Global Courant 2023-05-02 10:24:42
He wrote songs for Peter, Paul And Mary and Marty Robbins, and his 1968 album, “Did She Mention My Name?” earned him his first Grammy nomination, for Best Folk Performance.
There would be four other Grammy nominations, as well as induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2012.
He recorded five core albums for United Artists before continuing his career with Warner/Reprise from the 1970s to the 1990s. The 2012 release of “All Live” represented his only live album since those original United Artists releases.
His easy but melancholy “Sundown” would be Lightfoot’s only one US No. 1 hit, peaked in late June 1974 and spent 18 weeks on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart.
In 2012, he headlined the Los Angeles Grammy Museum’s “An Evening With” series to talk about his 1976 epic narrative hit “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.”
“It’s a whole story in itself, from beginning to end,” he said, “and it’s still going on.”
Some big names have recorded or performed his songs. They include Bob Dylan, Elvis Presley, Sarah McLachlan, Barbra Streisand, Harry Belafonte, Jane’s Addiction, Glen Campbell, and Toby Keith, among others.
In fact, his official biography states that house music icon Ultra Naté was joined by renowned dance music artists Amber and Jocelyn Enriquez in recording a club version of his song “If You Could Read My Mind” in 1998.
The singer-songwriter was recognized as a musical talent early on by his parents, and at the age of 12 he won a competition that allowed him to perform at Toronto’s Massey Hall, which became a frequent tour stop for Lightfoot.
He started as a performer in barbershop quartets and then as a member of musical duos, but his time came when he let go of the other musicians around him and wrote prodigiously.
The singer-songwriter tried to make his way in Los Angeles in the late 1950s, but he didn’t find success until he returned to Toronto and embraced the folk music scene over the next decade.
Lightfoot’s rolling, guitar-based music, influenced by Bob Dylan and the folk artists of the era, was as at home on the radio alongside his Canadian compatriot Anne Murray as he was alongside the Eagles.
At least seven of his albums have been certified “gold” in the United States, a designation that means 500,000 or more of a title has been sold.
In 2002, he suffered a near-death attack with illness, but survived, according to his official biography, and continued to record and perform.
The following year, the Office of the Governor General of Canada said that Lightfoot, born in Orillia, Ontario in 1938, was one of the country’s most beloved musicians.
“Gordon Lightfoot has been telling our stories in song for more than five decades,” it said as part of an award under his previous Order of Canada recognition. “He has a unique ability to combine contemporary urban music with our traditional roots. He is sincere and reserved, with a down-to-earth style that cannot be pigeonholed.”
On Monday night, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau named Lightfoot one of the country’s greatest singer-songwriters.
“Gordon Lightfoot captured the spirit of our country in his music – helping to shape Canada’s soundscape,” Trudeau said. “May his music continue to inspire future generations.”
Lightfoot is survived by his wife, Kim Hasse, his six children, Fred, Ingrid, Eric, Galen, Miles and Meredith, and several grandchildren, his publicist, Lord, said in a statement.
Gemma DiCasimirro contributed.
