Gordon Lightfoot 1938-2023

At age 17, I had the rare privilege of meeting Gordon Lightfoot as a fan. For reasons I'll never understand, my dad let me borrow the car keys on a cold and rainy November evening in Cincinnati to attend Lightfoot's performance at The University of Cincinnati Armory Fieldhouse. A lovely girl was introduced to the sold-out audience as Mimi Farina (1945-2001) and she walked onstage with an acoustic guitar and a beautiful singing voice. In my youthful naiveté, I had no earthly idea she was the younger sister of Joan Baez. Mimi opened many Lightfoot concerts over the years, and contemporaries of this native Orillia, Ontario, Canadian?included Ian and Sylvia Tyson, Joni Mitchell, Pete Seeger, The Weavers, and Bob Dylan. The Tyson's hit song with Lightfoot's "Early Morning Rain" marked the singer-songwriter's breakthrough on the international music scene. In 1973, Elvis Presley included the song in his set list during rock music's first-ever satellite concert beamed around the world: "Elvis: Aloha from Hawaii".

Lightfoot's many songs -- among the more than 200 he'd written included: "Remember Me: I'm the One", "Ribbon of Darkness" (recorded by Marty Robbins in 1965), and "Black Day in July" (about the 1967 Detroit riots), "Canadian Railroad Trilogy" (1967 and re-recorded 1975). In 1970, Lightfoot began dominating the U.S. Hot 100 or Adult Contemporary charts with the hits: "If You Could Read My Mind" (1970), "Sundown", "Beautiful" (1972), "Carefree Highway" (1974), "Rainy Day People", and his personal favorite, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" (both in 1975). Lightfoot by mere chance became upset after noticing that Newsweek Magazine had devoted a small article on the sinking of the bulk freight carrier?SS Edmund Fitzgerald?on Lake Superior on Nov. 10, 1975. The tragedy claimed 29 lives of the entire crew. Within a month, Lightfoot created a 6 minute dirge with 7 verses that factually recreates a series of indelible haunted images as the ship first entered a storm with waves that became insurmountable: “Does any one know where the love of God goes / When the waves turn the minutes to hours?”.?FM radio stations waved their usual 4 minute rule and placed the song in heavy rotation. In the decades since, Lightfoot met annually and remained in touch with the family members of those who were lost in the sinking. The Maritime Church in Detroit, Michigan rang its bell on May 2nd 29 times for each crew member and once to memorialize Gordon Lightfoot.

Bob Dylan said of Lightfoot: "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."

After my first Lightfoot concert concluded, this crazy teenager waited for the Armory Fieldhouse to empty out along with six adults, hoping to catch a glimpse of the legend. Forty minutes later, we saw an unaccompanied Lightfoot on his way out a side door. He looked over and noticed our group, turned and stated: "Oh, hey!" and began walking eagerly in our direction with a smile. This was a different time, when security protocols were nowhere near today's levels. Lightfoot shook hands with each of us as he asked for our names and where we were from. I remember being so awestruck by this musical giant that I introduced myself twice. Lightfoot drew back and joked, pointing at me: "Haven't we met somewhere before?" to hearty laughter, including my own. He then spent 25 minutes chatting with us casually. Try and imagine this scenario today! I asked about his set list and also the use of former pedal steel guitarist, Pee Wee Charles. It was a memory I'll always savor.

In the years that followed, I saw Lightfoot in concert at least 10 times. My last Lightfoot concert was the furthest venue from a university campus Armory Fieldhouse, a Music Hall (Cincinnati), or an outdoor amphitheater (Dallas). He performed at an RV Park hall in Mesa, Arizona in 2016 in addition to world touring.

Lightfoot's biographer Nicholas Jennings said, "His name is synonymous with timeless songs about trains and shipwrecks, rivers and highways, lovers and loneliness."

In 2020, the film documentary "If You Could Read My Mind" was released and would serve the reader of this short article well. Several Lightfoot albums have achieved gold and multi-platinum status. His songs have been recorded by such artists as: Harry Belafonte, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Judy Collins, Barbara Streisand, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Jim Croce, The Grateful Dead, Elvis Presley, Olivia Newton-John, and Sarah McLachlan. His familiar baritone voice and magnificent songwriting followed an ascent towards becoming one of the most beloved and well respected musicians of a generation. My thoughts are with all of our dear friends in Canada today. The annual concert of Gordon Lightfoot at Massey Hall would sell out months in advance. The loss of Gordon Lightfoot will be felt deeply in his beloved Canada, but also throughout the world.