Gordon Lightfoot, Canadian folk legend, dead at 84


A sad day.

nevada_matt

Truly an icon of the music world. I have always loved his writing and am deeply saddened by this news. I can’t imagine how music and songwriting today would be the same without his contributions. I am a big fan of Bruce Cockburn, a fellow Canadian, but have always thought of him as a modern Gordon Lightfoot. He leaves a huge legacy and a long trail of great albums. 
He is the second Canadian this week following Tim Bachman, but no comparison between the two.

queuing up Cold on the Shoulder now and Don Quixote is next

Rest In Peace Gordon

 

He was surely one of a kind, and he will be missed . We are fortunate to be left with his music and wonderful memories.

Back in my early folksinging/acoustic guitar playing days, he was the artist I emulated the most. I just loved the guy. Did I see him perform at the Troubadour once-upon-a-time? My memory fails. Rest in Peace!

Growing up in Canada we used to sing his songs at school music classes. I still listen to his music.

Major bummer.  My wife and I listen to Gords Gold on most road trips we take,   I first bought that album in 1977

A Canadian singer-songwriter legend known worldwide

https://www.ctvnews.ca/entertainment/legendary-folk-singer-songwriter-gordon-lightfoot-dead-at-age-84-1.6379492

He was one of my all time faves . I saw him at MASSEY HALL here in Toronto. ….terrific.

I also have him in live concert on a well-recorded professional DVD production …a full live concert ( PBS?) ~ 22 years ago in RENO NV , when he was still in his prime …. SENSATIONAL….I watch it a couple times a year for a pick-me-up. …this live performance is better than his albums IMO.

If you are up to being pleasantly surprised at something new to watch …. Highly recommended.

https://gordonlightfoot.com/LiveinRenoDVD.shtml

If I could read your mind, love
What a tale your thoughts could tell
Just like a paperback novel
The kind the drugstore sells
When you reach the part where the heartaches come
The hero would be me
But heroes often fail
And you won't read that book again
Because the ending's just too hard to take

Thanks Gordon for countless hours of singing along and more than a few hours of crying in my beer.

The world will be smaller without you.

A very good songwriter and musician  sad to see another musician gone R.I.P  .

oh man - he was one of the first voices I remember hearing as a kid, my parents were fans, as am I.

The best, a terrible loss...may he rest in peace. I own every single album he produced. Forever a Legend.

The Wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald is such an incredible tune and is on my own personal desert island list. Truly an all time favorite.

Thank you for your artistry, Gordon Lightfoot ... may you rest in peace

Cueing it up now, in your memory ...        : )

Gordon Lightfoot is one of my all-time favorite singer songwriters. I have most of his albums, and play them regularly. My wife and I were able to see him about a dozen years ago in San Francisco. He, and his band sounded just like his records. He will be missed!

I bought my first stereo system in late 1982 while a sophomore in college — Yamaha NS-1000 speakers I believe, a Yamaha receiver, and Yamaha turntable. I was a sophomore premed student in a basement male only “dungeon “ single dorm room and virtually all others on the floor were junior premed students heavily immersed in the books. I felt isolated, pretty lonely. I had plenty of friends who then came to listen to vinyl and play cribbage or chess. Fond memories of staying up until the crack of dawn playing cribbage and listening to Gord’s Gold repeatedly. No other album comes close in terms of playtime over the years. Early Morning Rain, Minstrel of the Dawn, Canadian Railroad Trilogy were favorite tracks. That rich warm baritone voice was pure medicine, just what I needed. RIP Gordon.

There are some songs — sounds from songs, really — from when I was young that went in deep.  The harmonica at the beginning of “School” by Supertramp was one.  Another was that haunting guitar line in “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.”  Brilliant song — the simplicity and specificity of the lyrics remain a masterclass.

I've been a fan since high school. I have all of his albums including the obscure "Two Tones at the Village Corner". I hope they decide to release this on CD and maybe include other tracks as a CD allows. Really great stuff. Joe

Always loved his music, saw him twice in the 70's at the Spokane Opera House, a good venue. Second time it was the second show of the evening and he looked very tired and things were just not flowing well. Somebody started singing happy birthday to him and we all joined in, many lighting matches, lighters, etc....and he was so moved he said something very nice about it and then really got into his music, as well as his band, and it was a superb concert from then on. I will always remember that as a very special moment in time.

Rick

Listening to "The Beatles Channel" on SiriusXM this morning, I heard Gordon Lightfoot introduce his four favorite Beatle songs. Obviously, he passed away recently, and it made me sad to remember all the great songs he wrote and performed over his career. He is missed!