/fantasy-trade-gordon-lightfoot-for-neil-diamond-the-last-waltz.php. Retrieved 2008-04-05.
- ↑ Active Musician. Gordon Lightfoot biography, retrieved November 19, 2007. Archived November 5, 2014, at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ http://www.gg.ca/honours/search-recherche/honours-desc.asp?lang=e&TypeID=orc&id=1014 Archived 2008-12-07 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ Morris, Chris. "Gordon Lightfoot, Canadian Folk Singer-Songwriter, Dies at 84". Variety. Retrieved May 1, 2023.