Gordon Lightfoot, the Canadian folk-rock musician who had a string of hits throughout the 1970's, has passed away on May 1st at the age of eighty-four. The singer-songwriter has been credited with helping to bring folk music to the pop charts, influencing many artists who would later cover his music.
Born in Orillia, Ontario, Lightfoot began singing in his church as a child, learning to sing with emotion and confidence by his choirmaster. As a boy soprano, he would perform at local operas and music festivals. After taking piano lessons, Lightfoot would teach himself how to play the drums and guitar. In 1958, Lightfoot attended college at Westlake College of Music in Los Angeles to study jazz composition. While in LA, he got involved in the folk music scene that was emerging but after two years, Lightfoot returned to Canada, settling in Toronto.
He began to get his career in motion, making his name in local coffee houses and performing with the country music band, the Singin' Swingin' Eight. This led to Lightfoot getting signed with RCA Records in 1962 and releasing two singles with both receiving significant airplay throughout Canada. Lightfoot worked several folk music festivals until he was able to release his debut album, "Lightfoot!" in 1966 with United Artists Records. This collection highlighted his gift as a singer and songwriter, making him a big name in Canada and bringing him attention elsewhere.
Unhappy with his current label, Lightfoot signed with Warner Bros./Reprise Records in 1970. He would breakthrough with the international hit, "If You Could Read My Mind" from his fifth studio album, originally titled "Sit Down Young Stranger" but later renamed after this single. This would begin a run of successful albums and popular songs which include "Beautiful", "Sundown" (Lightfoot's only number one hit in the US), "Carefree Highway", "Rainy Day People" and "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald". In 1972, Lightfoot contracted Bell's Palsy which left his face partially paralyzed and while it did slow down his touring schedule, this did not prevent him from creating music.
By the 1980's, Lightfoot was no longer a fixture on the pop charts, but he continued to make memorable music up until the late '90's. At the turn of new century, more health issues plagued Lightfoot which included an abdominal aortic aneurysm, a stroke and alcoholism. And while Lightfoot was slowed down, he would recover, managing to return to the stage and record music. His last tour was in 2019 and he released an album, "Solo", Lightfoot's twenty-first, the following year. And Lightfoot was the subject of a 2019 documentary, "Gordon Lightfoot: If You Could Read My Mind".
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