MA Residents Are Feeling The Loss Of A Talented Troubadour

He was one of the premier storytellers in music. A talent from Ontario, Canada who scored a trio of top 5 hits with ballads that included "If You Could Read My Mind", "Sundown" (his only # 1 tune from 1974) and a tribute to 29 crew members of The Edmund Fitzgerald who perished in Lake Superior back in 1975 which he took to # 2 one year later.

With a heavy heart I am sad to report that Gordon Meredith Lightfoot Jr. passed away from natural causes in Toronto on Monday night at the age of 84. Through the decades, he also brought us a plethora of musical stories including "Carefree Highway" (the 1974 follow-up to "Sundown"), "Rainy Day People", "Beautiful". "The Circle is Small", "Baby Step Back" and "Race Among The Ruins"

Gordon Lightfoot moved to California in 1958 to study jazz composition and orchestration for two years at Hollywood's Westlake College of Music which had many Canadian students and then embarked as a popular songwriter. His first recording contract with United Artists took place in the mid 60s and in 1970 he signed with Frank Sinatra's label, Reprise records and the rest is history. Since 1966, the famous balladeer released a total of 21 albums, including a pair of Greatest Hits collections. His final compilation in 2020, "Solo" was parallel to the COVID-19 pandemic which put the brakes on a whirlwind nationwide tour.

The beloved singer-songwriter received a total of 16 Juno Awards (the equivalent of an American Grammy) and was inducted into the Canadian Hall of Fame back in 1986. he should receive a posthumous accolade in Cleveland, Ohio but those who enshrine performers at The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame just DON'T GET IT these days!

To sum it all up: Gordon Lightfoot's musical contributions will NEVER be forgotten. I am STILL honored to play his music as this was a staple since my days in Catskill, New York. My one regret is I NEVER saw him perform LIVE but my badge of honor remains that his legacy will remain intact every time I feature one of his immortal stories.

(Some information obtained in this article courtesy of www.wikipedia.com. Video clips courtesy of You Tube)